Fit Notes
You can request a fit note (Statement of Fitness for Work) online or by phone. Generally, you do not need a fit note for the first seven days of illness.
Request a Fit Note
To request a fit note, use our online request form and choose ‘I have an admin or routine care request’.
If you cannot use the online form, call us on 01243 388740 between 8am and 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. Our phone assistant, EmmaAI, will send your request through for you.
Medical Evidence for the First Seven Days
For the first seven days of illness (including weekends), it is for you to decide whether you are fit to work. However, your employer may ask you to self-certify using the SC2 form to ask your employer for Statutory Sick Pay on GOV.UK.
If your employer still asks for medical evidence for the first seven days, we can provide a private note, for which there is a charge of £15. GOV.UK guidance says this cost should be covered by your employer.
After Seven Days
If you are ill for more than seven days in a row, you will need a fit note. Since July 2022, fit notes can be issued by doctors, nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists and physiotherapists.
We will send your fit note to you by text message (SMS), with a link to download it. You can print it or give a copy to your employer. Your employer can take a copy, but you should keep the original.
If you have been in hospital, or we have already seen you for this illness, we may be able to issue a fit note without seeing you, or after a telephone consultation. If we do not have any record of your illness, you will need an appointment.
If you are under the care of a hospital, or have been discharged from hospital, the hospital team should issue your fit note rather than your GP.
What Your Fit Note Says
The person issuing your fit note will choose one of two options:
- you may be fit for work
- you are not fit for work
They will choose ‘may be fit for work’ if they think that returning to work, with support from your employer, will help you recover. They can suggest changes to discuss with your employer, such as:
- having other support to do your job, for example, avoiding heavy lifting if you have back pain
- performing different duties or tasks
- returning to work gradually, for example, by starting part-time
- working different hours temporarily
