Changes to medical certificates

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are planning to make changes to the current system of medical certification. The focus is to make the certification process more user-friendly, simpler to use and to support GPs in giving the best advice to the patient about their fitness for work. The new medical certificate will also enable the patient’s employer to help their employee to get back to work as soon as they can.

Consultation on the new medical certification process is to be undertaken in Spring 2009.

Statutory Sick Pay – new letter

To meet employers’ requests we have developed a model letter to be used if you consider your employee is not entitled to SSP for any reason not included on form SSP1, for example;

• they have not told you of their sickness within a fixed time, or within seven days of the first day of incapacity, and you do not accept that they had a good reason
• they have not provided acceptable medical evidence, (but you cannot withhold payment of SSP for late receipt of medical evidence)
• they have refused to cooperate with seeking further medical advice

The letter can also be used when:

• you have evidence that the employee is fit for work
• you have another reason why you consider that SSP is not payable that is not an exclusion on form SSP1

However, the letter should only be issued if form SSP1 is not appropriate or does not apply.

The model letter can be found in the 2009 edition of the Employer Helpbook E14 and on the 2009 edition of the Employer CD ROM.