Reviews of Medical Reference Providers for FAC Applications

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Triffid
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Reviews of Medical Reference Providers for FAC Applications

#1 Post by Triffid »

This a thread to post any reviews or experiences of using medical reference providers if your GP surgery won't cooperate . . .

Here's my experience.
As my GP refused to provide a medical reference in support of my FAC renewal (despite having done so for the last 4 renewals), I used the cheapest internet medical records provider I could find, (Dr Ian McKenzie at https://firearmsmedicalreports.co.uk) to provide the reference. This cost £50.

I asked my records from my surgery using a Subject Access Request and they were emailed to me 19 days later (note that now the referee has to obtain them directly). I forwarded them via email to Dr McKenzie with his application form and he completed the reference within two days, copying the letter to both me and the Firearms Licensing team. As far as I could tell he did a proper review of my medical records, and provided a factual record in the reference, with no opinions expressed.

The reference and my renewal application should have arrived at Police HQ within a couple of days of each other. The Police accepted the reference with no question and renewal was duly issued.

I'd use this service again quite happily. However if my medical history had anything 'complicated', where I'd need a medical opinion expressed in the reference, I'm not sure that the straight factual account Dr McKenzie gave would be acceptable.

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Re: Reviews of Medical Reference Providers for FAC Applications

#2 Post by The Gun Pimp »

This pretty well mirrors my experience using Medcert. As Triffid says getting your own records will speed things up.
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Pippin89
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Re: Reviews of Medical Reference Providers for FAC Applications

#3 Post by Pippin89 »

My review of Medcert...
After my GP (who was a shooter himself) retired, my new one refuses to sign them. So for my missus SGC application we went to Medcert. Application process was straightforward enough.
It said that GP's can take 4 weeks to send records and them a further 1 week to review and issue report.
6 weeks and countless failed attempts to get through to them later, and finally she contacted the GP surgery to see if they had sent the records. They had, 2 days after the application. So Medcert had had them for 5 and a half weeks against their suggestion of 1 week. We had held off submitting her SGC application until the medical records had been done so that they arrived at the police on the same day.
Finally got through to Medcert who found the records and said they needed a further week to review. An hour later they arrived in her inbox.

Also on the website it suggested that the records would not be sent directly to the police (for Sussex, it says they do for some) but to us. But when the email came through it said that it had been sent to the police. So it then invoked a very quick scramble to get her actual SGC application submitted that evening.

A lot of faff and stress for something that should be very simple, but I don't think Medcert are wholly to blame.... The system is shocking. And its certainly a good job we have companies like Medcert who pick up the slack from GP's who think they can charge the earth or not sign them at all.
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Re: Reviews of Medical Reference Providers for FAC Applications

#4 Post by hitchphil »

by comparison a taxi or bus driving medical includes an in person physical check (eyesight, blood pressure etc ) a records review of the same conditions, the form is almost exactly the same & it costs ~£55. where as a firearm check is remote & only the tick box & signature form but costs the same?

https://content.tfl.gov.uk/tph204-medic ... ration.pdf

As above from Pippin89's post - No records should be sent to the police!? only the response form should be sent. If your records are sent thats a gaping hole in any GDPR agreement! you can have the records sent to you or destroyed. (they are copies). There is also no requirement for them to be submitted at the same time? FLO's can progress other parts of the application pending receipt of them, any force saying an application will be rejected without is wrong. An application cant be competed without it.

Note that members of most governing bodies get a discount on Medcert, BASCs scheme is different its member managed. There seems to be no discount with Firearmsmedicalreports but then their base price is about the same as others after discount.

I have been told that i didnt need a med ref for my club FAC renewal because I have other FACs in current issue. Maybe if you have an FAC then renew an SGC they might do the same? so ask. So if you are a club FAC holder & have a personal FAC make that case so it becomes consistent, dont accept a request for med ref. Contact your NGO if they do. Dont let this become another 'lets make it up as we go' process & so a further bind for everybody else.
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