Sick Note / Fit Note

1. Book — same day is usually available

Including evenings and weekends, so a Friday illness does not become a Monday problem.

2. A genuine assessment

This is a consultation, not a form. The GP needs to establish that you are unfit for work before certifying it — that requirement is what makes the certificate worth anything to your employer.

3. Certificate issued

Digitally, within about ten minutes of the consultation ending. Forward it straight to your employer.

This is a consultation, not a form — and the questions may not be the ones you expect.

The GP will ask about your job, not just your illness

This surprises people, and it is the heart of it. A fit note certifies that you are unfit for your work, so the GP needs to know what your work actually involves. Twelve hours on your feet, driving, lifting, screen work, working at height, dealing with the public — the same condition can be entirely compatible with one job and impossible in another.

Be specific about what your role requires. "I work in a warehouse" is far more useful than "I work full-time".

Expect to be asked whether anything would let you go back sooner

Not as a challenge — because a note that suggests workable adjustments is often more useful to you than one that simply signs you off. Reduced hours, a phased return, avoiding one particular task, working from home for a fortnight. Many employers will accommodate a specific, time-limited adjustment far more readily than an open-ended absence.

How long it will cover

The GP decides the period based on the assessment, not on what you ask for. It will be a realistic estimate of how long you need, and it can be extended with a further consultation if things have not resolved.

What it will say about your condition

You can ask for the wording to be less specific, and this is worth knowing. A certificate needs to state a reason you are unfit for work, but that reason can often be recorded in general terms — "a gastrointestinal condition", "a mental health condition" — rather than a precise diagnosis. If you would rather your employer did not have the detail, say so during the consultation.

If the answer is no

If the GP does not find you unfit for work, no certificate is issued, and the fee covers the assessment either way. Please do not book expecting a guaranteed outcome — a certificate that could be bought rather than earned would be worth nothing to your employer, which is precisely why it holds.

You probably need one if

• You have been off more than seven calendar days, including weekends
• Your employer asks for one earlier, which some contracts allow
• You need documentation for a formal absence or occupational health process

You probably do not need one if

You have been off seven days or fewer. You can self-certify, and no doctor's note is required by law. Some employers ask anyway — check your sickness policy before paying for something you do not need.

Honest limits

• This is a private certificate, not an NHS Med3. Most employers accept them; none are legally obliged to.
• It cannot be backdated further than the assessment clinically supports.
• If the GP does not find you unfit for work, no certificate is issued. The fee covers the assessment either way — so please do not book expecting a guaranteed outcome.

Within about ten minutes

The certificate is issued digitally, carrying the GP's name and GMC registration number so your employer can verify it on the public register. Forward it straight on — there is no need to wait for a posted copy.

Sending it to your employer

Send it to whoever handles absence — usually your line manager or HR — and keep a copy for yourself. If your employer uses an absence-reporting system, upload it there as well as emailing it, since the two are often not connected.

If your employer questions it

Most UK employers accept private certificates, but none are legally obliged to — the statutory Med3 comes from an NHS practice. If yours declines it, the usual routes are your NHS GP for a Med3, or your employer's occupational health service.

It is worth checking your sickness policy before booking rather than after.

Extending it

If you are still unfit when the certificate runs out, that needs a further consultation — a certificate cannot be extended without reassessment. Book a few days before it expires rather than after, so there is no gap in your cover.

Going back early

You do not need anyone's permission to return to work before the certificate expires, and you do not need a separate note saying you are fit. A fit note is advice to your employer, not a prohibition. If adjustments were suggested, raising them with your manager is usually the thing that makes an early return workable.

Will my employer accept a private sick note?

Most do, but none are legally obliged to. The statutory fit note (Med3) comes from an NHS practice. A private certificate from a GMC-registered GP carries the doctor's name and registration number and is verifiable, and in practice employers generally accept it — but the honest answer is that acceptance is at their discretion.

Check your sickness absence policy before booking. It is the single most useful thing you can do, and it takes five minutes.

Do I even need one? I have only been off a few days.

Probably not. For the first seven calendar days of illness — including weekends — you can self-certify, and no doctor's note is required by law. Some employers ask anyway, which their contract may allow.

We would rather tell you this than take £40 for something you did not need. If you need a written self-certification, our self-certification letter covers that.

Can it be backdated?

Only as far as the assessment clinically supports. A GP can certify a period that has already begun where the history makes that reasonable — someone off for ten days with an illness that plainly started then. What cannot happen is a certificate covering a period the GP has no clinical basis to certify. That is not a policy choice; a doctor signing an unsupported statement is a GMC matter.

Does it have to state my diagnosis?

Not necessarily, and you can ask. The certificate must give a reason you are unfit for work, but that can frequently be expressed in general terms — "a mental health condition", "a gastrointestinal illness" — rather than a specific diagnosis.

Raise it during the consultation. Employers are entitled to know that you are unfit and roughly why; they are not automatically entitled to your full medical detail.

What is the difference between a sick note and a fit note?

The same document. The name changed to fit note to reflect what it actually does: rather than simply declaring you unfit, it can record that you may be fit for work with adjustments — amended duties, reduced hours, a phased return.

That second option is under-used and frequently the more useful one, because it gives your employer something concrete to act on.

How long can it cover?

As long as the assessment supports. There is no fixed maximum, but it will be a realistic estimate rather than an open-ended period — and for anything prolonged, review is part of good care rather than an inconvenience.

What if I need it extended?

Book a further consultation, ideally a few days before the current certificate expires so there is no gap. Extension requires reassessment; it cannot be issued on request.

What if the GP does not agree I am unfit?

Then no certificate is issued, and the fee still covers the assessment. It is worth saying plainly: this is the reason a private certificate is worth anything. A note that could be bought regardless of the clinical picture would be treated by employers exactly as it deserved.

Where that happens, the consultation usually still produces something useful — treatment, an explanation, or a conversation about adjustments that let you keep working.