Fit Notes and How to Get One
Fit notes are also sometimes called doctor’s notes, sick notes, medical certificates or doctor’s statements.
If you have seen a clinician at the practice regarding the problem you need a medical certificate for (or we have received a letter from the hospital about your sickness) you many not need to see the clinician again. You can complete a fit note request form online, which will be reviewed. The clinician may also be able to speak to you on the telephone depending on how well they know you and why you are off work sick.
If you have not seen a clinician at the practice and we have had no information from a medical professional about your illness, you will not be able to get a certificate without an appointment. Please book a routine appointment; urgent appointments are only provided for medical emergencies and not for the purpose of certificates.
In either case there are rules governing the issue of sick certificates and the clinician may not be able to supply one, depending on the information you provide.
If you are under the care of a hospital, your certificate may be issued by the hospital, rather than by the practice.
If you’ve been off sick for more than 7 days
To request a sick note:
- use our online service to submit your request
- or phone or visit the surgery
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.