Digital Fit Notes from April 2022

From 6 April 2022 staff may be issued with a digital sick note from their doctor.

Until now fit notes needed to be signed in ink which meant that, during the pandemic in particular, many employers accepted scanned copies of original fit notes. 

Following consultation, new regulations on fit notes have been introduced permitting digital fit notes. The new regulations remove the requirement for fit notes to be signed in ink and introduce a new form which does not include a signature box.

We expect the new forms will be used immediately, although for the time being the existing form will also be used and so employers can still expect to receive fit notes signed by doctors.

For guidance on fit notes, please follow this link to the government website.