Online vs In-Person Sick Notes: What Is the Difference?

There’s not a huge difference between online and in-person sick notes. They’re both written by trained medical professionals and can help you access healthcare benefits, like statutory sick pay (SSP), from your employer.

However, online sick notes do have quite a few benefits you may want to consider; the big one being, you can get them from the comfort of your own home. 

So if you’re really ill and don’t fancy a trip to the GP, an online sick note can get you signed off work without forcing you out of the house. 

This is obviously great because the last thing you want to worry about while fighting colds, flu or food poisoning, is catching something worse in your GP’s waiting room!

What’s A Sick Note, And What’s It For?

Sick notes, otherwise known as ‘fit notes’ or ‘med3 forms’, are issued by healthcare professionals. They’re written following a health assessment and detail the ways in which your illness can impact your work. Once you have one, you can pass a copy to your employer or school administrator.

Sick notes are designed to help people with health conditions stay in employment or education. Alongside getting you SSP, a sick note can advise your employer on what reasonable adjustments they can make for people with long-term conditions.

These might include:

• 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.

Who Might Need One?

Sick notes are for people who’ve been ill for more than 7 days. Within that first 7 days, you ‘self-certify’ – make your own judgement on whether you’re fit to work or not. After 7 days, you will need to give your employer a sick note.

Sick notes cover all manner of illnesses and injuries:

• Mental health issues: Stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout.
• Infections: COVID-19, 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

How Do Online Sick Notes Work?

To get a sick note online, all you need to do is book an assessment with an online healthcare provider offering that service. 

Assessments can take place on either a video call or phone call, at any time, and from anywhere with a good WiFi connection. Just book, pay and then, after a short wait and a brief consultation, an online GP will issue a sick note if they feel it’s necessary. You’ll get your sick note sent to you digitally, making it easier to share.

In the past, if you wanted a sick note, you’d have to wait until the GP was free, physically go in, sit in the waiting room, and eventually be seen. If successful, you’d then be given a physical note to bring to your employer or school administrator, and only then would you be allowed to go home and rest.

What’s Great About Online Sick Notes?

Online sick notes are quick and accessible. They remove the need to physically go to an appointment, which, if you’re suffering from a painful injury or debilitating illness, can be a real struggle.

Booking an online assessment is far more comfortable and flexible than a physical appointment, and it makes the whole process far more pleasant. When you see a healthcare professional online, there are shorter waiting times. This means an online sick note can help expedite your recovery.

Are There Drawbacks To An Online Sick Note?

Not really. An online sick note cannot be legally refused by an employer. So even if they’d prefer one issued in person, it doesn’t matter.

How An Online Sick Note Can Help You

An online sick note can help you in exactly the same way a traditional, in-person sick note can – time off, SSP and reasonable adjustments in the workplace. They’re also written by a trained medical professional, and can help you stay in work or education through long or short-term illness.

Online sick notes are quicker, easier and more flexible. The process of getting one is also far more comfortable and accessible for people who would otherwise struggle with in-person appointments.