If you’ve been off sick for more than 7 days
If you are off sick for more than seven days, then you will need a note from your doctor. You will need to see your doctor to obtain a note. This note will give details of the illness or condition and state that you are ‘unfit for work’ until a certain date. Your doctor may need to see you prior to you returning to work in order to ensure that you are fit to work again.
To request a sick note:
- use our Accurx service, selecting admin query
- phone us on 0117 954 3060
If you’ve been off sick for 7 days or less
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 confirm that you’ve been ill. You can do this by filling in a form yourself when you return to work. We call this self-certification. However some employers insist on a Doctor’s note regardless. A doctors note under these circumstances involves a charge.
Many employers have their own self-certification forms. If your employer doesn’t have its own form your can download this self certification form (PDF). Please print it, fill it in and hand it in to your employer. You do not need to see a doctor.
Find out more about sick notes on the GOV.UK website or NHS website.