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Get a sick note

It is not necessary to obtain a sick note from a doctor unless you have been absent from work for more than five working days (i.e. one working week). The first five days

For the first five days of your sickness you can self certify. This means you can either write a letter to your employer or if you prefer you can collect a form SC2 from either your workplace or from reception at the Surgery. We do not issue sick notes for this period – see also private certificates, below.

After one week 

Once you have been off sick for more than one week you can obtain a sick note from a doctor. If you have been in hospital a sick note can either be issued by the hospital doctor or by your GP who will have been informed of your admission and it is not normally necessary for you to have to see your GP in person. If you have not been seen by a doctor for your current problem and it is a new problem then you will need to see your GP in person. If it is a continuing problem for which you have already seen your GP then the doctor may be willing to issue a certificate without seeing you in person.

Back dating 

A sick note may be back dated so you do not need to be seen urgently on the day that your sick note expires or is due to be issued, e.g. for continuing problems or after a hospital admission.

We cannot back date a note for a problem where you have not seen a doctor already.

Private certificates 

Sick notes are normally free of charge, but there is a charge for private certificates and letters to employers or third parties.