Sick/Fit Note
Sick/Fit Note
Self-Certification Fit Note for less than 7 days
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. This is called self-certification.
If you have been ill for 7 days or less, you don't need to see a doctor. You can complete a Self-Certification form yourself. Many employers have their own self-certification forms. If you employer doesn't have its own form, you can complete the Self Certification Form online.
Please print this form, fill it in, and hand to your employer.You do not need to see a doctor.
Request a Fit/Sick note for more than 7 days
If you're off work sick for more than 7 days, your employer will usually ask for a Fit note (or Statement of Fitness for Work) from a GP or hospital doctor. Fit notes are sometimes referred to as medical statements or a Sick note.
You will require an initial appointment with a clinician, which can be completed via telephone, before a Fit Note is provided. If you have recently been discharged from hospital following an inpatient admission, please ask your consultant for a Fit Note.
Do not ask your GP for a fit note if you are off work because of COVID-19. Instead, you can get an isolation note to send to your employer as proof you need to stay at home.
Request an extension to a Fit/Sick note
If you have already had a Fit note for this illness, your doctor may not need to see you to issue an additional Sick note.
You will need to request an extension of your Fit note in writing, either by handing in your request to our surgery or emailing your request to the practice. Your request will be processed within 48 working hours.
If we are unable to issue you an extension to your Fit note, or if a further review is required, you may be contacted and advised to book an appointment with a doctor to discuss.
Zero Tolerance Policy
Overview
The Practice takes it very seriously if a member of staff is treated in an abusive or violent way.
The Practice supports the government's 'Zero Tolerance' campaign for Health Service Staff. This states that GPs and their staff have a right to care for others without fear of being attacked or abused. To successfully provide these services, a mutual respect between all the staff and patients must be in place.
Our Practice staff aim to be polite, helpful, and sensitive to all patients’ individual needs and circumstances. They would respectfully remind patients that very often staff could be confronted with a multitude of varying and sometimes difficult tasks and situations, all at the same time. The staff understand that unwell patients do not always act in a reasonable manner and will take this into consideration when trying to deal with a misunderstanding or complaint.
However, aggressive behaviour, be it violent or abusive, will not be tolerated and may result in you being removed from the Practice list and, in extreme cases, the Police being contacted.
In order for the practice to maintain good relations with their patients the practice would like to ask all its patients to read and take note of the types of behaviour that would be found unacceptable:
- Using bad language or swearing at practice staff
- Any physical violence towards any member of the Practice or other patients, such as pushing or shoving
- Verbal abuse towards the staff in any form including verbally insulting the staff
- Racial abuse and sexual harassment will not be tolerated within this practice
- Persistent or unrealistic demands that cause stress to staff will not be accepted. Requests will be met wherever possible, and explanations given when they cannot
- Causing damage/stealing from the Practice's premises, staff or patients
- Obtaining drugs and/or medical services fraudulently
We ask you to treat our GPs and their staff courteously at all times.
Removal from the practice list
The removal of patients from our list is an exceptional and rare event and is a last resort where there is a breakdown in relationship between the patient and the practice. A good patient-practice relationship, based on a mutual respect and trust, is the cornerstone of good patient care. When trust has irretrievably broken down, the practice will consider all factors before removing a patient from our list and communicate to them that it is in the patient’s best interest that they should find a new practice. An exception to this is in the case of immediate removal on the grounds of violence e.g., when the Police are involved.
Removing other members of the household
In rare cases, because of the possible need to visit patients at home, it may be necessary to terminate responsibility for other members of the family or the entire household to ensure the safety of practice staff.
The prospect of visiting patients at the residence of a relative who is no longer a patient of the practice due to unacceptable behaviour, or the risk of being regularly confronted by the removed patient, may make it difficult for the practice to continue to look after the whole family. This is more likely where the removed patient has been violent or displayed threatening behaviour, and keeping the other family members could put doctors or their staff at risk.
Violent and abusive behaviour can be extremely frightening/intimidating for staff and patients.