My GP called about my shotgun certificate!

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My GP called about my shotgun certificate!

You are under no obligation to see your GP in response to this sort of request.

By David Frost

Thursday, 02 February 2012

A most bizarre thing happened the other day. I had not long renewed my shotgun certificate when I had a phone call from my doctor’s receptionist.

Apparently he wanted to see me because he’d been told I have a certificate.

He didn’t really seem to know what to do with the letter he’d received from the police and just asked me about my drinking habits. I’m not very happy about that.

SHOTGUN LICENCE
David Frost
Nor should you be. The police have been in discussion with the British Medical Association about informing doctors when someone applies for a certificate or its renewal.

The BMA are not too happy with this as most doctors don’t want to get involved in the licencing process and not all are pro shooting either.

If the latter applies you might not get a helpful report.

There are also issues relating to patient confidentiality.

The police are allowed to approach your GP to seek factual information about your medical condition but are advised only to do so if there is some real medical doubt about your suitability to have a gun.

None of this is part of your doctor’s contract with the NHS and they’re entitled to charge.

If they do it’s the police, not you, who pays. If GPs are going to spend their time interviewing applicants for shotgun certificates they’re not going to have so much time for seeing genuinely ill people which becomes a matter of real concern.

You are under no obligation to see your GP in response to this sort of request, so it’s probably better if you politely decline the appointment and say why you are doing so.