Hello, wondered if anyone could give me some advice.
My husband has been off sick from work with Covid for 9 days and he has been quite poorly but back to work now. He only works 3 days a week but needs a sick note to cover him for 2 days.
When contacting the GP they told him they don't give sick notes for Covid and to call NHS 119. We called 119 (covid line) who are now only doing booster appointments. NHS 111 couldn’t help either and one of them told him to ring 999!!! We couldn’t believe it.
Going round in circles, employer needs sick note but GP wont do it for covid. His employer has even spoken with them.
Has anybody else experienced this? Or can advise a way round what is needed. Thank you
Written by
Newbytoasthma
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Doctors don't generally give sick notes now unless you are off more than 8 days. The rules are that you fill out a self certificate form and that should be sufficient.
Your employer should be aware of that too. If they must have a sick note then maybe they can get one but I would expect them to have to pay for it.
It's nothing to do with your husband now and he shouldn't be harassed over it.
Am a bit confused. He was ill for 9 days but needs a sick note for 2 days? Is that because he self certified for 7 days or only needs certificate for 2 days. If only off work for 2 days then doesn’t require a sick note. If self certified for 7 days then yes needs a sick note, whatever the reason.
Has actual gp been spoken to or is this all coming from receptionist? If so I would make an appointment with actual gp. If still having issues then works HR need to sort it. I would hope common sense would prevail (because work have contacted gp surgery) and note should go on husband’s file that no sick note due to gp refusal re Covid. But accept he was too unwell to work.
It may be that current advice for Covid patients is to go to work as normal unless you are coughing and sneezing a lot. A positive lateral flow test is no longer a reason to take time off work, but like colds or flu if you are really bad then you probably can’t get out of bed.
If you're going to be off for more than 7 days, it's usually best to phone/see your GP on the seventh day so you can get a sick note, although I think they're now called fit note. Self certification covers the first 7 days, but during the worst of Covid it was extended to 28 days for people with Covid, but that stopped in 2022 and it's now back to the 7 days. If you can't sort the sick note would his employer let him use holiday instead to cover the extra two days, not ideal but less stress?
Thank you everyone for your replies. He really was quite poorly which is why he stayed off but is now fully recovered. He self certified for first 7 days and after several more calls to GP they finally gave him a fit note for his employer. All sorted now thank goodness but has been frustrating. Thanks again x
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