Fit Notes & Sick Leave
If you are 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. This is called self-certification.
Many employers have their own self-certification forms. If your employer doesn’t have its own form, you can Download Self-Certificate here. Please print it, fill it in and hand it in to your employer. You do not need to see a doctor.
Should your employer insist on a Fit Note for periods of sickness lasting less than 7 days then we can provide one on a private basis, for which a fee is payable, usually paid by the employer.
Requesting a Fit/Sick Note for more than 7 days
If you're off work sick for more than 7 days, your employer will usually ask for a Fit note (sometimes referred to as a medical statement or sick note or a Med 3.)
You should ask the clinician who is treating you to provide your Fit Note. Hospital consultants, A&E and fracture clinic doctors and physiotherapists can provide Fit Notes.
If you need a Fit Note off your GP, you will require a consultation with the surgery, which can either be a face-to-face appointment or via the telephone, depending on the reason for the Fit Note. Fit Notes are administrative requests and as such will not be treated as urgent/emergencies.
Request an extension to a Fit/Sick Note
If you have already had a Fit Note for this illness, we may not need to see or speak to you to issue an additional Fit Note.
You can request an extension of your Fit Note using our patient contact form online. Please allow 2 full working days before collecting your Fit Note.
If we are unable to issue you an extension to your Fit Note, or if a further review is required, you may be contacted and advised to book an appointment with a doctor to discuss.
Many employers have their own self-certification forms. If your employer doesn’t have its own form, you can Download Self-Certificate here. Please print it, fill it in and hand it in to your employer. You do not need to see a doctor.
Should your employer insist on a Fit Note for periods of sickness lasting less than 7 days then we can provide one on a private basis, for which a fee is payable, usually paid by the employer.
Requesting a Fit/Sick Note for more than 7 days
If you're off work sick for more than 7 days, your employer will usually ask for a Fit note (sometimes referred to as a medical statement or sick note or a Med 3.)
You should ask the clinician who is treating you to provide your Fit Note. Hospital consultants, A&E and fracture clinic doctors and physiotherapists can provide Fit Notes.
If you need a Fit Note off your GP, you will require a consultation with the surgery, which can either be a face-to-face appointment or via the telephone, depending on the reason for the Fit Note. Fit Notes are administrative requests and as such will not be treated as urgent/emergencies.
Request an extension to a Fit/Sick Note
If you have already had a Fit Note for this illness, we may not need to see or speak to you to issue an additional Fit Note.
You can request an extension of your Fit Note using our patient contact form online. Please allow 2 full working days before collecting your Fit Note.
If we are unable to issue you an extension to your Fit Note, or if a further review is required, you may be contacted and advised to book an appointment with a doctor to discuss.