If you are sick and off work for more than seven days, your employer will normally ask you to provide a medical certificate from your GP.

You do not need an appointment for this but can use the form opposite. 

We are unable to provide sick notes for the first 7 days of sickness from work - you must self certify for these first 7 days

Our clinician's may need to contact you to request more information or to ask you to arrange an appointment to discuss things further and offer further support. 

Sick notes cannot be forward dated, but they can be backdated.

Please allow 2-3 working days for the sick note to be completed for you 

A medical certificate note must be signed by a doctor. Your GP can give you advice to help you return to work. This is because work can play an important part in helping people to recover from illness on injury. The GP can either say you are not fit for work, or can say you may be fit for work. The GP will choose the option for may be fit to work if they think that returning to work – with support from your employer – will help you.

There is also space for the GP to give advice to your employer about the impact of your illness or injury and can suggest common ways in which your employer can help you return to work such as allowing you to work part time or temporarily or by changing your duties, for example, if you have back pain, avoiding heavy lifting.

Fit notes are also sometimes called doctor's notes, sick notes, medical certificates or doctor's statements.

If you have seen a doctor 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 doctor again. The doctor 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 doctor at the practice and we have had no information from a medical professional about your illness, it may be difficult to complete a certificate from the information provided from the form you submit and so you may be requested to book an appointment. 

There are rules governing the issue of sick certificates and the GP 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.

Your employer 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. This is called self-certification.

Self-certification forms usually include details such as:

• information about your sickness or illness
• the date your sickness started
• the date your sickness ended

These dates may be days that you don't normally work. For example, your sickness could start or end on a Saturday, Sunday or bank holiday.

Many employers have their own self-certification forms. If your employer doesn't have their own form, instead they may use an SC2 form from HM Revenue & Customs Employee's Statement of Sickness.

Download a template self certifcation form

There is usually no charge for providing a sick note if you are off sick for more than seven days.

Some employers may request a fit note (e.g. from employees who repeatedly take time off sick) even if they are off work for seven days or less. This is a private non-NHS medical certificate.

For sickness of seven days or less, a charge of £30 is payable in order for us to provide a certificate.