If you are off work sick for seven calendar days or less, your employer should not ask you for a doctor’s certificate. You will need a medical certificate (or fit note) if you are off work sick for more than seven days. The seven days include days that you don’t normally work.
A medical certificate note must be signed by a doctor. The Fit Notes mean your GP can give you advice to help you return to work. This is because work can play an important part in helping people to recover from illness on injury. The GP can either say you are not fit for work, or can say you may be fit for work. The GP will choose the option for may be fit to work if they think that returning to work – with support from your employer – will help you.
There is also space for the GP to give advice to your employer about the impact of your illness or injury and can suggest common ways in which your employer can help you return to work such as allowing you to work part time or temporarily or by changing your duties, for example, if you have back pain, avoiding heavy lifting.
Fit notes are also sometimes called doctor’s notes, sick notes, medical certificates or doctor’s statements.
If you have seen a doctor at the practice regarding the problem you need a medical certificate for (or we have received a letter from the hospital about your sickness) you may not need to see the doctor again. You can complete a PATCHS Admin Request , which will be assessed by our GP led triage team. Alternatively, you can call us after 10.30am and a member of the team will submit the request on your behalf. Please ensure that your request includes details relating to dates to be covered, and the reason for the request.
The GP or member of our clinical team may speak to you on the telephone depending on how well they know you and why you are off sick. If you are under the care of a hospital, your certificate may be issued by the hospital, rather than by the Practice.