If you’ve been off sick for more than 7 days
To request a sick note:
- fill out a sick note request form
- phone or visit the surgery from 8:30am to 6pm
Evidence that you are sick
If you are sick for more than seven days and off work, your employer can ask you to give them some form of medical evidence to support payment of SSP (statutory sick pay) or proof of illness, most employers will ask you to obtain a Fit note from your GP.
However, this 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 to provide proof of illness or a fit note.
To obtain an initial fit note you will require a consultation with a clinician to discuss the problem that you have been off work with, this can only be done if you have completed a self certification to stand the first 7 days of work.
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.