Fitness to Compete / Fitness to Participate Letters

Framfield House Medical Centre does not provide letters or forms confirming that a patient is fit to take part in sporting events, challenges, competitions or adventure activities.

This applies to marathons, triathlons, cycling events, charity challenges, school or club competitions and gym memberships. It also covers diving, skydiving and other adventure or holiday activities, such as scuba courses, dive trips, tandem skydives, bungee jumping and similar. It applies whether the request is for an NHS or private appointment.

Diving, skydiving and adventure activity forms

Dive schools, skydiving centres and activity providers often ask for a medical questionnaire to be completed and sometimes signed by a doctor. We do not complete or sign these forms. This includes forms that ask a GP to confirm you are "fit to dive", "fit to jump" or free from a particular condition.

Most providers only ask for a doctor's sign-off if you answer "yes" to a health question on their self-declaration form. If that happens, please ask the provider what alternatives they accept (see below).

Why we have made this decision

1. It is not part of NHS general practice.
   These letters and forms fall outside the services we are funded and contracted by the NHS to provide. Time spent on them is time taken away from patients who need care.
2. We cannot reliably certify fitness for a specific activity.
   A doctor can only assess your health at the moment you are seen. We cannot predict how your body will respond to extreme exertion, pressure changes, altitude or emergency situations, and we cannot guarantee that a heart, lung or other problem will not appear during an activity. A letter could give false reassurance.
3. Specialist assessment is needed for some activities.
   Assessing fitness for diving in particular requires specific knowledge of diving physiology. This is not something general practice is set up to provide.
4. Responsibility lies with the organiser and the participant.
   Event and activity providers are responsible for their own risk assessments and safety arrangements. Most ask participants to confirm their own fitness through a declaration or health questionnaire. A letter from a GP does not remove or replace that responsibility.
5. Medical and legal risk.
   Signing a form that certifies fitness carries professional liability that we cannot responsibly accept for something we cannot guarantee.
6. Fairness.
   Providing these letters for some patients and not others, or charging for them, would be inconsistent and unfair. We have therefore adopted one policy for everyone.
   

What we suggest instead

• Self-declaration or questionnaire. Most organisers accept a signed declaration or a questionnaire such as the PAR-Q. Please check what your event or provider requires.
• Specialist diving medical. If you need a diving medical, a doctor with specific training in diving medicine can assess you. Your dive school or training agency can usually point you to one, and they will tell you which type of medical they need.
• Skydiving. If your provider asks for medical clearance, ask them which doctors or clinics they accept. Many accept a private doctor's assessment.
• If you have a health condition, please book a routine appointment to talk about whether and how to take part safely, and what precautions to take. We are always happy to give advice, but this will not result in a letter or signed form.
• If you have new symptoms such as chest pain, breathlessness, palpitations, dizziness or fainting, please contact us for an assessment before taking part.
• Private GP or sports medicine services. If an organiser insists on a medical assessment, you may wish to consult a private service, which can carry out a suitable assessment.
• Your medical records. If an organiser needs information from your record, you have the right to request a copy of your own records. Please ask at reception.

Please speak to the event organiser or provider

If an organiser or activity provider has told you that you must provide a letter or signed form from your GP, please explain that our practice does not provide them and ask what alternatives they will accept.

We appreciate your understanding. This policy lets us focus our time and resources on patients who need NHS care.