Housing Applications and Medical Supporting Letters – Important Information for Patients
If you are applying for social housing, requesting a housing transfer, or reporting concerns about how your home is affecting your health, please read this important information about medical supporting letters.
We understand that housing difficulties can have a significant impact on your physical and mental health, and that providing medical information may be an important part of your housing application.
Patients sometimes contact the surgery to request a GP letter to support their housing needs. However, you do not usually need a specially written GP letter to provide medical evidence to your housing provider.
What medical evidence can I provide?
If your local council or housing association asks for information about your health, you can usually provide existing medical documents, such as:
- A summary of your medical records.
- Copies of relevant hospital or specialist letters.
- Existing medical reports from healthcare professionals.
- Relevant information available through the NHS App.
These documents can help your housing provider understand your medical conditions and health needs without you having to pay for a new GP letter.
Why doesn’t the surgery provide housing support letters?
Writing letters for housing applications is not part of the NHS services that GP practices are contracted to provide.
Such letters may therefore involve a private fee, which can place an unnecessary financial burden on patients.
There is generally no additional benefit to paying for a specially written GP housing letter when suitable medical information is already available in your records.
We want to help patients access the information they need without unnecessary costs or delays, while ensuring our clinical team can focus on providing essential patient care.
How can I access my medical information?
You can use the NHS App to view medical information available in your GP health record.
Visit www.nhs.uk/nhs-app to find out more.
If you are unable to access the NHS App or need help obtaining existing medical information, please contact the surgery for advice.
What if the council needs further information?
If your local authority or housing provider requires additional medical information, they may contact the surgery directly, with the appropriate consent, to request the information needed.
Further information and guidance
For more information about providing medical evidence for housing applications, please read the guidance below:
Click here to read the Supporting Information for Housing Applications guidance (PDF)
We appreciate that housing concerns can be stressful, and we hope this guidance helps you access the information you need as easily and fairly as possible.
