Sick (Fit) Notes

A medical certificate note must be signed by a doctor. The fit notes mean your GP can give advice to help you return to work. The GP can either say:

• You are not fit to work
• You may be fit to work (phased return)
• You are fit for work (following leave of absence)

If you have seen a doctor here at the practice regarding the problem you need a note for, then you may not need to see the doctor again. If we have received a letter from the hospital about the problem then we are also able to do this without seeing a doctor.

To issue a fit note we will need the following information:

• Name and Date of Birth (DOB)
• Date the fit note needs to start from
• How long the fit note is required for
• Reason for needing the fit note

If you have not seen a doctor at the practice and we have had no information from a medical professional about your illness, you may need to see a GP before a fit note can be issued. Please call our Care Navigators and they will be able to advise.

If you are under the care of a hospital, your certificate may be issued by the hospital, rather than by the practice.

We typically text the fit notes across to patients via mobile number so please advise if you would like it printed for collection or sent to a different number/email.

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

If your certificate runs out, but you are still sick, you can request an extension. You can request this the same way you requested your original certificate.

Sick notes can be backdated so it is not necessary to make an emergency appointment to extend your note.