Sick (fit) notes

If you’ve been off sick for more than 7 days

To request a sick note:

  • fill out a first sick note request form if you have not yet had a sick note for this absence. Please note, you may be asked to book a GP appointment to discuss further before a sick (fit) note can be issued
  • fill out an additional sick note request request form if you have already had a sick note for this absence
  • contact the doctor responsible for your care if the sick (fit) note is related to a hospital procedure such as an operation as hospital doctors are required to provide sick notes in this instance

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.

Find out more about sick notes on the NHS website.