Medical Certificates

(asked on 11th May 2023) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have carried out any estimate of how many appointments annually are requested for doctors to approve sickness absences for periods of less than three days; and whether they have reviewed the requirement for doctors to authorise such sickness absences to in order to reduce workloads for doctors.


Answered by
Lord Markham Portrait
Lord Markham
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
This question was answered on 19th May 2023

A statement of fitness for work, commonly known as a fit note or ‘med 3’, is a form of medical evidence that can enable an individual to access health-related benefits or evidence eligibility for Statutory Sick Pay. Healthcare professionals cannot issue fit notes during the first seven calendar days of sickness absence as employees can self-certify for this time.

We have made several changes to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy for general practitioners to free up time for appointments. This includes expanding the range of healthcare professionals who can sign fit notes and publishing the bureaucracy busting concordat, setting out seven principles to reduce unnecessary burdens in general practice in consultation with Royal College of General Practice and the British Medical Association.

Reticulating Splines