Adults registered with your practice may decide that they would like to be adoptive parents or foster carers. They are required by regulations to obtain a medical report during their application process, and for foster carers at intervals during their fostering career this information needs to be updated.
To ensure consistency of quality of information obtained across the UK, most adoption and fostering agencies use template documents that are produced by a professional membership organisation “CoramBAAF” and this incudes a standard report format to collate medical information.
Please see RCGP/BMA statement about the importance of the GP in completing these medical reports.
The process of recruiting and supervising adopters and foster carers, is managed by registered agencies. These agencies may be run by local authorities, private companies, voluntary, independent, or charitable organisations.
Each agency will have a named Medical Adviser.
Please note that applicants looking to adopt or foster may be offering to look after children known to them already.
Fees for adoption and fostering medical reports
Please see Fees for working collaboratively with local authorities published by the BMA.
CoramBAAF would recommend that GPs liaise locally and have an agreed process for charges for the medical reports. Each CCG has a Designated Doctor for Looked after Children and along with agency medical advisers they can be an invaluable source of expertise regarding adoption and fostering processes. They can be contacted via the local CCG safeguarding team.
Is Video Consultation suitable for Completing an Adoption and Fostering Medical?
During the pandemic, video consultations have been used successfully to complete these medical reports. There are certain elements of the information e.g. BP, urinalysis that will need to be arranged by the surgery as per local arrangements in addition to a video consult if this is the method used.