If you’ve been off sick for more than 7 days
If you have been ill for more than 7 days you will need a doctor’s certificate. These certificates are called ‘Fitness To Work’ certificates. Please phone us on 01242 539080.
The doctor may call you or arrange for an appointment.
If you have already been seen by your doctor about this illness your certificate will be sent to you within a week.
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.
Fit Notes following or during hospital treatment, surgery, or fracture(s)
If you anticipate needing a fit note (also known as a sick note or MED 3) following your hospital stay or outpatient visit, please request one from the doctor treating you before you leave the hospital.
The clinician who has assessed and treated you is best positioned to determine the appropriate duration for your time off work. If you forget to obtain a fit note before leaving, please contact the hospital to request that one be sent to you via post or text.
We understand that the process for providing fit notes may sometimes be unclear. To help clarify, here are some common myths and facts:
- Myth: Consultants and junior doctors don’t write fit notes; it’s a GP’s job.
- Fact: Hospital doctors, including consultants and junior doctors, have a statutory duty to provide fit notes.
- Myth: The hospital doesn’t have any fit note pads.
- Fact: Hospitals are equipped to issue fit notes electronically.
- Myth: The hospital can only issue notes for one or two weeks at most.
- Fact: Hospital doctors can issue fit notes for the appropriate duration based on your condition.
- Myth: The hospital can’t issue a fit note if you’ve only been to outpatients.
- Fact: Fit notes can be issued following outpatient visits.
- Myth: The hospital won’t be able to send my fit note via text message or post.
- Fact: Hospitals can send fit notes through these methods.
The doctor treating you has a statutory obligation to provide a fit note if needed, and this includes all hospital doctors. Both private and NHS doctors can issue fit notes, and it is part of the hospital’s contractual duty to do so.
If you leave the hospital without a fit note, please contact the hospital team directly to request one, rather than requesting it from our practice.
According to the Department of Work and Pensions, thousands of GP appointments and calls are taken up each year by patients requesting fit notes that could have been issued by hospital doctors at the time of treatment. By obtaining your fit note from the hospital, you help us keep GP appointments available for patients who need medical care.
If you encounter any difficulties in obtaining a fit note from the hospital, please contact the Patient Advice and Liason Service (PALS) team for assistance.
