Cancer Support Medical Letter
Managing work, study, or travel during cancer treatment often means being asked for formal documentation, for example to support adjustments at work, academic adjustments at a university or college, an insurance claim, or a benefits application.
This guide explains what a cancer support medical letter is, who asks for one, what it usually contains, and who can write one: your GP, your oncology team or clinical nurse specialist, or a private GP.
Accepted by most UK employers, universities and insurers, subject to their own policies. All consultations are subject to clinical assessment and certificates are issued only where clinically appropriate.
How It Works
Complete short online consult
No appointment required.
Complete a short medical questionnaire and upload any supporting evidence.
Doctor reviews your evidence
A GMC-registered doctor reviews your submission individually.
✔ Full refund if a certificate cannot be issued.
Receive your certificate
Most certificates are issued same day, almost all by 9AM the next morning. Delivered as a signed PDF. A doctor will email you if more evidence is needed.
Certificate security
Every MedicalCert certificate can be checked as genuine
Each certificate is issued with anti-tampering protection and its own verification reference. If your employer, university, airline or insurer wants to confirm the document came from a GMC-registered doctor, they can check it against MedicalCert records. Altered or copied documents do not pass that check.
Very happy, I ordered my Medical Certificate in the early morning hours and before noon time of same day I had it on my inbox. Speedy service and they present the health condition precisely, get to the point.
They meet the incredibly fast turnaround stated (certificate/letter sent before 9am the following morning if the doctor feels that a letter/certificate is appropriate) which is incredibly quick and I am really grateful for the help provided!
Very easy and quick to get my certificate. And the certificate was approved from the specific company to travel with my dog. I will use them again. Well done.
Second time using this company and they are fabulous! Always great, fast, friendly service. Highly recommend!
This was my second time using Medical Cert, and once again the service was exceptionally quick and professional. Everything was handled efficiently, with clear communication throughout.
I found the service very straight forward and quick. Exactly what I needed to get my Padi medical form signed before our holiday. Thank you very much.
Process was easy and responses were quick. I would recommend their service.
Fast efficient service for medical certificates. I used the not fit to fly service and was provided with a certificate the next day, the price is very reasonable and enabled a flight credit refund with my airline. Would recommend and would use again if needed.
A fast and efficient service. It wasn't complicated and the Fit-to-fly note was accepted by the Airport without any further questions. Thank you.
Ideal for me, I am looking to get a certificate for some medical issues I have. So this is the perfect solution for me, uploading docs was easy and the forms very straightforward to fill in. Will definitely use them again. Many thanks.
Quick and reasonably pain-free. Received their standard certificate as well as my requested bespoke certificate, by email, by 9am the following morning. Both completed properly, signed and stamped as required. More expensive than my GP, but infinitely quicker and easier.
One of the best experiences. It's easy to get a GP note.
Excellent. My GP refuses to issue DWP MED 3 Fit Notes to students. MedicalCert were excellent and extremely helpful in providing a necessary certificate. Highly recommended.
You were amazing, you kept me updated and replied promptly to any queries I had. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
They helped me, they were very professional and nice.
Very pleased. Quick service with very professional letter provided.
Great service, pretty straight forward and easy to use the website.
I was recommended Medical Cert by a friend and was so impressed with the service received. I would recommend using a laptop rather than a phone. Overall a fantastic and fast service.
A cancer support medical letter is a doctor-signed document that sets out the diagnosis recorded in your medical records, your current treatment status, and the way cancer and its treatment affect your daily functioning. It is used for employment, insurance, travel, and hardship or financial applications. A support letter does not diagnose, stage, or confirm cancer. That is the work of the team treating you, and the letter documents what is already recorded. This guide explains when a supporting letter helps, what it usually contains, and who can write one.
People living with cancer often need medical documentation for purposes that sit outside their direct clinical care, from benefit and hardship applications to reasonable adjustments at work, travel insurance appeals, and charitable funds. NHS oncology teams are not always able to produce administrative letters quickly, because that paperwork sits outside the treatment they are there to provide. Your GP can also be asked, and a private GP can write a supporting letter from the records you provide. Your NHS team remains the right source for anything clinical.
We recognise that navigating a cancer diagnosis alongside administrative and financial pressures is incredibly difficult. The sections below set out who usually asks for a letter, what it contains, and who can write one, so you can ask the right person for the right document.
When Is a Cancer Support Medical Letter Needed?
Workplace Support & Absence
- Requesting reasonable adjustments at work under the Equality Act 2010, which deems cancer to be a disability from the point of diagnosis (Schedule 1, paragraph 6)
- Supporting a phased return to work after treatment
- Documenting fitness for work limitations during or after chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or surgery
- Occupational health referral documentation
Benefits & Financial Support
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP), where DWP invites supporting information from people involved in your care
- Hardship and benevolent grants from cancer charities and other funds that ask for medical evidence
- Mortgage or loan payment holiday applications due to illness
- Critical illness insurance claims
- Financial services hardship schemes, many banks and lenders require medical evidence
Travel, Housing & Everyday Needs
- Travel insurance documentation, confirming diagnosis date, treatment status, and current health
- Blue Badge application supporting evidence
- Housing priority applications where cancer treatment affects housing needs
- Gym or subscription cancellation due to inability to participate
- Confirming immunocompromised status for employers or venues
Cancer and the Equality Act 2010
Cancer is a deemed disability. Schedule 1, paragraph 6 of the Equality Act 2010 provides that cancer, HIV infection and multiple sclerosis are each a disability, and the statutory guidance on the definition of disability states that a person is protected effectively from the point of diagnosis (paragraph A9). You do not have to show that your cancer has a substantial and long-term effect on your day-to-day activities for the Act to apply. The Equality Act 2010 covers England, Wales and Scotland; disability discrimination in Northern Ireland is dealt with under separate legislation.
- An employer owes a duty to make reasonable adjustments (Equality Act 2010, section 39(5) and Schedule 8). Section 20 sets out the three requirements that duty can involve, and what counts as reasonable depends on the individual circumstances
- That duty does not apply where the employer does not know, and could not reasonably be expected to know, that you are disabled and likely to be placed at a substantial disadvantage (Schedule 8, paragraph 20). Telling an employer something, even without clinical detail, is what brings the duty into play
- Unfavourable treatment or dismissal because of something arising from cancer may amount to disability discrimination. Whether it does is decided on the facts, by an employment tribunal
- Discounting cancer-related absence when attendance triggers are applied is a commonly agreed reasonable adjustment, and a matter for discussion with the employer rather than an automatic entitlement
- You are not required to disclose your diagnosis, and a supporting letter can describe your functional limitations and the adjustments suggested without setting out more clinical detail than you want to share
A well-constructed medical letter can communicate the nature of your functional limitations and support needs without disclosing more information than you are comfortable sharing. This page describes the law in general terms and is not legal advice.
What a Cancer Support Letter Can Include
The content of a cancer support letter depends on its purpose and what you choose to disclose. A letter usually covers some or all of the following:
Medical Content
- Confirmation of the diagnosis recorded in your medical records, including the type of cancer if you wish to disclose it
- Your current treatment status as recorded in those records, for example active treatment, remission, or surveillance
- Side effects of treatment affecting your daily functioning as you describe them, for example fatigue, neuropathy, or immunosuppression
- Ongoing medical needs recorded in your records, where they are relevant to the purpose of the letter
Impact Statement
- How the condition or treatment affects your ability to work, travel, or carry out daily activities
- Workplace adjustments suggested on the basis of the limitations you describe
- Expected duration of those limitations, where the evidence supports an estimate
- Fitness for specific activities or requirements (e.g. fitness to travel, fitness for work)
You can tell the doctor writing the letter what it is for and what you are comfortable sharing. A doctor will only include what your records support and what is appropriate to share for the letter’s purpose.
What this letter is not
- It does not diagnose, stage, or confirm cancer. It documents what the team treating you has already recorded.
- It cannot give a prognosis or replace a report from your oncologist. Where a recipient needs a prognosis or a staging opinion, only your treating team can provide it.
- It is not a statement of fitness for work. Employment and Support Allowance and Universal Credit ask for that official statement from a healthcare professional where you have been unable to work for more than 7 days in a row, and a supporting letter cannot take its place (GOV.UK, New Style ESA).
- It is not an SR1. Claims under the Special Rules for End of Life, used where a clinician would not be surprised if you were to live less than 12 months, need an SR1 form completed by a clinician involved in your care, such as your GP, consultant, hospice doctor, or senior specialist nurse. A supporting letter cannot take its place.
How to Get a Cancer Support Medical Letter
Decide what the letter needs to confirm
Before asking, think about what the letter is for and what the recipient needs to know. The more clearly you can specify the purpose, the better the doctor writing it can tailor the letter to that purpose.
Gather your supporting documentation
Collect any relevant evidence, hospital letters, oncology reports, diagnosis confirmation letters, or treatment summaries. The more evidence you can provide, the more comprehensive and accurate the supporting letter can be.
Ask the right person
Your GP, your oncology team or clinical nurse specialist, or a private GP can write a supporting letter. Explain the purpose of the letter and any specific information the recipient requires, and ask whether there is a fee and how long it is likely to take.
The doctor checks your records
The doctor checks your request against your records. Where the records support it, the letter is written with the tone and content suited to its purpose.
Check the letter before you send it
Read the letter before passing it on, and check that it says what the recipient asked for and nothing you did not want to share.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can write a cancer support medical letter?
Your GP, your oncology team or clinical nurse specialist, or a private GP. A private GP writes from the records you provide, which can include letters or reports from your NHS oncology team. A supporting letter supplements, and never replaces, your NHS records and the care your team gives you.
Does a cancer support letter have to disclose my specific diagnosis?
No. You can ask for the letter to include only what you are comfortable sharing. A letter can confirm that you have a serious medical condition affecting your functioning, without specifying the type of cancer, if that is your preference. The doctor writing it will include what is clinically supported and appropriate to the stated purpose of the letter.
Can I use this letter for PIP or ESA applications?
Partly. For PIP, DWP invites supporting information from people involved in your care, so a private letter can be sent with your claim form, though DWP carries out its own assessment and the letter is supporting evidence rather than a determination. For Employment and Support Allowance and Universal Credit it cannot do that job: those claims ask for an official statement of fitness for work where you have been unable to work for more than 7 days in a row, and a supporting letter is not a substitute (GOV.UK, New Style ESA). If you may be nearing the end of life, the Special Rules use an SR1 form completed by a clinician involved in your care.
Can a cancer support letter be used for travel insurance claims?
Often, yes, as supporting evidence. A letter setting out the diagnosis recorded in your evidence, your current treatment status, and any limitations on fitness to travel can support a claim or an appeal. No letter can guarantee that an insurer accepts a claim, and insurers set their own requirements, so check what yours asks for. Some ask for their own form to be completed instead.
Can this letter confirm that I have cancer if I have not been diagnosed yet?
No. A remote review cannot diagnose cancer, and it cannot confirm a diagnosis that has not been made. If you have symptoms that have not been assessed, contact your GP, who can arrange the right tests and referrals. A supporting letter can only document a diagnosis that is already recorded in your medical records.
