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.
Find out more about sick notes on the NHS website.
Sick notes and how to get one
Sick notes may also be called medical certificates, fit notes, doctor’s notes or doctors statements.
You can request a sick note by completing our online form and selecting ‘admin request.’ Please give as much information about how/why your condition might prevent you from being able to work. There are rules governing the issue of sick certificates and the GP may not be able to supply one, depending on the information you provide.
Please note that if you have not previously discussed things with a doctor, it is likely that you will be allocated a telephone appointment to discuss things further.
Being at work in some capacity where possible is often benefical, and can play an important part in helping people recover from illness or injury. For this reason your doctor/clinician may suggest that you ‘May be fit for work’ and might suggest ways inwhich your employer can help. For example by suggesting a ‘phased return, amended hours, or amended duties.’
If your employer is not able to accomodate the suggestions, then you will be ‘signed off.’
The doctor/clinican will specify on the note how long you are required to be off work for. Please note that at the end of this period, if you are well enough to return to work, you do not need any further information/notes to confirm that you are now fit for work.
If you need further time off, then a further note can be issued if appropriate. Please note that sick notes cannot be forward dated, but they can be back dated. We will not allocate emergency appointments for the issuing of sick notes.
If you are under the care of a hospital, your certificate should be issued by the hospital, rather than by the practice.
Charges for sick notes
There is usually no charge for providing a doctor’s note if you are off sick for more than seven days.
Some employers may request a fit note (e.g. from employees who repeatedly take time off sick) even if they are off work for seven days or less. This is a private non-NHS medical certificate.
For sickness of seven days or less, a charge of £20 is payable in order for us to provide a certificate.
When your sick note runs out
If you are well enough to return to work at the end of your certificate, you can return to work without any further input/forms from your doctor.
If your certificate runs out, but you are still sick, you will need to submit a new online request to ask for a further certificate.
Fit certificates can be back-dated so it is not necessary to make an emergency appointment to renew your certificate. If you attend an emergency appointment for the purpose of getting a medical certificate you will be asked to rebook.