The Fit Note replaces the old style Sick Note. Your doctor will issue you with a Fit Note when your health affects your ability to work; the information provided will help your employer to understand how they might be able to help you return to work sooner. Fit Notes are issued only on the eighth day of sickness, though they can be issued earlier if more than seven days off work seems likely from the outset.
If you’ve been off sick for more than 7 days
To request a sick note:
- fill out a sick note request form
- phone or visit the surgery from 10am to 6pm
If you’ve been off sick for 7 days or less
If you’re off work sick for 7 days or less, your employer should not ask for medical evidence that you’ve been ill. Instead, they can ask you to confirm that you’ve been ill. You can do this by filling in a form yourself when you return to work. We call this self-certification.
Short Term Sickness Certification
This Practice does not provide such certificates under any circumstances. This is because we wish to discourage people from making appointments purely to obtain a certificate, when those appointments could be better used by other patients, who need to be seen for medical treatments. We will, of course, see patients who need medical advice but we will not issue short term certificates.
We will always endevour to help, therefore please speak to our reception staff who will be able to give you further advise or guidance. Your doctor may be able to issue you with a Private Medical Certificate, however this will incur a fee due to it being outside the NHS remit.
Find out more about sick notes on the NHS website.