If you’re off work sick for 7 days or less, your employer should not ask you for a doctor’s certificate.

If you’re off work for more than 7 days, you will need a medical certificate (also called a ‘fit note’) from your doctor.

The 7 days include any days you don’t normally work—such as weekends and bank holidays—so make sure you count these when working out how long you’ve been off sick.

Your employer may ask you to confirm your illness by completing a self-certification form when you return to work.

A self-certification form usually includes:

• Details of your illness
• The date your sickness started
• The date your sickness ended

These dates may include days you don’t normally work, such as weekends or bank holidays.

Many employers have their own self-certification forms. If yours doesn’t, they may use the SC2 Employee’s Statement of Sickness form from HM Revenue & Customs.

If you are sick and off work for more than seven days, your employer will normally ask you to provide a medical certificate from your GP.

When you need a certificate will also depend on your employer's company policy on sick leave (or sickness absence). This policy should tell you how many days you can be off sick before you need a note.

To find out about your employer's policy:

• ask your team leader or supervisor, or
• speak to someone from your human resources (HR) or personnel department

A fit note (also called a sick note, medical certificate, or doctor’s statement) must be signed by a doctor.

Fit notes give your GP a chance to advise you and your employer about your health and how you might return to work. Work can often play an important role in recovery from illness or injury.

On a fit note, your GP can state that:

• You are not fit for work, or
• You may be fit for work with adjustments (e.g., part-time hours, temporary change in duties, avoiding heavy lifting if you have back pain).

There is also space for your GP to give tailored advice to your employer about how they can support you.

Requesting a Fit Note

• If you’ve already seen a GP here about the issue (or we have hospital records about your sickness), you may not need another appointment. You can fill in a Fit Note Request Form at reception, which will be passed to a doctor to review. In some cases, the doctor may call you instead of booking a face-to-face appointment.
• If you haven’t seen a GP and we have no medical information about your illness, you’ll need to book a routine appointment. Urgent appointments are only for genuine medical emergencies, not for sick notes.

Other Important Points

• There are rules about when a GP can issue a fit note, and it may not always be possible based on the information you provide.
• If you’re under hospital care, your certificate may be issued by the hospital rather than by the GP practice.

There is usually no charge for providing a fit 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.

If your certificate runs out, but you are still sick, you will need to consult the doctor again before you can get a further certificate.

Fit certificates can be back-dated so it is not necessary to make an emergency appointment to renew your certifiate. If you attend an emergency appointment for the purpose of getting a medical certificate you will be asked to rebook.