Letters & Fit Notes

Fit notes

You might need a fit note if you’re unwell and cannot work for more than 7 days, including weekends and bank holidays.

You do not need a fit note from our practice if you cannot work for 7 days or less and can use the self-certification form.

Ask your employer for Statutory Sick Pay – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

You can use the SC2 form to ask your employer for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP).

If your employer asks for evidence for the first 7 days of sickness, a we may charge a fee for this.

A fit note can support you to return to work or stay in work. You can also use your fit note to help you claim benefits or statutory sick pay (SSP).

For procedures and issues related to hospital treatment, please ask your hospital team to provide a Fit note at time of appointment or discharge.

For issues you are consulting in your practice about, please submit a request via the online consulting link for your practice site:

As we prioritise requests based on the medical needs of patients, Fit notes are processed routinely and may take several days.

You should go back to work as soon as you feel able to. Talk to your employer if you feel well enough to return to work before the end date on your fit note, for example if:

you’ve recovered from your illness or injury sooner than expected your employer can make reasonable adjustments to help you return to work (GOV.UK)

You do not need to see a healthcare professional again to go back to work.

Private Letters and Forms

Patients request letters from their practice for a number of reasons and our team are frequently asked to provide private or ‘To Whom it May Concern’ letters or reports for third parties.

You must put this request in writing by submitting an online consultation form via

or by completing a paper form available at reception.

The cost of these letters and reports are not covered by the NHS and therefore we charge for the time taken away from NHS care to do this so we can re-invest this back into patient care. All letters require time to review a patient’s medical records to ensure that the information provided is correct, then for the letter to be typed and printed/sent.

Private letters and reports do not take priority over NHS work. Please allow up to 28 days (and sometimes up to 56 days during busy periods) for any requests to be fulfilled.

We will not accept requests for ‘the doctor must write these exact words’ or sign a ‘Fit to do’ certain activities form as we do not assess for such activities in the NHS (e.g. Fit to run a marathon or Sky dive). We will also not be able to verify address or ID as we have no way to verify this. The clinician will write what they know about your health, supported by your medical record. The GP has the right to decline your request as we are not obliged to write a letter for you at all, as this is not an NHS requirement.

Letters to support housing or benefit claim

If the council needs information from a healthcare professional about a resident who is applying for medical priority, the council will request and pay for the letter directly. There is no benefit in sending a letter before one is requested. It is more effective to support residents to self-advocate, ensuring they explain their health issues thoroughly and include a list of medications they take (which can be obtained free from their GP.)

Non-NHS Services

BBBHP Non NHS Fees

Non-NHS Providers List (March 2023)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is covered by the NHS and what is not?

The Government’s contract with GPs covers medical services to NHS patients, including the provision of ongoing medical treatment.
GP Practices are businesses that have to cover their costs for staff, buildings etc., in the same way as any small business. The NHS covers these costs for NHS work but not for non-NHS work. The fees charged by GPs contribute towards these costs.

In recent years, more and more organisations have been involving doctors in a whole range of non-medical, non-NHS work.

Sometimes the only reason that GPs are asked is because they are in a position of trust in the community, or because an insurance company or employer wants to ensure that information provided to them is true and accurate.

Do GPs have to do non-NHS work for their patients?

With certain limited exceptions, for example a GP confirming that one of their patients is not fit for jury service, GPs do not have to carry out non-NHS work on behalf of their patients.

Whilst we will endeavour to assist our patients as much as possible, the request may be declined in some circumstances. For instance, we may decline to sign fitness to perform activities forms such as parachute jumping or marathon as they may need to be done doctors who have specialist training in these areas.

We do not verify identity so will not be able to sign forms that require verification of identity such as passport forms.

Why does it sometimes take my GP a long time to complete my form?

Time spent completing forms and preparing reports takes the GP away from the medical care of his or her patients. Most GPs have a very heavy workload and paperwork takes up an increasing amount of their time. Many GPs find they have to complete this work outside of and in addition to their normal hours.

NHS medical care of our patients always takes priority during our working day so any private letters or forms can take up to 3 weeks to complete and return to you. We cannot guarantee they will be completed earlier.

I only need the doctor’s signature – what is the problem?

When a doctor signs a certificate or completes a report, it is a condition of remaining on the Medical Register that they only sign what they know to be true.

In order to complete even the simplest of forms, therefore, the doctor might have to check the patient’s entire medical record.

Carelessness or an inaccurate report can have serious consequences for the doctor with the General Medical Council (the doctors’ regulatory body) or even the Police. Inaccurate information also affect the patients.

What will I be charged?

We recommend that our team tell patients in advance if they will be charged, and what the fee will be. You will be expected to pay in advance. We accept cash or card.

We produce list of suggested fees which our doctors use. Please visit our website or speak to a member of our patient assistant team who will be able to give you a copy. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If items are not listed, managers or doctors have the discretion to charge the appropriate fee. We strive to reflect the charges in accordance with the British Medical Association’s suggested fees.

What can I do to help?

Not all documents need a signature by a doctor. You can ask another person in a position of trust to sign such documents free of charge.

If you have several forms requiring completion, present them all at once and ask your GP if he or she is prepared to complete them at the same time to speed up the process.

Please do not expect your GP to process forms urgently as NHS work will always take priority.

You can use our website to consult our doctors online for any queries or look for up to date information.

Housing Letters

We are no longer providing housing letters to patients

If needed we are able to provide you with the following:

A print out of a brief medical summary free of charge, or
Print out of relevant consultation

For requests from housing department or any third party for health information, these should be made by contacting us directly via email with the patient’s consent.

Please note: We currently have back log for reports. If a report is requested, there will be a delay in response time and therefore may be quicker to make use of a brief summary/detailed summary of the relevant consultations where possible.