Sick certificate

Hello
I handed in a 2 month certificate.
But I'm due to send another.
But I'm unsure how to ask my gp for a longer certificate.
Any advice please

I had to keep asking for them every 6 months for several years, it was not until I got my state pension at 60.
It was nerve wracking having to keep asking for them. Felt like a criminal.

Hello Chris & Shelly!

I had cause to ponder the same question, so did have a quick look to see what I could find.

The Six Month Threshold

In a nutshell, there seems to be a six month threshold in terms of the Condition that is preventing someone from working at all, such that if within the initial six months, a Fit Note can only be for a maximum of three months.

But, in turn, if the Condition has lasted longer than six months already, then the GP can issue a Fit Note for any length, if clinically appropriate.

I haven't found where this is stated within any particular Legislation.

DWP Fit Note Guidance for Healthcare Professionals

However, I have found that the DWP has issued Guidance on Fit Notes for GPs, which seems to live here:

GOV.UK - Guidance - Fit note: guidance for healthcare professionals

One of the links takes you to a detailed guide:

Annex A - Fit Note: Detailed Guide for Healthcare Professionals completing the Form

This states that:

In the first six months of a patient’s condition, a fit note can cover a maximum of three months. If a condition has lasted longer than six months, a fit note can be for any clinically appropriate period up to ‘an indefinite period’.

So, it's a little confusing, with a six month issue to consider, i.e. if the Condition that affects ability to do any work has lasted for less than six months, then the first Fit Note is supposedly for only a maximum of three months.

The Re-Assessment Issue at Fit Note Expiry

The other issue to note is where the Fit Note asks the GP to state if the Patient needs to be assessed at the end of the Fit Note, this is a bit cryptic in the way that seems to work.

This is what the Guidance says:

This section is mandatory – it gives your patient an indication about whether they can expect to be fit for work when the fit note expires, which helps them and their employer plan for the future.

If you expect that your patient will be fit for work at the end of their fit note, indicate that you will not need to assess them again. If you don’t expect them to be fit for work, or you aren’t sure, indicate that you will need to assess them again.

As I read that, it may be worth making sure the GP knows how to complete that, because saying the GP doesn't need to re-assess at the expiry of the Fit Note, seems to imply the Patient is deemed fit to go straight back to work the very next day after the Fit Note expires.

Universal Credit Migration and Fit Notes

I encountered this with Universal Credit ("UC") where, despite the fact I am properly physically Disabled and have the maximum PIP for both areas, when we were recently Manage Migrated from Working Tax Credits ("WTC") to UC, I had no automatic passport to the UC Disability Benefit extra.

That's because PIP is on the basis of how the Condition affects your life, whereas UC is considered on the basis of how the Condition affects your ability to work, which may not be the same thing.

So I had no direct route to the UC Disability Benefit issues, and am being required to go through yet another assessment process.

As part of that, I also had to get a Fit Note from our GP to cover this, and also had to complete and return the extensive UC Health Assessment Form known as a UC50. Which I did, in detail, but with zero progress on that front, so far. They seem to take at least three months to even look at that.

My GP had no problem issuing a Fit Note but, without me knowing anything about Fit Notes, I didn't realise that it was only for three months, when my various Conditions have been an issue for at least a couple of decades!

So, I'm well over the six month threshold, but I did not know anything about that, and I suspect neither did my GP.

I also suspect that my GP incorrectly completed the Fit Note part about needing to reassess me at the expiry of the Fit Note, thinking that as my Conditions are on-going, there was no need to do so.

Whereas, it now seems the better option would have been to say, yes, GP does need to reassess at the expiry of the Fit Note, otherwise the DWP will assume I'm all mended, and fit to work the very next day after the Fit Note expires.

That may explain why I have since been told I must do a Work Focussed Interview, the day after my Fit Note expires! I did think that was more than a coincidence, hence why I elected to investigate Fit Notes!

Given my circumstances, booking that interview made zero sense but, I can now see how that has come about, because the Fit Note was too short, and the reassessment part was completed incorrectly.

In summary (Covers your Guidance for your GP when Completing a Fit Note):

(1) If your Condition has lasted for less than six months, then a GP does not appear to be allowed to issue a Fit Note that is longer than for three months.

(2) If your Condition has already lasted for more than six months, then the Fit Note can be for longer than three months, up to an indefinite period, if the GP thinks that is "clinically appropriate".

(3) Either way, if you think the Condition will last beyond the Fit Note's duration, then make sure the GP completes that part to say that you will need to be re-assessed after the Fit Note's expiry.

With the considerable benefit of hindsight, I can now see that I should have asked for an indefinite Fit Note, or at least asked that the GP complete the Fit Note to say I will need to be re-assessed after it expires.

Had I done so, the DWP may then not have leapt at the chance to book me for a Work Interview the day my own Fit Note expires! I will have no problem getting another Fit Note from my GP, the main problem is timing, as the GP cannot now issue another Fit Note, until the existing one has expired.

Likewise, with the best will in the world, the GP can only issue the next one, on the day after the existing Fit Note expires. So that leaves very little time to obtain a new Fit Note, upload it to UC, leave a message on the Journal to call off the Work Interview (as it's pointless), and for that message to get through in time to call off the Interview.

My GP Surgery has already said they cannot forward date a new Fit Note, but can back-date Fit Notes at the time of issue.

I hope this helps.

Jorvick88

sorry meant to say 'it was not until I got my state pension that I did not have to ask for any more sick notes.