Mental Health Sick Note
Mental health conditions are clinically valid reasons to take time off work, issued by a UK GP with full sensitivity and confidentiality.
When your mental health makes work impossible, the last thing you need is to explain yourself in a waiting room. Get a signed GP sick note. No appointment needed.
✔ Covers anxiety, depression, burnout, PTSD, OCD and related conditions.
✔ Treated with full clinical sensitivity and confidentiality.
✔ Most Same day or by 9AM next morning. From £47.
✔ Full refund if the GP cannot issue.
GET MY SICK NOTE 
All consultations subject to clinical assessment. Issued only where clinically appropriate.
Need ongoing documentation? See also our stress leave certificate, mental health support letter and sick note for anxiety.
Get your medical certificate delivered straight to your inbox from £37
How It Works
Complete a short online questionnaire
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. No automated approvals.
✔ Full refund if the GP cannot issue.
Receive your certificate
Most certificates arrive same day or by 9AM next morning, delivered via email a signed PDF. All consultations subject to clinical assessment. Issued only where clinically appropriate.
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.
Excellent service. Easy to use and certificate issued in less than 24 hours. £39 as opposed to the £150 my GP charges. Highly recommended.
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.
Mental Health Sick Note
A mental health sick note is a medical certificate from a GMC-registered doctor confirming that a mental health condition is affecting your ability to work and certifying a period of absence. Mental health conditions are treated in UK law in the same way as physical illness. Employers should consider valid medical evidence and must not discriminate because of a disability, but workplace absence procedures and evidence requirements can vary.
MedicalCert issues mental health sick notes same day, online, through GMC-registered UK doctors. No GP appointment, no waiting room. Submit before 9pm and receive your certificate the same day — or by 9am the following morning.
Mental Health Conditions Covered
We issue sick notes for a wide range of mental health conditions. Each condition has a dedicated page with specific guidance on symptoms, workplace rights, and how to apply.
- Anxiety — generalised anxiety, health anxiety, and anxiety-related work absence
- Depression — clinical depression, low mood affecting your ability to work
- Stress — workplace stress, occupational stress, being signed off with stress
- Burnout — emotional exhaustion, detachment, reduced professional performance
- Panic attacks and social anxiety — panic disorder, social anxiety disorder
- PTSD — post-traumatic stress disorder following traumatic events
- OCD — obsessive-compulsive disorder affecting daily functioning
- Bipolar disorder — manic and depressive episodes affecting work capacity
- Bereavement — grief, distress following the death of a close person
When Do You Need a Mental Health Sick Note?
0–7 calendar days
Self-certification. You can inform your employer you are unwell without a doctor’s certificate. Mental health is a valid reason. All calendar days count including weekends. Your employer cannot request a sick note for this period.
8+ calendar days
A fit note or private sick note from a GMC-registered doctor is required. MedicalCert provides same-day mental health sick notes — no GP appointment needed. Submit online, receive your certificate by email the same day.
Some employers request documentation earlier than 7 days — particularly where there is a pattern of short-term mental health absences, or where their own absence policy specifies a shorter trigger. A private MedicalCert sick note is fully appropriate in these cases even within the first seven days. You can also apply for a certificate to cover a period of absence that has already begun.
Sick Pay for Mental Health Absence — Including the April 2026 Changes
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) applies to mental health absence in exactly the same way as physical illness. If you are off sick with a mental health condition and meet the eligibility criteria, your employer must pay SSP.
Current rules (until 5 April 2026)
SSP is payable from the fourth consecutive day of absence. Days 1–3 are unpaid waiting days. You must earn at least £123 per week to qualify. Current rate: £118.75 per week for up to 28 weeks.
New rules from 6 April 2026 (Employment Rights Act 2025)
From 6 April 2026, SSP becomes payable from your first day of absence. The three-day waiting period is abolished. The lower earnings limit is also removed — all employees qualify regardless of earnings. Employees earning below the previous limit receive SSP at 80% of average weekly earnings or £123.25 per week flat rate, whichever is lower. These changes are particularly significant for part-time workers and those in lower-paid roles, who previously received nothing for the first three days of a mental health absence.
Your employer may offer enhanced sick pay beyond SSP under a contractual scheme — check your employment contract. SSP is the legal minimum. If SSP ends after 28 weeks, you may be eligible for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) — a Med3 note from an NHS GP is required for ESA claims specifically.
Your Legal Rights — Mental Health and Sick Leave
Equal treatment
Under UK employment law, mental health conditions must be treated with the same seriousness as physical illness. Dismissing, disciplining, or penalising an employee for taking certified mental health sick leave — or for having a mental health condition — can constitute unlawful discrimination and unfair dismissal.
Equality Act 2010 — disability protections
A mental health condition is likely to meet the Equality Act disability definition if it has had a substantial and long-term adverse effect on normal day-to-day activities for 12 months or more, or is likely to. This applies to many common conditions including depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, PTSD, OCD, and eating disorders. Where this threshold is met, your employer has a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments and cannot discriminate against you on grounds of your condition. Recurring episodes — even if each individual episode is shorter than 12 months — can collectively satisfy the test.
Confidentiality
Your employer cannot contact your doctor without your written consent. You are not required to share clinical details beyond what appears on the certificate itself. The certificate confirms your condition and its impact on work — it does not reveal the content of your consultation. You can choose how much additional context to share with your manager or HR.
Employer contact during absence
An employer may make reasonable contact while you are off sick, but it must not be excessive, pressurising, or distressing — particularly for mental health conditions. ACAS guidance states that the frequency and method of contact should be agreed and should be appropriate to the individual’s circumstances. Persistent or intrusive contact that worsens your condition could constitute a breach of the employer’s duty of care.
What Your Mental Health Sick Note Includes
Your certificate is issued as a signed PDF, verifiable by your employer via QR code. It includes:
Certificate contents
- ✔Your full name, date of birth, and contact details
- ✔Condition confirmed as affecting fitness for work (e.g. “anxiety”, “depression”, “stress and burnout”, “PTSD”)
- ✔Certified period of absence — from and to date
- ✔“Not fit for work” or “may be fit for work” with recommended adjustments
- ✔Recommended workplace adjustments, where included
- ✔GMC registration number of the signing doctor
- ✔Unique QR code for employer verification
How to Get a Mental Health Sick Note Online — Same Day
Complete the online consultation
Describe your mental health condition, current symptoms, how long they have been present, and — critically — how they are preventing you from working. You don’t need a formal diagnosis. Be specific about the functional impact: inability to concentrate, leave the house, manage social interactions, maintain routine, or perform tasks safely. Upload any supporting evidence if available (previous GP letters, prescriptions, referral letters).
A GMC-registered doctor reviews your case
One of our experienced GPs reviews your submission the same day and assesses whether your mental health symptoms are impairing your capacity for work. The doctor may contact you for further information before issuing. If the doctor cannot clinically support a certificate, you receive a full refund — no exceptions.
Certificate delivered to your inbox
If clinically appropriate, your signed certificate arrives same day (submit before 9pm) or by 9am the following morning. Forward it directly to your employer, HR, or payroll team. The embedded QR code allows your employer to verify the doctor’s credentials and certificate authenticity instantly.
For condition-specific guidance including legal frameworks, symptoms, and return-to-work information, see the dedicated pages below.
