How does a sick line work

bonehead903028402

I'm pregnant and am suffering from quite bad morning/all day sickness and not sleeping at the moment.

I have had to take quite a few days off work over the last few weeks. My employer is aware I'm pregnant and why I am off work so much at the moment and is being very understanding.

I have been off now since last Friday I called in today and my employer told me that I would need to bring in a sick line as I have been off for so many days now. I called the doctor and can't get an appointment until Tuesday.

I've never had to get a doctors note before and don't know how it works. It's very unlikely but if I was feeling better tomorro and could return to work would I be able to without a sickline? What do I say to the doctor to get a sickline and whatever other information can you provide.

cainkapow

just give the doctor a call again, explain that you need a note for your employer and they will easily give you what you need.

They will give you one to cover the first day of sickness for a week and you will probably require another after that if your still unwell.

Even if you can get one until tuesday, the doctor will give the note to cover the whole period from the start of the sickness, so dont get too worried.

ktothema

bonehead903028402 wrote: »

I'm pregnant and am suffering from quite bad morning/all day sickness and not sleeping at the moment.

I have had to take quite a few days off work over the last few weeks. My employer is aware I'm pregnant and why I am off work so much at the moment and is being very understanding.

I have been off now since last Friday I called in today and my employer told me that I would need to bring in a sick line as I have been off for so many days now. I called the doctor and can't get an appointment until Tuesday.

I've never had to get a doctors note before and don't know how it works. It's very unlikely but if I was feeling better tomorro and could return to work would I be able to without a sickline? What do I say to the doctor to get a sickline and whatever other information can you provide.

As cainkapow says!

Also, make sure the reason is adequately put down as a pregnancy related issue, as this has to be treated separately from normal sickness by your company.

bonehead903028402

Thanks very much for the replies will do as you have both said.

TadleyBaggie

There is a note in my GP surgery that they won't issue a note for absences less than 7 days, i.e. you have to be self certified up to that point..

no-oneknowsme

TadleyBaggie wrote: »

There is a note in my GP surgery that they won't issue a note for absences less than 7 days, i.e. you have to be self certified up to that point..

Yeah , its the same for my work. They wont accept a doctors line until the absence has been self certified for the first 7 days.

Kynthia

Many GPs won't issue one for free before 7days but will if you pay.

Savvy_Sue

no-oneknowsme wrote: »

Yeah , its the same for my work. They wont accept a doctors line until the absence has been self certified for the first 7 days.

That's a bit back to front: clearly a doctor can issue a Fit Note before you've been sick for 7 days, if it's obvious you won't be fit to return to work in less than 7 days. When I broke my shoulder, I had a Fit Note covering me for 8 weeks, within 24 hours ...

Note that they are no longer Sick Notes but Fit Notes.

Each company may have its own requirements, but the principles behind it are:

a) you don't get Statutory Sick Pay for the 1st 3 days, so your employer will have their own mechanism for requiring you to report why you were absent

b) for between 4 and 7 days, there is a form SC1 which your employer will almost certainly require you to complete so that they can reduce their NI bill at least partially by the amount they are paying you in SSP

c) after 7 days, you need to provide a Fit Note from your GP, which will say that you are either Not Fit for work with a date or time period for which that Not Fit applies, OR that you may be fit for work if certain conditions are met.

Even if you get full pay when you are on sick leave, the principles above are likely to apply.