For the first seven days you do not need any note from anyone. Most people paying for one did not have to.
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Most people who buy a sick note for a short absence did not need to buy anything.
In the UK you can self-certify for the first seven calendar days of sickness absence — including weekends. No doctor, no fee, no appointment. Your employer may ask you to complete their own form or the government SC2 form, and that is all that is required.
A fit note from a clinician is only needed from day eight onwards, and even then there are things worth knowing before paying for one.
This is the genuine use case. You are past seven days, your employer requires a note, and the next GP appointment is a fortnight away. We can do it today.
£40 covers the consultation and the note. Some services charge a consultation fee and then a separate document fee — which is the practice our pricing comparison exists to flag.
A note is a by-product of a consultation, not the point of one. Being off work for more than a week means something is going on, and twenty minutes on what that is — and what would help you back — is worth more than the certificate.
We can recommend altered hours, amended duties or a phased return, which is frequently more useful to both you and your employer than a binary "not fit for work".
Some employers ask for a note within the first seven days, which they are entitled to do as a matter of company policy — though they should not charge you for it. We can provide one where you have been put in that position.
That is the whole argument and it is conclusive for short absences. Self-certification is legally sufficient for seven days. Paying us £40 on day three is money you did not need to spend.
From day eight, your own GP will issue a fit note at no charge. If you can get an appointment in reasonable time, that is the better route.
And it need not be a doctor — nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists can all issue fit notes now, which often means a quicker appointment than waiting for a GP.
For a long-term or recurring condition, a note from the clinician who has followed it carries more context — and is better placed to advise on adjustments.
Self-certification takes five minutes and no appointment with anyone.
Seven calendar days or fewer: self-certify and pay nobody. Weekends count. This single check saves most people the fee.
It is free, and it need not be a doctor. Ask the surgery whether another clinician can issue the note — that frequently gets you seen sooner.
If neither works and you need the note now, we can do it today with the note included in the fee.
If what you need is a note for a period you were not unwell, we are not able to help, and we would rather say that here than during a paid appointment.
Statutory Sick Pay and your contractual sick pay are separate things. Check your contract — what your employer requires and when is set by policy as much as by law.
Seven calendar days, including weekends. A fit note is needed from day eight.
For the first seven days, yes — that is the standard arrangement. Some employers ask for more as a matter of company policy; if they do, they should not expect you to pay for it.
Yes. A fit note from any registered clinician who has assessed you is valid. It will show that it was issued privately.
Only where it is clinically justifiable based on the assessment. We cannot certify a period we have no clinical basis to comment on.
No — since 2022 nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists can all issue them. That often means a faster appointment at your own surgery.
No. It is included in the £40. And if you are within the first seven days, we will tell you that you do not need one at all.
Clinically reviewed by Dr Mohammad Zubair Khan, GMC 7563469
Last reviewed
August 30, 2026
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Same-day access is usually available, from 6am to 10pm, seven days a week. You choose a time that suits you rather than waiting on hold at 8am.
Yes. Care is led personally by Dr Mohammad Khan, so you are not passed between clinicians. Continuity is the point of a small practice: someone who knows your history and is listening attentively rather than working through a checklist.
Yes, with your consent. We can access your Summary Care Record during the consultation, so your current medications, allergies and significant history are in the room. That means fewer questions you have already answered elsewhere, and safer prescribing.
No. We are not here to replace GPs, only to support them. Your NHS practice remains responsible for your ongoing care, and with your consent we write to them after the consultation. We are useful when you need to be seen sooner, or want more time than a standard appointment allows.
Twenty unhurried minutes and a comprehensive assessment. A written treatment plan is included, along with any prescription, sick note or referral letter arising from the consultation, at no extra charge.
£40 for 20 minutes, self-pay. Membership is optional and never required. Priced for fairness, because we are not here to charge extortionate amounts for access to a doctor.
It means the diagnosis can usually be made from your history and photographs, and that treatment can be arranged safely without examining you. Where a condition is not marked treatable online, it is because examination is the diagnosis — listening to a chest, feeling an abdomen, examining an ear or a joint — or because a procedure or device is needed.
Yes, where there is a genuine bacterial infection — cellulitis, impetigo, bacterial urine infections, confirmed strep throat. We will also frequently tell you that you do not need one. Most sore throats, coughs, colds and earaches are viral, and an antibiotic gives you the side effects with none of the benefit.
If your problem turns out to be genuinely outside what we can do remotely, the doctor will tell you straight away, point you to the right service, and refund your fee in full. We would rather do that than fill twenty minutes to justify the charge.
Call 999 or go to A&E — do not book an online appointment and do not wait for a reply to an email. For urgent problems that are not emergencies, NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, online or by phone, and can direct you to the right service.
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