First 7 days of illness

If you are off work for 7 days or less, you do not need to give your employer a fit note or other proof of sickness from a medical professional.

When you return to work, your employer can ask you to confirm you have been off sick. This is called ‘self-certification’. (The employer and employee will agree on how the employee should do this. You might need to fill in a form or send details of your sick leave by email.)

We cannot provide a sick note (Med3) to cover this period of time.

https://www.gov.uk/taking-sick-leave

Fit notes and proof of sickness

Employees must give their employer a doctor’s ‘fit note’ (sometimes called a ‘sick note’) if they’ve been ill for more than 7 days in a row and have taken sick leave. This includes non-working days, such as weekends and bank holidays.

If they are off work with any other illness, they can get a fit note from a GP or hospital doctor. If their employer agrees, a similar document can be provided by a physiotherapist, podiatrist or occupational therapist instead. This is called an Allied Health Professional (AHP) Health and Work Report.

We ask that wherever possible requests for sick notes/fit notes are submitted online providing as much detail as is possible.

Click Here to request a sick note