Been ill for less than 7 days?
Been ill for 7 days or less? You don’t need to see a Doctor. You can complete a Self-Certification form yourself. However some employers insist on a Doctor’s note regardless. A Doctor's note under these circumstances involves a charge of £10.
Many employers have their own self-certification forms. If your employer doesn’t have its own form you can download a Self Certification Form:>> Please print it, fill it in and hand it in to your employer. You do not need to see a Doctor.
Been ill for more than 7 days?
If you have been ill for more than seven days, you will need a Doctor’s certificate. These certificates are called ‘Fitness To Work’ Certificates. You can request a Doctor’s Sick/Fit note for more than Seven days by Requesting a Sick/Fit Note using eConsult.
Require an extension to a Sick Note?
If you have already had a Sick Note (Fit Note) for this illness your Doctor may not need to see you to issue an additional Sick Note. You can request a Sick/Fit Note Extension using Systmonline.
Update from the 1st October 2025
Swanage Medical Practice is now using SystmConnect instead of eConsult forms.
Systmconnect is an online consultation platform that allows patients to communicate with us by enabling patients to request medical advice and FIT note requests, accessing care without needing to visit the surgery in person.
Patients can use the service through a smartphone app or website and patients can submit requests for new or existing health conditions or FIT note requests.
SystmConnect helps us manage demand and improve access to our services and is available 8am - 6.30pm Monday - Friday (excluding all UK bank holidays).
We aim to reply to you within 24 hours via your preferred communication method
We will contact you to let you know when you can collect your Sick/fit Note or we may contact you to arrange an appointment. Issuing of a sick certificate is at the discretion of the Doctor and they might need to see you before they can issue the certificate to you.