Patients may request Sick Notes from their Doctor looking after their condition.

Please note that it is not necessary for a Doctor to issue a National Health Medical Certificate unless you have been off work because of illness for more than seven working days.

A patient must be seen by a Doctor on the day the sick note is issued or the day previously, as a legal requirement.

Patients who are off work for less than seven days should obtain a Self Certification Form either from the surgery or the Post Office and submit it to their work.

Patients may require Medical Sick Notes on a private basis for short periods of time, but these may attract a fee for the Doctor.

If patients are hospitalised, then at times the Hospital Ward will provide Medical Sick Notes to cover their period as an inpatient and these should be requested from the Hospital Nursing Staff.

Sick Notes cannot be provided in advance, e.g. when patients have a planned operation, they cannot be signed off as sick before the operation occurs. In certain circumstances, Sick Notes can be back-dated for ongoing illness problems. These requests should be discussed with the Doctor looking after the patient.