Dear Patient

RE: Coronavirus (COVID-19) and requests for sick notes

Self-Isolation: you do not have to request a sick note from your GP in relation to being off work because you are required to remain at home to protect a family member who has previously been required to stay at home, or because you have been in contact with a person displaying symptoms. It is not yourself who has the medical reason to not be able to work therefore we cannot give you a sick note. For your information, by law, medical evidence is not required for the first 7 days of sickness if you were to become sick yourself. For any period of illness less than 7 days you can self- certify.

It is likely a vast amount of people will be self-isolating in accordance with advice provided by the Government and Public Health and many of these cases your GP will not be able to issue you a sick note unfortunately. We expect your employer to be sympathetic towards the circumstances.

General Practice is under a lot of pressure and needs to prioritise the healthcare needs of patients who are acutely unwell. We hope that you understand the current situation and sorry for any inconvenience.

Kind regards

Paula Breen – Practice Manager