Sickness Certificates/Statement of Fitness for Work – ‘Fit Note’
You do not require a doctor’s sickness certificate for any illness lasting seven days or less and it is our practice policy not to issue ‘Fit Notes’ for periods of sickness absence of up to 7 days. The ‘fit note’ was introduced on 6 April 2010. With your employer’s support, the note will help you return to work sooner by providing more information about the effects of your illness or injury.
Your employer may however require you to complete a self-certification form (SC2) which is available from your employer or on the HMRC website.
Evidence that you are sick
If you are sick for more than seven days, your employer can ask you to give them some form of medical evidence to support payment of SSP (statutory sick pay) eg a ‘fit note’.
It is up to your employer to use the information on the ‘fit note’ to decide if there is some alternative work you could do whilst waiting to recover fully. Obviously in some circumstances it will be necessary for you to be off work completely until you recover.