How much does this service cost, and when do I pay?
Our service costs £75 (no VAT). Our fees are payable after you’ve reviewed a draft copy of your medical report, and must be paid before we send it to the Police Firearms Officer who’s processing your application. We’ll send you a link to securely pay online via PayPal or credit/ debit card, you can also pay by bank transfer or with a cheque.
How long will it take my doctor to provide my medical records, and is there a charge?
Your practice is required to respond to your request and provide us with a copy of your records within 30 days of receipt of your request. You are entitled to a copy of your records without charge under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
What format do my medical records need to be in?
For an initial grant we will require a complete set of all your medical notes, including specialist letters and copies of the old record cards, once known as ‘Lloyd George’ cards. If your GP offers a summary print out, it will be insufficient – it must be a complete set of all your medical notes. If you are already a licence holder then most police licensing authorities are now asking for a life time of records. The exception is Wales where a full set of notes is needed for all applications. Sometimes your surgery may not be able to provide a continuous set of records, in particular the old written records are often summarized and then destroyed. Usually this is clear on our review but on occasion we will confirm with your practice and sometime a discussion with your Firearms Licensing Officer will be needs if there are gaps that cannot be filled.
How we will obtain/access your medical records?
You will request that the surgery send your medical records direct to us. This is to limit the possibility of them being tampered with
When we have received your application and consent form we will send you a SAR’s letter template and an information sheet setting out what you need to do and your legal rights. Your surgery are required to provide your medical records within 1 month of receipt of your request.
You can post your application and consent form to Fast Medical Reports, Dr Ian Mckenzie, Pencester Surgery, 10 Pencester Road, Dover, CT16 1BW. Alternatively you can scan them and send by email to i.mckenzie@nhs.net. We must have a copy of your Application and Consent otherwise we will be unable to progress with your review. Please ensure the signature on the consent form is handwritten.
How do I know my medical records will be secure with you?
Your medical records will be reviewed by qualified medical reviewers who are obliged to maintain the confidentiality of your records as part of the requirements of GMC registration and GDPR regulations.
What happens when you receive my medical records?
On receipt of your records we will check page numbers and date sequences and document any gaps there may be. We will then complete a review against the medical criteria the police require (see our FAQ on ‘What criteria will you review in my medical records?’ for more information).
What criteria will you review in my medical records?
To process your application for a firearms or shotgun certificate, the Police require that we conduct a review of your medical records.
Medical conditions that could be relevant include to include in your report:-
(i) Acute Stress Reaction or an acute reaction to the stress caused by a trauma, including post-traumatic stress disorder;
(ii) suicidal thoughts or self-harm or harm to others;
(iii) depression or anxiety;
(iv) dementia;
(v) mania, bipolar disorder or a psychotic illness;
(vi) a personality disorder;
(vii) a neurological condition: for example, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s or Huntington’s diseases, or epilepsy;
(viii) alcohol or drug abuse; and
(ix) any other mental or physical condition, or combination of conditions, which may affect the safe possession of firearms or shotguns.
The list above is not intended to be exhaustive. Doctors are advised to consider any other mental or physical condition which may affect an individual’s safe possession of a firearm or shotgun, now or in the future.
In order to complete your report we will need to review a complete set of your medical records not a summary print out.
What will you include in my medical report?
Your medical report for your firearms or shotgun application will be based on your medical records. Should any entries fitting the above list of criteria be found, they will be included in your medical report.
We cannot and will not hide anything in your medical report that could be an area of concern based on your medical records. For example, if your records indicate a history of a depressive illness, this must and will be reported. If this happens, you can expect that your Firearms Officer will contact you and interview you as part of the process for issuing your certificate.
Who decides if I’m fit to hold a firearms or shotgun license?
Only the Police can make a decision to issue your firearms certificate. Our role is to conduct a review of your medical records to support a factual report relating to the medical criteria; we cannot make any recommendation about your suitability or otherwise to hold a firearms licence to the Police.
How long do you keep my data for?
We will retain your records until you inform us that your application has been completed or for six months, whichever event occurs first. We will happily return your records if you wish, or dispose of them through an official confidential waste service. Electronic records will be deleted. We will retain your Application and Consent Form.
