Price Increase 2024

Dear patients,

We are writing to inform you about an upcoming change in our pricing structure. After careful consideration and assessment, we have decided to adjust the fees for certain services provided at our General Practice. A detailed list can be found on our website (along with our updated Terms of Trade). In summary they mainly relate to nurse-based consultations and services, referrals being made outside normal consultations and the introduction of a small annual fee for our patient portal.

This decision was not made lightly. We are aware that having to pay more will be tough for many of you. Here are some of the reasons why we had to take this step:
We get funding from the government for each registered patient - it is called capitation and is supposed to cover 65% of our income and contribute to staff wages, general expenses etc. The amount we get paid has not increased substantially in the past 20 years and is now woefully inadequate. There is no indication from the government that there will be any change to this anytime soon.

The other 35% of our income are generated by fees you pay when you come and see our doctors and nurses. Those two income streams combined have not been keeping up with our rising costs (employee wages, medical supplies, building maintenance etc). As we cannot change the capitation payments made to us we reluctantly had to make the call to increase those additional fees to ensure our business remains viable.

We understand that any change in pricing may raise questions or concerns, and we are here to address them. If you have any queries or require further clarification, please do not hesitate to reach out to our administrative staff at [email protected]. They will be more than happy to assist you.

We value the trust and loyalty you place in us and we are committed to delivering excellent care to you and your family in the future.
Thank you for your understanding and support during this transition period.
Sincerely

The Directors

Fairfield Medical Centre