REQUESTS BY EMPLOYERS FOR SICKNESS CERTIFICATION
Employers asking for a doctor's statement for the first seven days of an employee's sickness are referred to the "Statutory Sick Pay Manual for Employers" - National Insurance Contributions Series CA30, Paragraph 28, which states "…you(the employer)cannot ask for a doctor's statement for the first seven days of a spell of sickness".

The purpose of this regulation is to avoid the necessity for employees with minor, self-limiting illness or injury to use surgery appointments for the sole purpose of obtaining a medical certificate. We do not, therefore, issue certificates in these circumstances.

If employers have reason to inquire about a spell of sickness, they are advised to write to the doctor, including written permission from the employee concerned, when a report may be issued. A charge will be made for such a report.