A letter that reads like the patient wrote it helps nobody, and clinicians will not sign one. What works is asking your GP to address, in their own words, the areas the decision maker actually weighs. Print this list and take it to the appointment, or attach it to an online request.
The eight topics worth requesting
Diagnoses and how long you have had them - the claim needs 6 months of care needs, so duration matters.
Current medication and side effects they know about - drowsiness, dizziness and confusion all feed care needs.
Falls, faints, blackouts or dizzy spells in your records, including any Falls Clinic referral.
Memory, mood or mental health where it affects daily life - needing prompting and reminding counts as help.
Personal care - anything in the records about difficulty washing, dressing, continence, eating or managing medicines.
Night-time problems they are aware of - disturbed nights, night-time toilet needs, safety at night. Nights decide the higher rate.
Safety and supervision - their view on whether you can safely be left for long periods.
Referrals in progress - waiting lists and pending investigations show the picture is live, not historic.
attendanceexpert.co.uk/tools/gp-letter-topics · Guidance only, not legal or medical advice · Ask your GP for a brief FACTUAL letter covering these topics where the records support them.
How to ask
Ask for "a brief factual letter to support a disability benefit claim, covering the topics on this list where my records support them". Factual is the key word - your GP reports facts; the decision maker decides.
Expect a possible fee - GP letters for benefits are not NHS-funded work. Ask the price first.
Do not delay your claim waiting for it. Send the form on time; the letter can follow, and the DWP can also ask your GP directly with the consent you sign at question 20 - which is why it matters that your records reflect reality either way.
In Scotland you can skip the chase entirely: Social Security Scotland can collect supporting information from your GP for you - ask when you apply for Pension Age Disability Payment.
Guidance only. Your GP decides what their records support; never ask them to sign wording written for them.
The letter is the garnish - the form is the meal
A GP letter corroborates; it cannot substitute. Decisions are made from the AA1's own answers in almost every case, so the ten careful minutes per care question matter more than any enclosure. Get the day questions right with the section-by-section walkthrough, capture a true week first with the Care Needs Diary, and give the night questions the attention £1,970 a year deserves. Then let the GP letter arrive as confirmation of a story the form already told well.
Want the form written for you?
Answer simple questions about the help needed by day and by night, and we write every care answer, ready to copy onto the form.