QLD Employment Law - Getting Medical Certificate in Advance from Doctor?

[Lyn hunt]

Can an employee see a doctor this week and get a medical certificate to say they will be sick the following week under Employment Law?

 

[Sophea]

I don't believe the law states anything specific on this subject. It would depend on your employer's policies and the unique circumstances of the employee's illness or reason for unfitness to attend work.

If the person was likely to be contagious or otherwise unfit to attend work for a long period of time I would expect most employers would accept a medical certificate from a doctor stating that the person would need to be off work for 7 days. Or another example may be if a person was to undergo surgery, a doctor may write a note to state that the person would not be fit for work for a period of time after the operation. However, that would not be a certificate - certifying that the person is unwell.

It would be a note stating to the employer that that's what they predict will be the case. So as I said in these situations it would depend on the reasonableness of the employer in each case and their policies.

 

[Wiggins]

I think Sophea is spot on.

If in your Doctor's opinion you are unfit for work, they can reasonably sign you off sick for as long as they like. If it's going to be for an extended time they will usually want to see you at regular intervals, maybe once a week, but I have been signed off several times for as long as a month between visits, because I "reasonably" needed to be off work that long.

Hope that helps.