An NHS doctor has explained how GPs can keep patients’ medical details confidential on sick or fit notes.
If you’re unwell and unable to work for more than seven days, including weekends and bank holidays, you might require a sick note for your employer.
The NHS describes a sick/fit note as something which “can support you to return to work or stay in work” and may be necessary for claiming benefits or statutory sick pay. Not all employees are comfortable with their employers knowing the specifics of their health issues, though.
Dr Shireen, an NHS GP, shared her expertise on this topic in a recent TikTok video. With a strong following on social media, she regularly provides advice on various health matters.
In her latest video, she addressed how doctors can issue a sick/fit note without disclosing detailed medical information to employers. She said: “Can your GP provide a fit note or a sick note and not put a reason on there? This is a question I get asked a lot. Now, we do need to put a reason on sick notes but we don’t always need to say exactly what the problem is.”
Dr Shireen acknowledged while it’s typically best for GPs “to be as accurate as possible” to help employers “support” their staff, they recognise that some medical conditions are private matters, and should very much remain that way.
The GP elaborated: “For example, if someone has just had surgery for haemorrhoids, they might not want their line manager or their colleagues to know that they’ve suffered with haemorrhoids. In that case, I won’t put haemorrhoids on the sick note, I will write ‘recovery post-op’.
“Or someone might be suffering with a miscarriage, for example, and it’s really affecting their mood or they need to just rest and recover after they’ve had a surgical or a medical miscarriage but again, that’s a highly personal thing and they might not want their employer to know that they were pregnant, that they’re going through this, that they’re trying for a baby. So, again, I don’t need to put that level of detail on the sick note.”
She went on to say that in such cases she could concentrate “on the mental health aspect” and possibly write “stress or low mood”, or after a surgical miscarriage, “recovery post-op”.
The GP also noted employees could discuss their situation with HR, outlining what can be shared and what should remain confidential from managers or co-workers.
She affirmed that doctors have to provide some details on a sick note; they can’t “just write you off sick with nothing”. Dr Shireen encouraged patients to consult with their GP about these sensitive issues as there are ways to “work around” them, ensuring everyone involved is happy and satisfied with the information provided.
In the comments section, readers expressed their gratitude for the information, with some sharing their own personal experiences with sick notes.