GPs' reports

  • Consent must be given before a GP writes a report for an insurer.

In a minority of cases, an applicant’s GP may be asked by the insurance company to complete a medical report. Applicants should not assume that their GP will be approached.

The GP’s report is usually requested if the company wants more information about, or investigation of, medical conditions already revealed by the applicant.

Guidelines have been agreed between the Association of British Insurers and the British Medical Association on the content of these reports.1

The patient must give consent for the doctor to complete a report – the doctor should have seen a signed consent form. Doctors must not release information about patients simply because an insurance company requests it.

The report takes the form of answers to specific, relevant questions. Doctors should not send originals, photocopies or printouts of full medical records.

As for the questions on the application form completed by the person requesting insurance, questions may be asked about HIV-positive test results, but not testing negative. Doctors should not reveal information about an isolated incident of a sexually transmitted infection that has no long-term health implications, or even multiple episodes of non-serious infections, again where there are no long-term health implications. Questions about lifestyle should not be asked.

Applicants have the right to see a GP’s report before it is sent. Applicants can ask for any mistakes to be corrected, and in the last resort, they can refuse to allow it to be sent.

References

  1. British Medical Association and Association of British Insurers Statement of Best Practice for HIV and Insurance. www.bma.org.uk, 2008
This content was checked for accuracy at the time it was written. It may have been superseded by more recent developments. NAM recommends checking whether this is the most current information when making decisions that may affect your health.