Sick leave certificate requirements

Sick leave certificate requirements usually include a clinical assessment, accurate personal details, relevant dates, and information about how illness affects your work. The clinician decides whether time away, modified duties, or a review is appropriate. Your employer or receiving service may also specify how the document must be submitted, so check those instructions separately.

Be ready to explain your symptoms, when they began, treatment already tried, and the tasks you cannot safely complete. Mention shift patterns, physical demands, driving, concentration, or exposure to other people when relevant. Bring identification and medication details, plus reports from another clinician if they affect the assessment. Burnout and other mental health concerns should be described through their effects on sleep, focus, energy, and daily function.

Book a GP consultation when you need a medical opinion rather than waiting until absence has become difficult to document. Ask your workplace which dates and delivery method it accepts. Review the certificate for spelling, dates, and restrictions before submitting it. Do not change the file yourself; request corrections from the issuing clinician or service. Keep a private copy for your records.

Seek urgent medical help for severe breathing difficulty, chest pain, collapse, sudden confusion, or thoughts of self-harm, regardless of paperwork. Arrange a review if symptoms are getting worse, you cannot manage basic activities, or the recommended leave is ending while you remain unwell. A certificate request should never replace treatment for a serious condition.

Ask what information you should provide, whether modified duties are safer than leave, when you should be reviewed, and how an amended certificate will be issued if your situation changes.