You might need a sick note if you’re unwell and cannot work for more than 7 days, including weekends and bank holidays.
To request a sick note, you will need to have been reviewed by a healthcare professional for the problem. Depending on your circumstances, this can be a hospital doctor or your GP.
Hospital Sick Notes
If you have an inpatient hospital stay causing absence from work for more than 7 days, the hospital team looking after you should provide a sick note covering the admission plus any expected period of absence following discharge.
If you attend a hospital clinic and the doctor there suggests some time off work, they should provide a sick note for the duration of expected sick leave.
In these situations, you should not be told to ask the GP for a sick note.
GP Sick Notes
If you require a new sick note from a GP, for a problem you have not been seen for before, you will need to book in for a GP appointment via the usual channels. If you require an extension to a long-term or pre-existing sick note, you can request this via phone or online. Your sick note can be sent to you via text or email, provided we have these on record for you, or otherwise printed and collected from reception.
Please bear in mind it can take up to 3 working days to process sick note requests, but these are able to be back dated to cover the necessary period.
Self-Certifying
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.
You can complete a self certification form yourself via the Gov.uk website: Ask your employer for Statutory Sick Pay – GOV.UK
If your employer asks for evidence for the first 7 days of sickness, a healthcare professional may charge a fee for this. Your employer should pay the fee.
Find out more about sick notes on the NHS website.
Going Back to Work
You should go back to work as soon as you feel able to.
Talk to your employer if you feel well enough to return to work before the end date on your fit note, for example if:
- you’ve recovered from your illness or injury sooner than expected
- your employer can make reasonable adjustments to help you return to work (GOV.UK)
You do not need to see a healthcare professional again to go back to work. Your employer may ask for confirmation that you’re fit for work, but healthcare professionals do not have to provide this.
Depending on your job, you may need to meet other requirements before you can return to work after being ill.