Fit notes may be issued digitally from 6 April under the Social Security (Medical Evidence) and Statutory Sick Pay (Medical Evidence) (Amendment) Regulations 2022.
The Regulations remove the requirement for fit notes to be signed in ink and enable them to be issued digitally. They prescribe a new form of fit note which will be used in parallel with the existing version of the form. The new form of fit note no longer contains a signature box.
In the meantime, the "deemed incapacity" provisions entitling those self-isolating or shielding due to Covid to statutory sick pay (SSP) have been revoked by the Statutory Sick Pay (General) (Coronavirus Amendment) Regulations 2022. (which came into effect on 25 March). Now an individual must actually be sick or incapable of work, so those who are asymptomatic or only have mild symptoms will no longer be eligible for SSP even when they test positive for Covid.
The suspension of waiting days for the purposes of SSP entitlement continues to apply to periods of incapacity that started on or before 24 March.
