Sick (fit) notes

Fit notes are issued to patients by doctors following an assessment of their fitness for work. A fit note is issued after the first seven days of sickness absence (when patients can self-certify) if the doctor assesses that the patient’s health affects their fitness for work.

The doctor can decide the patient is ‘unfit for work’ or ‘may be fit for work subject to the following advice…’ with accompanying notes on suggested adjustments or adaptations to the job role or workplace.  If the GP feels that a sick note is not appropriate, you will receive a message asking you to make an appointment to discuss further.  Please be aware it can take up to 5 working days to collect your sick note.  Sick notes will be sent via text message with an attachment for you to download or forward to your employer; if you do not have a mobile to received the message, the sick note can be collected from the reception desk.  If your sick note is close to it’s expiry date and you have not yet received an updated sick note, please contact a member of the reception team or complete an online request form.

If you are off work for 7 days or less, you do not need to contact your GP for a sick note.  Your employer may require you to complete a self-certification form (SC2) which is available from your employer, or you can download it from the HMRC website.