Self Certification

[aud60]

Hi there.
Can anyone help me? I returned to work after having been signed off by my doctor for 5 weeks. But having struggled through 3 days I now feel I returned too soon. Can I self certificate or do I need a doctors note?

[murraymints]

you can normally self certificate for 5 days only , thereafter a doctors certificate will be required by your employer

[EDDIE51]

if the present illness is a continuation of the previous illness I think you have to get the doctor to sign you off again.

[237SJ]

You can self certificate for 7 days and then you need a certificate from the Doctor.

[THECORBYLOON]

You can self-certify for a subsequent period of sickness only if there is more than an eight weeks' gap between the two periods.

[237SJ]

Have you got a link for that Coobyloon? I`d be interested to know the facts for future reference.

[237SJ]

Sorry - Corbyloon

[THECORBYLOON]

http://aka.hmrc.gov.uk/helpsheets/2012/e14.pdf then look at "Linking" on page 2 right at the top of the page. Spells separated by eight weeks or less are treated as the same PIW so the self-cert cannot be used in the second spell.

[lcg]

no, you cannot extend the previous period of sickness as you returned to work. the new period of sickness starts on the day you first had off, you self-certificate in the same way as usual an then need a doctor to sign you off after that. as you returned (even if it was only for 5 minutes!) to work, this will all be treated as two periods off work. the lesson is to take as much time as you need off and not risk doing this - it does happen, but in the future, take your sweet merry time about it.

[lcg]

ahhh.....the 8 week gap rule is correct if the two periods are for the same disorder for getting a doctors note, but your employer can and probably will still treat this as two separate periods of sickness that may result in monitoring procedures. mine, for example, allow three periods per yer before informal monitoring starts, and any further episodes then go into formal monitoring procedures which can then lead to sanction/dismissal.

[THECORBYLOON]

The eight weeks linking rule applies regardless of the incapacity with respect to self-certifying but employers may have their own rules as to how they treat the incapacities in connexion with absence management policies.