SICK NOTES OR MEDICAL CERTIFICATES
 
Information for patients and their employers
 
Do you need a doctor's certificate in the first seven days of an illness?
No, illnesses that last less than one week are usually minor and self-limiting and you may not require a visit to the doctor. It can be difficult for your doctor to judge whether or not you are incapable of working in this situation. The certificate only indicates that you attended the surgery on a specific date complaining that you had a minor illness.
In general, the Department of Health and Social Security, employers and doctors do not recommend that you attend your doctor for sickness certification alone.  Your GP is only required to issue a certificate if your absence from work through sickness lasts more than seven days.

What do you need?
For the FIRST FOUR DAYS of any illness you do not require any form of certification. (It is for you to decide if you are fit to work).

For the NEXT THREE DAYS (including Saturdays and Sundays) you must fill in a self-certification form (available from your employer).

After the FIRST SEVEN DAYS you will need a doctor's certificate and will have to attend the doctor to get a Department of Social Security sicknote, either a 'Med 3' or 'Med 5'.

What are private sick notes?
Some employers or insurance schemes will ask you to provide a private sicknote.  The surgery will charge you a £10 fee to provide you with a private 'sick note'.

Marie Curie is asking everyone to paint the UK yellow this March by making a donation and wearing a daffodil pin for the Great Daffodil Appeal.

We want men, the general public, and health professionals, to be more aware of prostate cancer. Our awareness month helps raise vital funds for much needed support and information for men who have been diagnosed and their families.

Ovarian Cancer Action will be raising awareness in a variety of communities throughout March to ensure we are doing everything we can to inform women about the disease and its symptoms

Doctors' leaders urge ministers to halt the development of a medical records database for patients in England.

Attempts to reach a cross-party deal on funding social care appear to be dead in the water ahead of a key summit.

An MP writes to police to ask if there is a basis for a criminal inquiry into activities at Stafford Hospital.

Children with behavioural problems are twice as likely to suffer chronic pain as adults than others, say researchers.

Parents, hospitals and private firms are being warned over risky and illegal collections of umbilical cord blood

Psychologists say they have treated hundreds of survivors of the 2005 London bombings for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Patients are being treated in mop cupboards, storerooms and kitchens due to wards being full, a survey suggests.

A high street chemist is investigating after a religious employee refused a customer in Sheffield the contraceptive pill.

The UK donates £1m ($1.5m) to South Africa to buy 42m condoms, as the nation builds up to the football World Cup.

There is no evidence acupuncture or Chinese herbal medicine boost the chance of IVF success, fertility experts warn.

AP - Eleven days after her son Benjamin's birth by C-section, Linda Coale awoke in the middle of the night in pain, one leg badly swollen. Just as her doctor returned her phone call asking what to do, she dropped dead from a blood clot.

AP - The virus that causes AIDS can hide in the bone marrow, avoiding drugs and later awakening to cause illness, according to new research that could point the way toward better treatments for the disease.

AP - The World Health Organization says more than 85 million children under 5 in west and central Africa will be vaccinated against polio.

AP - Diet not working? Blame your genes. That's the pitch behind a new test that claims to show whether people will do better on a low-fat or a low-carb weight loss plan.

AP - Germs in the gut may help drive appetite, says new research into the link between obesity and bacteria.

AP - The time has come to change a policy that imposes a lifetime ban on donating blood for any man who has had gay sex since 1977, 18 senators said Thursday.

HealthDay - TUESDAY, March 9 (HealthDay News) -- Colon cancer survivors who are moderately or severely obese face tougher survival odds following treatment compared with their normal-weight peers, a new study reveals.

HealthDay - TUESDAY, March 9 (HealthDay News) -- Better health translates into better sex lives, with healthy people more likely to engage in sex (and good sex at that) and to express an interest in sex, new research finds.

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of ClinicalConnection.com:

HealthDay - TUESDAY, March 9 (HealthDay News) -- Children who get a flu shot help prevent flu from spreading in their communities, Canadian researchers say.

As of 28 February 2010, worldwide more than 213 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 16455 deaths.

As of 21 February 2010, worldwide more than 213 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 16226 deaths.

The Emergency Committee held its seventh meeting by teleconference on 23 February 2010. The Director-General sought the Committee's views on the determination of the pandemic status.

As of 14 February 2010, worldwide more than 212 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 15921 deaths.

As of 7 February 2010, worldwide more than 212 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 15292 deaths.

As of 31 January 2010, worldwide more than 211 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 15174 deaths.

As of 24 January 2010, worldwide more than 209 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 14711 deaths.

22 January 2010 -- Providing independent advice to Member States is a very important function of the World Health Organization (WHO). We take this work seriously and guard against the influence of any improper interests. The WHO influenza pandemic policies and response have not been improperly influenced by the pharmaceutical industry.

As of 17 January 2010, worldwide more than 209 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 14142 deaths.

As of 10 January 2010, worldwide more than 208 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 13554 deaths.