Sickness Certificates

How Do I . . .   Get a sick note

It is not necessary to obtain a sick note from a Doctor unless you have been absent from work for more than 7 calendar days ( i.e. one working week)

For your first 7 days of sickness you must self certify. This means you can either write a letter to your employer or, if you prefer, there is a form you can obtain from your employer. Complete the form and hand it to your employer. The form is called a Statutory Sick Pay Form or Employees Statement Of Sickness (form SC2). If your employer insists on a medical certificate for these short periods, this will have to be on a private certificate basis, for which there will be a charge. We generally discourage this practice.

After one week

Once you have been off sick for more than 1 week then you will need a sick note (also known as a Med3).  If you have been in hospital, a sick note can be issued by the hospital doctor.  

If you need a sick note from a GP, please phone Patient Services on 01353 624121.  The Patient Services Advisor will ask for details of the dates of your absence from work and the reason.  This message will be passed to your GP who will contact you to discuss it further if necessary.  The certificate will be ready for you to collect 48 hours later. 

Back dating sick certificates

Although we cannot certify you for an illness for which you were not seen, there is some flexibility in terms of back-dating.  Please note though that we are are unable to forward-date certificates. 

Private sickness claim forms

Insurance forms, private health care forms and other claim forms covering sickness can be completed by your doctor. As these are not provided on the NHS there will be a charge for them. The charges for each form vary depending on the amount of time they take to complete. The Patient Services Advisor should be able to give you an estimate of the cost. They should be left with the Patient Services Advisor who will ring you when the form is ready to collect. Please ensure you have completed all your parts of the form, including the declaration allowing medical details to be divulged, before giving the form to the Patient Services Advisor or the Doctor will not be able to complete your form. Please be aware it will take up to 2 weeks for the form to be completed.