Request a Fitness for Work Form

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If you are off work sick for seven days or less, your employer should not ask you for a doctor’s certificate. You will need a medical certificate if you are off work sick for more than seven days. The seven days include days that you don't normally work. So, when you work out how long you've been off sick, you should include weekends and bank holidays.

Fit notes can also be known as doctor’s notes, sick notes, medical certificates, or doctor’s statements.

Sick Certification Forms

Your employer 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. This is called self-certification.

Self-certification forms usually include details such as:

• information about your sickness or illness
• the date your sickness started
• the date your sickness ended

These dates may be days that you don't normally work. For example, your sickness could start or end on a Saturday, Sunday or bank holiday.

Many employers have their own self-certification forms. If your employer doesn't have their own form, instead they may use an SC2 form from HM Revenue & Customs – Employee's Statement of Sickness. 

Download a template self-certification form

Sickness of More Than Seven Days

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

Sick Notes and How to Get One

A medical certificate note must be signed by a doctor. The fit notes mean your GP can give advice to help you return to work. The GP can either say:

• You are not fit to work
• You may be fit to work (phased return)
• You are fit for work (following leave of absence)

If you have seen a doctor here at the practice regarding the problem you need a note for, then you may not need to see the doctor again. If we have received a letter from the hospital about the problem then we are also able to do this without seeing a doctor.

To request a fit note, you can complete an accuRx form. You can also call our Care Navigators and they will put your request in an admin slot with a GP. 

To issue a fit note we will need the following information:

• Name and DOB
• Date the fit note needs to start from
• How long the fit note is required for
• Reason for needing the fit note

We typically text the fit notes across to patients via mobile number so please advise if you would like it printed for collection or sent to a different number/email.

If you have not seen a doctor at the practice and we have had no information from a medical professional about your illness, you may need to see a GP before a fit note can be issued. Please call our Care Navigators and they will be able to advise.

If you are under the care of a hospital, your certificate may be issued by the hospital, rather than by the practice.

Charges For Fit Notes

There is no charge for providing a fit note if you are off sick for more than seven days.

When Your Fit Note Runs Out

If your certificate runs out, but you are still sick, you can request an extension. You can request this the same way you requested your original certificate.

Fit notes can be backdated so it is not necessary to make an emergency appointment to extend your note.