Sickness certification

You are responsible for completing a self certificate for the first 7 calendar days of any illness, using form SC2, available from your employer, on-line at www.hmrc.gov.uk/forms/sc2.pdf or from the surgery reception desk.

Your employer is legally bound to accept a self certificate and you do not need to see a doctor for this.

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’  from your doctor is strong evidence that you are sick and would normally be accepted, unless there is evidence to prove otherwise. You only need a ‘fit note’ (or sick note) if you’re off sick for more than 7 days (including non-working days).  With your employer’s support, the note will help you return to work sooner by providing more information about the effects of your illness or injury.

Please note, first-time sickness certificates can only be dated from the point of making initial contact with the surgery.  Sickness certificates cannot be back-dated to a time before a patient has made contact with us.

For more information click here.

Any other certificate requests will involve a charge e.g. a private sickness certificate covering the first 7 days of an illness.