Prepare for your appointment
What happens in an online medical certificate consultation
The GP will ask about your symptoms or injury, the dates involved and how the concern affects work, study or usual activities. A few clear details can help you feel prepared for the conversation.
What does the GP assess before issuing a medical certificate?
The GP assesses your symptoms or injury, when they started, how they affect what you can do and any relevant health history or recent care. After speaking with you in real time, the GP may issue a certificate, ask for more information, recommend follow-up or advise an examination or another type of care.
Why you need to speak with a GP
A medical certificate is based on a health assessment. The GP needs a real-time conversation so they can ask follow-up questions, understand the dates and decide what they can accurately certify.
During intake, state why you need the certificate, the type of document requested and the dates involved. This helps HerDoc advise you about the next steps, but intake does not issue a certificate or make the GP's decision. Booking and payment also do not determine the outcome.
The health concern and what has changed
Begin with the symptoms or injury in your own words. The GP may ask:
You can come with a specific certificate request or ask the GP what kind of next step makes sense. Either is a reasonable way to start the conversation.
- what you are experiencing now
- when it started and how it has changed
- whether anything makes it better or worse
- what care or medicines you have already tried
- whether you have related health conditions, recent results or previous episodes
Dates and functional impact
The GP may ask which days, shifts, classes or activities are affected and what you could not do. “Functional impact” simply means how the health concern changes your ability to work, study or manage usual activities.
Useful examples are concrete: you could not stand for a shift, concentrate on detailed tasks, speak for long periods, travel safely, attend class or manage your usual hours. The GP will use the whole assessment, not one example alone, to make a decision.
What to have handy
You do not need to collect every health record before the appointment. Have the information you already know and any document that directly explains the request, such as:
If you do not have a record or are unsure what is relevant, say so. The GP can explain whether they have enough information or whether something else is needed.
- the dates you want to discuss
- your main symptoms or injury
- current medicines and relevant health history
- recent care, results or documents connected to the concern
- written instructions or a form from the organisation requesting evidence
Possible outcomes after the assessment
If the GP has enough information, they may issue a certificate for a period they can support. Other possible outcomes include:
The GP should explain the reason and help you understand the next step. For the full booking and call sequence, see How HerDoc telehealth appointments work.
- asking for further information
- recommending follow-up if symptoms continue
- advising an examination, test or local service
- explaining that the requested certificate or document cannot be issued from this appointment
When telehealth may not be suitable
- Requests that cannot be assessed without an examination
- Requests without enough information to support the document
- Complex documentation needing another process
When to seek urgent care
Some symptoms, injuries or documentation requests cannot be assessed adequately without a physical examination, observations or other evidence. The GP may advise an in-person appointment even when the conversation began online. For severe, sudden or rapidly worsening symptoms, do not wait for a routine certificate consultation. Follow HerDoc's urgent-care guidance and call 000 in an emergency.
- Severe, sudden or rapidly worsening symptoms
- An injury needing physical examination
- Symptoms requiring observations, testing or urgent local care
Prepare for a straightforward GP conversation
Have your symptoms or injury, affected dates, work or study impact and any relevant document in mind for the appointment.
Related pages
FAQs
Why do I need a GP consultation for a medical certificate?
A GP needs to assess the health concern and make sure any certificate is accurate. A certificate is not issued simply because an appointment was booked or paid for.
What symptoms or concerns can I discuss?
You can describe the illness, injury, stress or other symptoms affecting work, study or usual activities. The GP will ask follow-up questions and advise if the concern needs a different type of care.
What dates will the GP ask about?
The GP may ask when symptoms started, which days or shifts were affected, the date of the appointment and what period you want to discuss. The dates you request do not determine what the GP can certify.
What does being fit or unfit for work or study mean in the consultation?
It refers to how your health affects your ability to attend or carry out the relevant activities. The GP may ask about specific tasks, hours, concentration, movement, safety or other functional demands.
What should I have handy before the appointment?
Have your symptoms, timing, affected dates, relevant health history, current medicines and any directly relevant instructions or form in mind. You do not need to assemble records that HerDoc has not asked you to provide.
Will I need to confirm my identity?
Check the appointment instructions for any identity steps before the consultation. Be ready to follow the process HerDoc provides so the GP can focus on the health concern and certificate request.
Will the GP need previous records or other evidence?
Sometimes previous records, recent results or another source of information may help, but the need depends on the request. The GP can explain whether the information available is enough and what, if anything, is missing.
Can the GP contact my employer, school or university?
Contact with a third party raises privacy, identity and consent issues and should not be assumed. Read the HerDoc privacy policy and ask HerDoc what process applies before expecting any information to be shared or verified.
Can someone else request a certificate for me?
A medical certificate is based on assessment of the person whose health is being certified. If you are booking for a dependent or arranging carer's evidence, check with HerDoc first because the process and document may be different.
Does a longer absence need a different assessment?
A longer period may require the GP to explore the health concern, functional impact, progress and follow-up needs in more depth. The requested length does not determine what period, if any, the GP can certify.
What can happen after the GP assessment?
The GP may issue a certificate, ask for more information, recommend follow-up or advise another service or examination. The decision is based on your individual assessment, and the GP should explain what you need to do next.
Can the GP decide not to issue a certificate?
Yes. The GP may decide that the information does not support a certificate or that the request needs a different assessment. They can explain the reason and recommend a next step.
Will I need a follow-up appointment?
The GP will tell you if follow-up is recommended because symptoms continue, change or need further assessment. You will need to book another consultation, and each consultation has its own fee.
How is the certificate delivered if one is issued?
HerDoc will email the certificate to you after the consultation if the GP issues one. It should arrive within a reasonably short time, although the exact timing can vary.
When will the GP recommend an in-person examination?
The GP may recommend an in-person examination when they cannot assess the symptoms, injury, work demands or requested document adequately by telehealth. This can happen even when the initial discussion was useful.