To use an emergency GP appointment to get a sick note?

[tvpolte]

Just that...

Shock horror....ring the practice and explain your situation maybe?

A same day isn't the same as an emergency appointment but I'm assuming lots of people think of them as the same thing esp if they don't use doctors a lot.

Op the facts are you are unwell and need time off work so you need to see the gp.
The surgery will have their own rules about appointments so when you phone you can talk to them about which type suits you and them best ie same day, telephone,emergency etc.

The appointment systems aren't always helpful - it depends whether there are any other options for you at your surgery. I once ended up using an emergency appointment for my son when he was a baby - he'd been grumbling along not quite putting weight on and bringing up milk, this had been going on for weeks. Health visitors said he needed to be seen by gp in the next week but he was well in himself and not getting worse. So I was quite clear it really wasn't an emergency. I phoned up first thing every day and there were never any non-emergency appointments available within the next week, so once I'd phoned every day for a week I ended up taking an emergency appointment, which I felt awful about, but otherwise I'd have had all sorts of grief from the health visitors for not getting him seen as they'd advised.
I was also once asked to take him straight in for something that wasn't urgent because they happened to have some emergency appointments free in the middle of the day and they were going to go to waste if nobody used them.

Mine too ilove, but they will do one over the phone if needed.

My GP surgery has signs up telling patients not to use emergency appointments for sick notes.

Although it's not clear from the sign what you're meant to do if you need a sick note and there's no routine appointments available.

I've used a service called Push Doctor to get an emergency note before, its via your phone or tablet and you have to pay but it's an valid fit note sent via email with a registered GP. Could that be something you could use today? They're a seven day a week service so available today.

I'd say no, don't make an emergency appointment for a sick note. But that assumes you won't be sacked for not providing your employer with one while you wait a week or two to obtain one. Not sure you have much option in that case. Ring them (GP and employer) and ask?

Depends on the illness, but our doctors are often happy to do this sort of thing over the phone.

My GP will issue a sick note based on a telephone appointment and if there's anything unclear will request you to come in for an emergency appt anyway. Yanbu

I work in a GP practice. I get at least two calls a day asking for follow on fit notes. I just put a patient note on and 9l/10 the doctor does them and they are collected from. Reception. Have you already seen your GP?

My gp office has a poster saying that sick notes will not be given at emergency appointments. Emergency appointments are for emergencies assessment/treatment not for a bit paperwork

Just phone and ask the receptionist op, if this is new for you then it can be confusing. One GP at the practice won't take any requests for follow on fit notes until the day they're due.

It also depends on what your illness is. If it is unequivocal that you are definitely ill then I would use the pushdoctor service mentioned above - but for a lot of things a doctor would really need to see you in the flesh.

If it's unequivocal that you're ill then GP will do a fit note.

It depends on the surgery. At hours the only on the day appointments are emergency appointments. Other urgent appointments are for over 3 and 4 days and you can't request a specific doctor. It is a rubbish system but most GP appointment systems seem highly flawed. The best thing is to phone or call in to the surgery and explain our ask for a doctor to call you.

If a patient came to see me in an emergency appointment, and had no medical need to see a doctor but had come in solely for a sick note, then I'd feel disappointed that an appointment had been used for an administrative task when it could have been used to give another, unwell, patient medical attention.

I don't think you should use an emergency appointment for this - ring the surgery and request a phone call with a GP instead.

If you're still ill and actually need to see a GP, then I think it would be reasonable to go in, and ask for a note while there.

YABU. Not an emergency!

surely a sick note is because you are ill though, you dont get one when you are well

I spoke to a doctor over the phone to get my recent sick note. There were no GP appointments available so the receptionists got one of the doctors to call me at home. I then went into the surgery to pick it up.

Fit notes can be back dated (for the record, they cannot be forward dated btw).

Yes, IWBU to use up an emergency appointment for that.

Contact your GP surgery and ask what their policy is for this kind of set of circumstances - it is quite common and they will have some kind of plan.

You may not be ill enough to need to see a doctor though, Norma even if you can't work.

Or, you might need to see a doctor and but perhaps not on the day you need the sick note from, and as Pacific says they can't be forward dated.

Oh, forgot to say, self certificates last for 7 calendar days.

No, what do you intend to do? See the Gp and match straight to work with the certificate? If not then you don't need to go tomorrow the Gp will backdate a few days for you, if you make the appointment tomorrow and explain as people have said a phone appointment may be all you need.

Why not ring the surgery first and ask?

I've fractured a bone in my ankle so I needed a fit note from the doctor to cover me for the 2 weeks I needed off work and then to cover the fact I could only return to work under reduced work activity ... I called the surgery during the time I could self certify, explained the situation and asked if I needed to make an appointment. They said I didn't need an appointment and the receptionist basically wrote the note out for me and then told me I could pick it up on the day I needed it to start (though I should check to make sure they'd passed it to the doctor and got it signed first).