"Sick Notes" Nodiadau Salwch
It is not recommended that you attend your doctor for sickness certification alone.
Your GP is only required to issue a certificate if your absence from work through sickness lasts more than seven days.
Do you need a doctor’s certificate in the first seven days of an illness?
No. Illnesses that last less than one week are usually minor and self-limiting and you may not require a visit to a doctor. It can be difficult for your doctor to judge whether or not your are incapable of reporting for work in this situation and all the certificate really indicates is that you attended the surgery on a specific date complaining that you had a minor illness.
What do you need?
For the first 4 days of any illness you do not required any form of certification. (It is for you to decide if you are fit to work.)
For the next 3 days (including Saturdays and Sundays) you must fill in a self-certification form (SC2 which is available from your employer).
After the first 7 days you will need a doctor’s certificate and will have to attend the doctor to get a Department of Social Security sick note, either a “Med 3” or “Med 5”.
What are private sick notes and do you need one?
Some employers or insurance schemes will ask you to provide a private sick note. The surgery will charge you a fee to provide you with a “sick note” (currently £10). Sick notes are usually not necessary for the first week of any illness.