How to get a private sick note online

You can get a private sick note online by booking a video or telephone assessment with a GP, who then issues a document only where the assessment supports it. For the first 7 calendar days of sickness absence you normally do not need a note at all, because you can self certify.

What a private sick note actually is

Sick note is the phrase most patients use. The official term is a fit note, and it helps to know the difference between 3 things.

The first is self certification. If you are off work sick for 7 calendar days or less, you do not need any medical evidence. Calendar days include non working days, weekends and bank holidays, so a week of sickness counts as 7 days even if you only work 3 of them. Your employer can ask you to confirm your absence in writing when you return, but they cannot insist on a doctor’s note for that first week.

The second is the statutory fit note. This is the official document used once sickness lasts more than 7 days. It can be issued by a registered doctor, nurse, occupational therapist, pharmacist or physiotherapist, as long as they are acting within their professional scope and have assessed you. A fit note records 1 of 2 opinions: that you are not fit for work, or that you may be fit for work with appropriate support, such as amended duties, altered hours or a phased return.

The third is a private medical certificate or letter. This is a document a private GP writes after assessing you, for example for an employer, a school or a university. It is written to a professional standard, but it is not automatically the same thing as a statutory fit note, and the distinction matters when an organisation has strict rules about what it will accept.

What an online assessment covers

A fit note or certificate always follows an assessment. It is never issued simply because it is requested.

In an online consultation the GP will ask when your symptoms started, how they affect you, what your work involves and what you can and cannot currently do. They will consider any records, letters or test results you can share. With your consent, a short summary can be sent to your NHS GP so your records stay joined up.

The GP then forms a professional opinion. If you may be fit for work with support, the note can suggest practical adjustments for your employer to consider. The clinician suggests; they do not order your employer to make a particular change. You and your employer discuss what is workable, and if no adjustment can be agreed, you are treated as not fit for work.

The 7 day rule and who pays

Two money points are worth understanding clearly.

Statutory fit notes are free when you have been ill for more than 7 days at the time you ask. In NHS practice this is part of your NHS care.

Where you have been ill for 7 days or less, a healthcare professional may charge a fee for providing medical evidence. This is the position if your employer asks for a doctor’s note during the first week, because self certification is the normal route for that period. In private practice the consultation itself carries a fee regardless of how long you have been ill, and any document is provided where clinically appropriate after that assessment.

What we cannot do or promise

We would rather be plain about this than take a booking under false pretences.

We cannot guarantee a document. The consultation fee pays for the GP’s time and assessment, not a particular outcome. If the assessment does not support a note, we explain why and suggest the right next step.

We cannot promise retrospective certification. A note can only record dates that the assessment and the available clinical evidence reasonably support. Tell the GP if your illness began before the appointment, and bring anything that helps evidence that.

We cannot promise your employer will accept a private document. Many employers do accept fit notes and certificates from GMC registered private doctors, and official guidance allows employers to agree to accept other evidence of sickness. But acceptance is ultimately the employer’s decision, and for Statutory Sick Pay purposes the exact evidential position for private documents is worth checking against your employer’s own policy.

Finally, a GP cannot override an employer’s decision, an occupational health opinion or a tribunal. A note records a clinical opinion. What organisations do with it is theirs to decide.

Frequently asked questions

Can a private GP give me a sick note?

Yes, where an assessment supports it. A private GP can assess you by video or telephone and issue a fit note or medical certificate when that is clinically appropriate. The document reflects what the assessment finds, never simply what is asked for.

Can I get a sick note online without seeing a doctor?

No. Any legitimate note follows a real assessment with a real clinician. Services that sell certificates with no consultation are not providing medical evidence, and employers and official bodies can treat them accordingly. An online assessment is still a proper consultation, just by secure video or telephone rather than in a consulting room.

Do I need a sick note for the first 7 days?

No. For the first 7 calendar days of sickness absence you self certify, and those days include weekends and bank holidays. Your employer can ask you to confirm the absence in writing when you return, but they cannot require a doctor’s note for that week. If your employer insists on early medical evidence, a clinician may charge a fee for it.

Will my employer accept a private sick note?

In most cases employers do, because the document sets out a genuine clinical assessment by a GMC registered doctor. That said, acceptance is the employer’s decision, and some organisations have their own rules about the form evidence must take. It is worth checking exactly what your employer needs before you book.

Can a sick note be backdated?

Only where the evidence supports it. If your illness began before your appointment, tell the GP, because a note can reflect an earlier start date where your history and any records reasonably justify it. What no doctor can do is certify a period of illness they cannot assess, or adjust dates to suit a deadline.

How to arrange an assessment

Clinique Alpa is currently a virtual first clinic, so assessments take place by secure video or telephone. A 15 minute consultation is £65, and a 30 minute consultation is £79.99 if your situation needs more time. Payment is taken securely when you book.

Before you book, find out exactly what your employer, school or university needs the document to say, and whether they have a required form or wording. Have the relevant dates ready: when the illness started and how long you have been off. Where the assessment supports it, your document follows promptly by email. Document fees are separate from the consultation fee and are listed on our appointments and fees page.

Book through our sick notes and medical letters page or arrange an online GP consultation directly. You can also call 020 8882 8088 if you would rather talk it through first.

Dr Mitesh Parmar, Principal GP and Clinical Director at Clinique Alpa. MBBS MRCGP, GMC number 6113670.