Fit notes are commonly used in the workplace to provide evidence to employers. It is an official documenting stating the medical view on an employee’s fitness for work, historically referred to as a ‘Statement of Fitness for Work’. Within the workplace, statutory sick pay can be provided when a worker has been absent for a duration of more than seven days. However, the statutory sick pay (SSP) cannot be claimed until an employer has seen and verified a fit note from the employee. The fit note stands as evidence that the employee is too unwell to work their position to the required standard, meaning that SSP can now be claimed.
Recently there has been changes to fit notes provided by the government. There was a lot of pressure on doctors to provide fit notes promptly when requested and the capacity of doctors was not allowing this to be fulfilled quick enough. From 1st July 2022, the new legislation for fit notes gives permission to a broader range of healthcare professionals to provide legally certified fit notes. The new list of healthcare professionals covers Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Pharmacists and Physiotherapists. Having these additional occupations on the fit note legislation will significantly relive the pressure on doctors as well as providing a quicker turn around for workers requiring them.
Fit notes also have a new look! As of April 2022, the fit note had a makeover to remove the requirement for healthcare professionals to physically sign the form in ink. Instead, the issuer can now just provide their name and job title. As the new style fit notes are still fully coming into use, the older style signed fit notes are still legally accepted. With the physical signing of fit notes now being phased out, they are now a lot more accessible to workers as well as being quicker and easier for healthcare professionals to issue. They can now digitally issue them, avoiding any delays that were prevalent due to the pandemic.
The assessment alongside fit notes is still required even though a broader range of healthcare professionals can now issue them. The assessment of a worker’s fitness for work must be completed before issuing the fit note and should also be completed under NHS services. This means that workers cannot just request a fit note or ask for one over the counter.
If you have a query regarding fit notes that FusionHR can help with then don’t hesitate to get in touch either by phone, 01924 827869, or via our website.
