You only need a doctor’s note if you are unable to work and are ill for longer than seven calendar days. Your employer will provide you with an SC2 self-certificate form for shorter periods of illness.
Following this period a doctor’s note is required. Such requests for sick notes should be made during morning surgery. In certain circumstances (e.g. where a patient has just been discharged from hospital after an operation) notes can be issued without the patient being seen by the doctor but this is not usually the case.
To make a Sick note request for yourself or anyone you care for we now ask for all requests to be made via the Ask My GP app.