Chapel Group Medical Centre is committed to supporting our patients. All requests for letters for benefits, council or any other third parties, will only be completed with a formal request from the third party. Please note all requests from the third party will require the patient’s formal consent. We will only complete factual responses, we are not allowed to give an opinion. If in doubt we will refuse to complete the request and may issue a copy of medical records instead with your consent. Please be aware that any requests for copies of records can take up to 28 days.
HOUSING APPLICATIONS
If you are intending to apply for a council home for health reasons, YOU DO NOT NEED A DOCTOR’S LETTER.The Council will write, in confidence, to your doctor if further information is required..
GPs receive frequent requests for medical letters and reports in support of housing applications from a variety of sources – the local authority, housing associations and via Citizens Advice Bureaux. Information in support of an application based on health grounds should be supplied by the applicant using a form provided by the Housing Department (self-assessment). This should not require any input from the GP/practice. Only if additional information is required, should the Housing Department Medical Officer obtain it from the applicant’s doctor, preferably using a standard form, provided the patient has given written consent. The Medical Officer should seek information which is only available to the GP, for example:• the diagnosis;• severity of the illness;• medication;
