Sick notes

If you’re 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 self certify that you’ve been ill. 

You can do this by following the process on this link : self-certification

Alternatively you can download and fill out the form: selfcertificate.pdf 

Find out more about sick notes on the NHS website.

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.

In general, GPs in the UK cannot issue a sick note without medical evidence or an appropriate clinical assessment. Here’s a quick breakdown:

GPs need:

• Medical evidence of the condition affecting your ability to work.

• A consultation or recent appointment to assess symptoms (unless an ongoing long-term issue)

• Reasonable clinical judgment—they must be confident the person is or was unfit for work.

GPs cannot:

• Issue a sick note based solely on a patient’s request with no recent contact.

• Backdate a note too far without evidence of ongoing illness at the time.

• Provide a fit note for a period where no assessment or contact was made.

Exception:

If it's for a very recent, short-term issue, and the GP has prior records or knowledge, they may use their discretion—but even then, they’ll often require a consultation.

To request a sick note:

• Select 'I have an admin or routine care request' on the AccuRx online triage form