NHS worker, self certified sick note question

[purpleflowers7]

I've been off 3 days poorly, I've never been off sick in my current job before and started feb 2019. Contract says no sick pay during 1st years service but 2 months full pay and 2 months half pay during 2nd years service. I assumed I would be paid full pay if I was off the full week. Manager said if I am off for 5 days I will need to get a self certified sick note from online. Didn't question this at the time but when I thought about it later I thought this sounded a bit odd? I thought a self cert sick note was for if you need to get ssp? I'm just worried I'm not going to get my full pay for being off as it would mean I'll really struggle with mortgage/bills. Anybody have any experience of this?

Doesn't your manager just mean you have to fill in your employers self-cert, probably available from your intranet site, as opposed to seeing your GP for a note? That's quite normal unless you work for a very small business which, clearly, you don't.

You usually need a GP's note for any absences over 7 calendar days in general.

This is also the same at my Trust

In my trust it goes as follows:

Up to 3 days sick - no note required.
Between 3 - 7 days sick (including days off) - a self certificate is required. You can get this on the gov.uk site or on your trust intranet.
Over 7 days sick (including days off) - a doctors fit note is required.

It may be slightly different in your own trust. Our sickness/absence policy is currently being reviewed.

Most trusts require a self-certified sick note for any length of absence up to 7 days - regardless of how much sick pay you are entitled to. In some instances this has to be sent off to HR/payroll for records, in others the manager just keeps it (in which case some managers may be pretty slack about asking for them!). But nothing to be concerned about I'd say, they are pretty easy to find and fill out.

I don't recall ever being off for a full week so haven't got any experience of this, in my old job I remember being off for around 3 days and I just had to fill in a form when I got back around my sickness. Current manager said they don't have the forms at work but I should be able to get one online, so that just sounds like it's just for their records do you think?

@purpleflowers7

I don't recall ever being off for a full week so haven't got any experience of this, in my old job I remember being off for around 3 days and I just had to fill in a form when I got back around my sickness. Current manager said they don't have the forms at work but I should be able to get one online, so that just sounds like it's just for their records do you think?

Yes that's what it sounds like to me. Your manager is just being thorough. I suspect the form you filled in at old job will be basically the same as what you are being asked for now - just putting down how long you've been off for and what the reason is (generically e.g. cold or migraine or backache or whatever, not the full gory details!).

I highly highly doubt they are trying to take your sick pay off you or doubting you are genuinely sick, that just doesn't happen in the NHS in my experience, even where people are quite clearly piss taking (not suggesting you are OP). Never say never but it would be unusual!