I'll try and keep it clear!
DD just started 2nd year at uni, but came down with horrible bug (not covid according to multiple tests) last Friday and has been really unwell since. Her housemates took her to A&E on Monday last week (on the advice of 111) because her breathing was worrying and she fainted at home. They gave her a fluid drip, antibiotics, and a diagnosis of 'maybe tonsillitis' helpful I then picked her up and brought her back home to be looked after. She's now quite a lot better but very wiped out and still having really awful coughing fits. I took her back to her shared house today and left her with a food parcel etc.
She has an 8 hour a week job (usually weekends only due to uni) and missed a shift on Saturday 17th due to being ill. She wasn't down to work again until next weekend as she had the weekend just gone booked as holiday (for a family event she was too ill to go to). So she thought she had plenty of time to recover before needing to think about work.
Work rang her this evening wanting to know if she would cover an early shift tomorrow morning. She said no because she doesn't feel up to it (hospitality so on her feet all shift). Work now want a fit note, even though she is sure she will be fine by her next rota-ed shift on Saturday. They're saying she can't self certify as it's now been more than 7 days since she missed her shift due to being ill.
But, she doesn't have a GP at her uni town yet (I know I know but now isn't the time for me to lecture her on this) so isn't sure how to provide this. And I'm not even sure if she needs to, seeing as she wasn't meant to be working again until next weekend anyway so if she hadn't answered her phone to them today when they rang, or just said sorry I'm busy tomorrow, they'd never have known she was still unwell! She has only missed one shift and is absolutely sure she will be back in for the next shift she is down to do.
Before she starts faffing around trying to get a fit note from 60 miles away or pay for a private online appointment for one...does she actually need to provide one under these circumstances?
(And yes I know she's a student and should sort this for herself but she has been worryingly unwell and has asked me for help, so I said I'd try and find out for her)