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 most same day, all by 9AM next morning. No appointment needed.
✔ Covers anxiety, depression, burnout, PTSD, OCD and related conditions.
✔ Treated with full clinical sensitivity and confidentiality.
✔ Most same day. All by 9AM next morning. From £47.
✔ Full refund if the GP cannot issue.
GET MY SICK NOTE 
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
Certificates arrive most same day, all by 9AM next morning, delivered as a signed PDF direct to your inbox.
What our patients say
Verified reviews from real MedicalCert patients
Verified Patient
May 2025
Request at 10pm, certificate by 9am
Excellent service. Request was made at 10pm and turned around by 9am the next day. Very well written using the information provided.
Verified Patient
June 2025
Updated certificate sent free of charge
Amazing experience — got what I asked for in a short period of time, then they sent me an updated one with dates provided free of charge.
Marcus T.
January 2025
Sick note for work — professional and fast
My GP had a 3-week wait. MedicalCert issued a sick note within a few hours. The doctor was thorough, and my employer accepted it without question. Exactly what I needed.
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 exactly the same as physical illness — your employer cannot lawfully refuse a valid certificate or treat you less favourably because of it.
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
A mental health sick note can be issued for any mental health condition that impairs your ability to work — not just the most commonly known ones. The conditions below each have dedicated guidance pages. If your condition is not listed, you can still apply — our doctors assess fitness for work based on your current symptoms and their functional impact, regardless of whether a formal diagnosis has previously been made.
No formal diagnosis is required to apply. The doctor assesses your current symptoms and how they affect your ability to work — this is the same basis on which NHS GPs issue fit notes.
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.