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PARTLY

As of 13 August 2026, AI can only partly get a fit note from your GP.

This still needs a person who signs their name to it.

Regulated sign-off caps this verdict at PARTLY; the override is recorded, not hidden.

Can you do it?

5 minutesto a draft.

15 minutesto something you’d act on.

Cost, all in£0

Skill neededchat-fluent

Who has to check ita professional

What the alternative costsNo directly comparable fit-note service is listed in the supplied tool data.

If this goes wrong, your request may omit important information or delay contact with your GP practice, while urgent or worsening symptoms may need NHS 111 instead.

What to actually do

  1. Hand it to a person

    The route this page recommends

    Someone with a licence or accountable authority has to sign this before it counts.

  2. Use a tool built for this

    Second choice
  3. Do it yourself

    The distant third

    A chat interface, chat-fluent skill, and roughly 15 minutes until you can act on the result.

    How to actually do it

    1. Open the NHS fit note guidance at https://www.nhs.uk and your GP practice website, and check how the practice asks patients to request an appointment or contact it.
    2. Gather the dates, symptoms in your own words, affected work duties, the first day you were unable to work or may need adjustments, and any previous contact with a healthcare professional.
    3. Paste the copyable prompt into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and answer its questions without asking it to make a medical diagnosis or decide whether you qualify.
    4. Compare the drafted message with your own records and remove any symptom, date or work detail that is not accurate before sending it.
    5. Send the factual request through the GP practice's stated channel and attend any assessment it arranges, because the healthcare professional must decide whether to issue the fit note.
    6. If your symptoms are urgent or worrying, contact NHS 111 at https://111.nhs.uk rather than waiting for an AI-drafted request.

    Prompt

    Help me prepare a clear request to my GP practice about a fit note. Do not make a medical diagnosis, decide whether I qualify, or claim that a fit note will be issued. Use only the information I provide and do not invent symptoms, dates or medical history. First, ask me for: the main symptoms or health problem in my own words, when it started, how it affects specific work duties, the first day I could not work or may need adjustments, whether I have already spoken to a healthcare professional, and what I want to ask the practice. Then produce: 1. a short message I can send to my GP practice, 2. a list of the facts I should have ready for an assessment, and 3. questions to ask about the practice's process and any appointment needed. Tell me to use NHS 111 at https://111.nhs.uk if my symptoms are urgent or worrying. Keep the wording factual, concise and suitable for a UK GP practice.

    Open it prefilled in ChatGPT or Claude, or copy it into Gemini, which takes no prefill link.

What it gets wrong

  • AI cannot examine you or assess how your health affects your ability to work.
  • AI cannot issue, sign or backdate a fit note.
  • AI cannot know your GP practice's current booking process unless you check the practice's own information.
  • AI cannot judge whether your symptoms need urgent medical attention.
  • AI cannot take responsibility for the clinical decision or for how your employer responds to the note.

What caps this at PARTLY: regulated advice, physical presence and stakes of error.

How we scored this

Five axes, each scored nought to two by hand: ten means AI carries the task cleanly, and the thresholds that turn a total into YES, PARTLY or NO are published in the methodology. Each axis name links to its definition.

AxisScore (0–2)
Output1
Inputs2
Verification1
Liability1
Effort delta1
Total6 / 10

FAQ

Can AI write a message to my GP about a fit note?
Yes. It can turn your symptoms, dates and work difficulties into a concise request, but you must check every detail and the GP practice or healthcare professional still decides what happens next.
Can ChatGPT issue me a fit note?
No. A fit note must come from an authorised healthcare professional after the relevant assessment, so a chatbot cannot issue or sign one.
What should I tell my GP if I need a fit note?
Give the dates, your symptoms in your own words, the work duties you cannot manage, and whether you need time away from work or adjustments. Do not rely on AI to make a medical diagnosis, and contact NHS 111 if the symptoms are urgent or worrying.
Can I use AI instead of seeing my GP for a fit note?
No. AI can help you prepare the request, but it cannot assess your health or make the clinical decision. Follow your GP practice's process and attend any assessment it arranges.

Nearby answers

Assessed by gpt-5.6-luna (gpt-5.6-luna) on 2026-08-13, second-checked by an independent model. Wrong somewhere? Email [email protected] and it gets re-checked.

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