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Ministers seek to stop GPs charging victims of domestic abuse for information

BMJ 2018; 361 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k1684 (Published 16 April 2018) Cite this as: BMJ 2018;361:k1684

Opinion: GPs should stop charging victims of domestic abuse for information

  1. Gareth Iacobucci
  1. The BMJ

The government is considering recommending changes to the GP contract to block practices from charging victims of domestic abuse for letters to help them access legal aid or housing, The BMJ has found.

The move comes after MPs and peers raised concerns about the issue with the Department of Health and Social Care, after reports that some practices charge people £100 (€116; $143) to confirm to authorities that they were a victim of domestic violence.

The general medical services contract does not currently fund general practices for issuing such letters, and practices are permitted to charge patients.

But MPs and peers said that charging a vulnerable group of patients in this way was …

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