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Our Fit Note First Request Letter Template streamlines the process of requesting a fit note from an employee, ensuring compliance with UK employment regulations.
If you have an employee who has been absent for more than 7 days, but has not submitted a fit note to you, send this model letter template to request it from them.
[Sender name]
[Sender address]
[date]
[Recipient name]
[Recipient address]
Dear [Recipient first name],
Request for statement of fitness for work
According to our records, you [have been/were] away from work due to [sickness/injury] [since [date]/from [date] to [date].
As you may know, the first seven days of illness leave can be self certified,
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For more value, this is also found in our Full library and Sick management templates toolkit
The Fit Note First Request Letter is used to request a medical certificate from an employee who has been absent from work due to illness. This letter ensures compliance with UK regulations and formally asks the employee to provide a fit note from a doctor. It helps manage absences effectively and supports employees' health and well-being.
Related HR resources and workflow
Explore the HR resources that may be relevant before and / or after using the Fit note first request letter, helping you understand the wider process, maintain appropriate documentation and follow a consistent approach.
Our Sick Absence Policy Template facilitates effective sick leave management, supports employees' health, and minimises disruptions in the workplace.
Our Fit Note Second Request Letter Template helps efficiently address unsubmitted fit notes, ensuring timely completion.
Use these best practice actions, recommended timescales and process stages to understand when and how the Fit note first request letter should be used, helping ensure each step is handled consistently and appropriately documented.
The Fit Note First Request Letter adheres to essential UK employment legislation, ensuring proper handling of employee health-related matters and statutory sick pay. Key legislations include:
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974: Imposes an employer's duty to safeguard employees' health, safety, and welfare.
Access to Medical Reports Act 1988: Specifies an employee's rights to access medical reports concerning their health.
Employment Rights Act 1996: Encompasses provisions for sick leave, pay entitlement, and providing terms of employment.
Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992: Establishes regulations for statutory sick pay and the use of medical certificates (fit notes).
Equality Act 2010: Ensures non-discrimination and reasonable adjustments for employees with health conditions.
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): Governs the handling of employee health data to ensure privacy and security.
These legislations collectively support the employer's responsibility to manage employee health, statutory sick pay, and provide a safe and inclusive working environment.
Yes. This template has been designed for organisations of all sizes, including small businesses, charities and growing employers. It follows UK employment law best practice and can be adapted to suit your organisation.
Our templates are developed with UK employment legislation, Acas guidance and HR best practice in mind and are reviewed and updated as relevant requirements change. However, every employment situation is different, so the template should be adapted to the circumstances and checked against the employee's contract and your organisation's procedures before use.
Yes, we highlight the areas of the document that you need to update with your own details, and where you need to make decisions to suit your situation. This saves you time and ensures that you meet best practice.
Yes. Once purchased, you'll be able to download it instantly. Templates are provided in editable format (such as .doc or .xls) so you can customise them easily, and in PDF format for easy sharing.
If you're looking for broader support, we also offer toolkits and library bundles that include the Fit note first request letter template, along with other HR templates and policies for fully managing your situation. These may be more cost-effective if you need deeper advice.
AI can produce a document quickly, but effective HR documentation needs to be more than well-written words. It needs to reflect relevant UK employment law, HR best practice, practical considerations and the circumstances in which it will be used. These resources have been professionally developed around that wider HR context, drawing on extensive practical experience, rather than simply generating a generic document from a prompt.
Darryl Horn, Chartered HR Director
Darryl is a Chartered HR professional with over 25 years' experience in senior HR and employee relations roles.
He has extensive practical experience of managing sick management processes and founded hrdocbox to provide businesses with practical, professionally developed HR resources grounded in UK employment law and best practice.
"Darryl provides support and advice with excellent judgement, and has a strong understanding of people, policies and UK employment legislation."
"He is someone I trust; consistent, dependable, and committed to doing things properly."
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