In a word, yes – online Sicknotes are absolutely legitimate. Once obtained, they can be given to your employer or school to help you manage your health alongside your job or education. They cannot legally be refused.
Sick notes, sometimes called ‘fit notes’, are a piece of writing from a healthcare professional outlining how your health will impact your work. Sick notes are issued following a health assessment from a professional, either in person or over the internet.
Sick notes can help you access health-related benefits like statutory sick pay (SSP). They can also offer employers guidance on how to keep you in work. For people with long-standing conditions, a sick note can advise an employer on what reasonable adjustments can be made to manage their health in the workplace.
Who Might Need A Sick Note
Generally, if you’ve been ill for more than 7 days, you will need to give either your employer or school administrator a sick note. However, within that first 1-7 days, you can usually ‘self-certify.’
Self-certifying is just telling whoever you need to that you’re taking sick leave (they may need you to fill out an SC2). You can only self-certify for the first 7 days – including weekends – afterwards, you will need a sick note.
There is a broad range of illnesses and injuries for which a person can apply for a sick note:
- Mental health issues: Stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout.
- Infections: Influenza, bronchitis, pneumonia, or ear infections.
- Physical injuries: Fractures, sprains and strains.
- Stomach & gastrointestinal issues: Food poisoning, gastroenteritis, diarrhoea, and vomiting.
- Other long-term or chronic conditions: Cancer, MS, HIV, skin conditions (like eczema, dermatitis), and severe migraines
If you are in the hospital, you should get a sick note from your doctor, as opposed to a GP.
How Sick Notes Work
Sick notes must include the issuer’s name, profession and the address of their medical practice. They can cover up to 3 months of absence within the first 6 months of an illness, and often include review dates. They belong to you and can be copied by your employer.
In the past, to get a sick note, you had to see a GP face-to-face, where they would assess your fitness and consider the impact it may have on your job. Then, if deemed necessary, they would physically write you a sick note to give to your employer. However, with some injuries and illnesses – for instance, painful muscle strains or severe depression – accessing in-person meetings can be a huge problem.
Online GP appointments negate the need to physically go and see a health professional. They can take place either on a video call or over the phone, from anywhere, and at a broader range of times. If given, a sick note can be computer-generated and shared digitally, for you to either print out or forward on. Crucially, online GP appointments can make obtaining a sick note quicker, less painful and far more convenient.
Why Get A Sick Note Online
In 2020, around the time of the Covid19 pandemic, rules were updated to let people obtain sick notes online. At the time of social distancing and quarantining, this change was made to stop the spread of the virus and protect lives. It’s stayed in effect largely because of convenience.
Convenience is why online sick notes remain a popular choice today. Booking an online appointment is far more comfortable and flexible than a physical appointment, and it can expedite the whole process. When you see a healthcare professional online, there are shorter waiting times.
Online sick notes cannot be refused by an employer, regardless of whether they would prefer a sick note that was issued in person. To avoid any mistrust, it’s best to get your online sick note from a reputable provider.
How Can Online Sick Notes Help You
An online sick note can help you access health-related benefits such as SSP. If you’re eligible, you can get £123.25 a week or 80% of your normal weekly earnings – whichever is lower. It’s paid for up to 28 weeks and will come to you the same way your salary does.
While an online sick note can help you take time off work, you are free to return when you feel fit enough. An online sick note may help you negotiate your terms of return with your employer:
- A phased return to work: a gradual increase in work duties or hours.
- Altered hours: changes to the times or duration of work.
- Amended duties: changing duties to take account of a health condition, such as no heavy lifting.
- Workplace adaptations: changing aspects of the workplace, such as working from home.
How Hola Health Can Help You
If you’re unwell and it’s affecting your ability to work, Hola Health connects you with GMC-registered GPs who can assess your condition and issue a valid sick note if appropriate.
With Hola Health, there’s no need to visit your regular GP practice or wait for an appointment. We can help you get fast access to sick notes online, whenever.
Why should I choose Hola Health?
User experience: We run a simple, mobile-friendly service, designed to deliver convenience for you.
Sick note delivery: If approved, we’ll send you your sick note quickly and directly, over email.
Transparency & pricing: Our pricing is clear and upfront, with no hidden fees attached.
Who you speak to: Our online GPs are all NHS-trained and GMC-registered medical professionals.
Availability: We’re ready 8 am–6 pm, 7 days a week, even on holidays.
Hola Health provides simple, straightforward healthcare that can help you get an online sick note quickly. To see what else Hola Health can help you with, like Online GP referrals, see our full list of services or speak to a doctor online.
