GP practices are contracted by the NHS to provide core medical services. “Fit to fly” letters are not part of our NHS contractual obligations and are considered non‑NHS, private work. In the context of current pressures on general practice, we must prioritise our time and resources to ensure we can safely deliver essential NHS care to all our patients. For this reason, our practice has taken the decision not to provide “fit to fly” letters.
Patients can obtain these through a private GP who is GMC registered; however, we cannot recommend any clinics to do this.
Airlines and travel companies each have their own policies and forms and often require specific wording or risk assessments that fall outside routine NHS general practice work. Where such documentation is required, it is usually the responsibility of the airline or travel insurer to arrange appropriate medical assessment, or for the individual to seek a private provider who offers this service and holds suitable indemnity for it.
Patients can often provide evidence of their health status or medication by:
- Showing their medical information via the NHS App or online access to their records, or
- Requesting a copy of their summary care record/medical summary from the practice (which we can usually provide without the need for a bespoke letter).
We appreciate that this may be frustrating, particularly when you are trying to make travel arrangements, and we are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused. However, we must ensure that any additional, non‑contractual work we undertake does not compromise our core duty of care to patients.