Need sick note for work but can't get through to GP

And where did I say she did?

FFS - I suggested she check her contract to find out what sick pay she would get.

Why is it a an issue that I suggested checking that her preferred course of action is actually affordable for her?

DH had six months full pay.

My friend who has breast cancer got 1 month and has been on SSP for a year.

For the GP issue - you might do better by calling later in the day even though that's not the time to call for an appointment. You'll at least be able to get through to the receptionist, explain you are having a mental health crisis and need an urgent appointment. They are not just going to sign you off without seeing you and discussing the problem and potential solutions.
If you are not able to get an appointment before your 7th calendar day of absence the procedure is to contact your employer, tell them you are still unwell but unable to get a GP appointment and will provide the dr's note as soon as you are able.

For the work issue - I understand the problem and why you've come up with your own solution but you are really not helping yourself by pretending to have a stomach sickness for a week. If you are too anxious calling your line manager each day then arrange a call with HR to explain the real problem, email them if you don't feel able to say it. There may be other arrangements that they can put in place that will help.
But to just take indefinite sick leave before resigning, without actually addressing the problem or giving your employer the chance to remedy it, is silly.

@movingmountains73 you can sometimes apply to your surgery online to get one, it wasn’t
obvious on our surgery site but found it by accident looking for something else. Might have been under e-consult. But otherwise you can pay for one privately (various online around £25).

I’ve never had to get one before so this could be shit advice, but can you get them through those private online doctors? Think it’s about £30 or so which might be worth it to help you stop stressing. Also sorry if this is a silly question, but I take it you’ve tried the NHS app if your doctors uses it? Our surgery releases appointments at 8:30 and it’s piss easy to get one via the app at that time.

Where has OP posted that they will get paid indefinitely whilst off sick?

Her employer is already “arsey” if OP is unwell due to work related stress. I don’t think OP’s priority should be reducing her employer’s level of “arsey-ness”, she is unwell due to their actions and wants to leave. You can already infer that a line has been crossed and OP needs to look after themselves. It is not normal for work to make you ill.

A new employer may or may not care about OP seeking alternative employment. Ultimately if one workplace was bad, it doesn’t mean all her future workplaces will be bad. Your statement, might make OP feel trapped. It is a crap situation to be in but she has options and I feel your post is fairly unsupportive.

Ignore the shitty comments on here OP. Don’t let these idiots get to you.

Firstly it is not only GPs that can issue fit notes. For example nurses and pharmacists can as well. So you have alternative routes.

Secondly if you cannot get an appointment with your own GP then call 111. They can arrange for your GP to book an appointment or for you to see another clinic.

And yes time off work due to stress is important. It is no one’s business if you use that time to seek other employment opportunities. I am taking my employer to an employment tribunal so can totally understand how bad things can get and how you may be left with no other option. My GP is totally supportive of this, as he understands my health will not improve until I am out of that environment. Don’t let the idiots on here, make you doubt yourself.

It's horrible for you, and I sympathise. My DH was in a similar situation a few years ago.

But I don't think what I said was unreasonable. You might not get paid indefinitely if your are off sick, your employer might get arsey if you are off sick but going for interviews and a new employer might not view it well either.

It's a crap situation to be in, for whatever reason.

They probably won’t give you a sick note without seeing you first, unless you have a history of stress (which it doesn’t sound like you do).

@movingmountains73 im sorry to hear you are struggling so much with your work situation. As others have suggested go on your GP’s website and see how they advise getting a fit note. Many offer an online e-consult and the note is then emailed to you. Most GP’s won’t make you a same day or urgent appointment as fit notes can be back dated and are not classed as urgent.

There is no issue with your intention to be on sick leave and to resign. The terms of your contract dictate your notice period and it’s perfectly legal to be off sick for the full length of that time. Your employer may offer an alternative end date but that is for you to discuss and mutually agree.

If you are on sick leave there are no restrictions on your activity other than actually being paid to work elsewhere. You can spend time applying and attending interviews, you can volunteer, you can travel or you can stay on the sofa under a blanket. If work is the primary source of your poor health then staying away and getting this resolved is your priority, which means sitting the fit note and job hunting. Anyone saying anything else has clearly never had a work induced illness or been on extended sick leave.

To those saying resign now I’d point out that most people don’t have sufficient funds saved to sustain themselves for months and depending on the field of work OP is in it can take time to find something suitable.

Focus on yourself and calming your thoughts, you can get through this.

Doctors can’t issue a sick note until you have been off for 7 days. So even if you get an appointment today they couldn’t do anything and you’d have to call on Friday.

I would either so as suggested and go into the surgery or call later in the day when phone lines are less busy.

Also just tell your job you are not going to be in for this week and longer due to stress. Make sure it’s record. You will get the sick note so you don’t have to worry about it not being issued.

Hi OP,
I just wanted to say I absolutely understand why people are saying it’s poor, but I understand sometimes you just have no choice.

I am so stressed at work that the sounds of Teams/Emails coming through quite literally pushes me to the edge. I have developed a type of eczema due to the stress - my ears, face and eyes are all leaking and I’ve been supported by the eye hospital since October. Today I will spend the day washing my eye and putting in eye drops.

I don’t know what sector you work in, but until you’ve been in the position where a job is literally making you ill, I don’t think anyone can judge. I plan to do the same as you very soon OP - going off sick until I find another job.

I agree with this. OP might not like the job but it's unfair to get signed off for weeks/months then resign.

OP, suggest you check your contract as you are not guaranteed to be paid full pay indefinitely. Also, not sure how you would stand if you are off sick but going for interviews if current company got wind of that. Or how a new employer would view it either.

I would suggest actually talking to them and explaining why the job is causing you so many problems. It might be something that can be resolved. But if you think it's unresolvable, then just hand in your notice asap, any holiday owing could be used towards your notice period, you may have to go back to serve a notice period or they may let you go straight away if they know you hate the job.

GPs can backdate a sick note.

Are there no econsult forms or a way to contact the surgery via email?

If you call later in the day you can explain the situation to a receptionist and you may be able to book in for a routine appointment instead of a same day one and get your sick note back dated.

Does your surgery have an e-consult function? You fill in a form online and it gets sent to the surgery. I always do this and get a reply pretty quickly. A fit note can be backdated.

Have you tried calling later in the day to ask what you can do?

For my doctors I need to stay on the line for at least 40 off minutes to get through that’s after attempting 8-10 to even get in the queue.
just keep calling over and over

Yes they can be backdated. They cannot be done in advance though.

Sorry just realised you are calling at peak appointment booking time. You should try later in the day when you can actually get though and speak to someone

Have you asked the receptionist when you call? There is probably a way for you to do this without an actual appointment. Ours does them by econsult not but prior to that they just used old fashioned email.

I think they can backdate fit notes?

Are you in the position to pay for an online GP appointment

Have a look at your surgery website it may give info on how to request a fit note. The surgery I work in has an admin section where you can request one. If a consultation is needed you will get a phone call to discuss.