Employer refusing Push Doctor sick note.

davids96

Because I was not able to get an appointment with my GP soon enough I spoke with a doctor using Push Doctor and was advised that I take 1 week off work for stress using a self certification and to contact them again in a weeks time if i need more time off work. I phoned my work and told them this and they said "that's fine see you in a week".

I spoke with the doctor again after one week from Push Doctor and was given a two week sick note that was sent to my home to take into work. The note contains the doctors name, signature, dates my names address and verification code to check its legit. Once I brought the sick note into work I was told that they do not accept push doctor sick notes as anyone can fake them and they are not real doctors and that I will not be paid for my 1st week off or any of the two weeks off from the sick note. Is that true can they choose to reject it? My employer is Tesco.

Now i am even more stressed out because if i don't get paid I will not be able to pay rent or my bills as i have no savings and the nearest doctors appointment is not for two weeks. Do you guys have any advice?

Thanks.

DCFC79

Do they not even offer telephone appointments ?

Did you mention it was urgent ?

davids96

DCFC79 wrote: »

Do they not even offer telephone appointments ?

Did you mention it was urgent ?

I just asked if there was any appointments available and the reason was stress related to work and the receptionist told me it would be two weeks for an appointment. I did not ask about a phone appointment.

Browntoa

Send them this link

https://www.pushdoctor.co.uk/how-it-works/sick-notes

It's valid and the HR department can validate it

davids96

Browntoa wrote: »

Send them this link

It's valid and the HR department can validate it

I did she said it doesn't mean anything and that this company is just selling my information to other companies they are not real doctors and HR will refuse to pay me if she sends them the provided sick note.

I have no way of knowing if this is actually true for Tesco or if she is just talking nonsense.

Blatchford

davids96 wrote: »

Because I was not able to get an appointment with my GP soon enough I spoke with a doctor using Push Doctor and was advised that I take 1 week off work for stress using a self certification and to contact them again in a weeks time if i need more time off work. I phoned my work and told them this and they said "that's fine see you in a week".

I spoke with the doctor again after one week from Push Doctor and was given a two week sick note that was sent to my home to take into work. The note contains the doctors name, signature, dates my names address and verification code to check its legit. Once I brought the sick note into work I was told that they do not accept push doctor sick notes as anyone can fake them and they are not real doctors and that I will not be paid for my 1st week off or any of the two weeks off from the sick note. Is that true can they choose to reject it? My employer is Tesco.

Now i am even more stressed out because if i don't get paid I will not be able to pay rent or my bills as i have no savings and the nearest doctors appointment is not for two weeks. Do you guys have any advice?

Thanks.

I can't say that I am entirely surprised - quite apart from the dangers of taking medical advice and prescriptions from someone who has no connection to the NHS, no access to any medical history, and no ability to actually examine you or make any medical checks, this app has become known as the "sick note app" because it is a method of doing nothing more than buying a sick note. I'm also quite shocked that with no savings you decided it was a good idea to spend £30 per consultation and £15 for a fit note. You could have self-certified for a week without any doctors advice, and you could have used that week to make arrangements to see your GP. All GP practices have emergency appointments - I appreciate that it can be very hard at times to arrange an immediate appointment, but if you persist the GP must see you.

But the answer is yes - any employer can choose to reject a fit note. It isn't something that is really recommended practice normally, because they must have grounds to believe that the person is not genuinely sick. Unfortunately, by using an app notorious for the sale of false sick notes, you handed them that reason. I do appreciate that you probably didn't realise any of this, but I would guess that the company believe that if they accept such dodgy sick notes, they may well open a flood gate when word gets around that one no longer needs to actually be ill (or a remotely good faker) to get sick notes.

I think all you can do is submit a grievance saying that you could not be expected to know that the fit note was not acceptable - you can, if an employer refuses SSP, complain to HMRC, but I would think it may be a grey area as to what they might make of this. Of course, in any way, you should make an urgent appointment with your medical practice - either with a GP or a nurse practitioner (most of whom can issue sick notes). It's unlikely at this stage that they could back date it though as they haven't any record of your previous illness.

On a further note, many of the symptoms of stress can also be symptoms of other serious conditions. If stress is so serious as to prevent you from working, then you must be presenting with more than "I'm a bit upset over something" especially if it prevents you working for three weeks. It is dangerous to assume such symptoms are definitely stress or only stress, which is why face to face consultations in which a doctor or health practitioner can assess your general condition and do some routine tests are so important.

POPPYOSCAR

OP

If you are having to take more time off work due to stress it is vitally important that you actually see a doctor.

Get an appointment now.

Blatchford

Browntoa wrote: »

Send them this link

https://www.pushdoctor.co.uk/how-it-works/sick-notes

It's valid and the HR department can validate it

It's the definition of "valid" that is in question. There are lots of "valid" training providers and educational establishments who can sell you qualifications for a fee. That is also perfectly legal. Selling sicknotes to people that you have never seen or examined in any way, and without any medical history to refer to, is, at best, dangerous and irresponsible medicine. At worst it is death waiting to happen. There are myriads of reports of these types of apps prescribing, for example, controlled drugs to individuals they have never examined, and without knowing what other meds a person might also be taking - or even whether that person is genuinely sick!

Whilst I recognise that the cuts in public medicine have had a serious impact on waiting times etc., we still have one of the two best free at the point of access medical services in the world. Apps like this undermine that and do so at the expense of sick people - medicine should never be about what you can pay for. There's nothing "valid" about the privitisation of health care.

Undervalued

Blatchford wrote: »

It's the definition of "valid" that is in question. There are lots of "valid" training providers and educational establishments who can sell you qualifications for a fee. That is also perfectly legal. Selling sicknotes to people that you have never seen or examined in any way, and without any medical history to refer to, is, at best, dangerous and irresponsible medicine. At worst it is death waiting to happen. There are myriads of reports of these types of apps prescribing, for example, controlled drugs to individuals they have never examined, and without knowing what other meds a person might also be taking - or even whether that person is genuinely sick!

Whilst I recognise that the cuts in public medicine have had a serious impact on waiting times etc., we still have one of the two best free at the point of access medical services in the world. Apps like this undermine that and do so at the expense of sick people - medicine should never be about what you can pay for. There's nothing "valid" about the privitisation of health care.

I have never used this service but, as I understand it, they provide a face to face (via video) consultation with a GMC registered doctor. If, in their clinical judgement, they feel you need a prescribed medicine they can issue a private prescription. Like any doctor they can also provide advice as to the patient's fitness to work.

If, as you seem to believe, they are cutting corners and not acting in a professional and ethical way then that is a matter for the GMC which has all the necessary legal powers to protect the public.

However, as far as I know, the service has been available for quite a while and I am not aware of any formal sanctions against any of their doctors?

Like any professional advice as to an employee's fitness to work an employer is free to disregard it. However, if that was challenged at an employment tribunal, they would need some professional evidence that the opinion of the qualified doctor the OP has "seen" was wrong.

Browntoa

Push doctor uses registered doctors you are basically paying to see a private doctor ( who also works for the NHS )

You never get a "health practitioner"

Some pharmacies near me now offer a similar service , see a doctor in real time but for a fee.

Any paperwork issued is genuine and subject to the same GMC rules

shortcrust

As others have said, it’s up to the employer whether they accept a note so there’s nothing you can do to force them.

Your GP will be able to give you a backdated note to cover your absence so no need to stress too much. Book an appointment asap! Also try calling the surgery first thing tomorrow. GPs often have a long wait for scheduled appointments but if you call in and say it’s urgent you can sometimes get a same day slot.

I wouldn’t be too impressed with a note from Push Doctors for stress. Not because I wouldn’t believe you but because if your stress is severe enough to be off work you need a doctor who’s going to provide proper help and support. Being signed off without a treatment plan of some sort is just a sticking plaster that isn’t going to help anyone.

ETA: Rightly or wrongly, the impression given by going to Push Doctors for something like this is that you’re more interested in getting a sick note than in getting medical help.