Sick (fit) notes
You do not require a doctor’s sickness certificate for any illness lasting seven days or less. Your employer may however require you to complete a self-certification form (SC2) which is available from your employer or on the HMRC website.
Evidence that you are sick
If you are sick for more than seven days, your employer can ask you to give them some form of medical evidence to support payment of SSP (statutory sick pay).
It is up to your employer to decide whether you are incapable of work. A medical certificate, now called a ‘Statement of Fitness for Work’ (see below) from your doctor is strong evidence that you are sick and would normally be accepted, unless there is evidence to prove otherwise.
You could also provide evidence from someone who is not a medical practitioner, e.g. a dentist. Your employer will decide whether or not this evidence is acceptable. If your employer has any doubts, they may still ask for a medical certificate from your GP.
If you need a fit note from us please contact us via telephone on 0114 2684567, please be advised that sick / fit note requests are not classed as an urgent requirement and are additional workload for the doctors at the practice, in most cases a sick / fit note will not be issued the same day it is requested.
In some cases for a sick / fit note to be issued you will require a telephone call with a doctor, these appointments can be booked a few weeks in the future. In these instances a sick / fit note can be back dated to cover the period it is / was required for.
For more information see the DirectGov website (where this information was sourced).
