Navigating sick leave: How to get a medical certificate in NZ

It's important to take sick leave when you're unfit to work - and that includes working from home. Photo / Getty Images

By Ke-Xin Li of RNZ

Employers can legally ask you for a medical certificate if you need to take sick leave – even for one day.

It can be a long wait to see a GP but there are other ways to get a sick note.

Winter coughs and flu are still doing the rounds – and Covid hasn’t gone away – so if you need to call in sick there are a few things to know.

When do you need a medical certificate?

Part-time and fulltime employees are entitled to 10 days’ sick leave for themselves or to look after someone who’s sick, but in some circumstances, employers may ask for proof.

Who can issue you a medical certificate if you need one? Photo / Getty Images

The Holidays Act states an employer may require an employee to produce proof of sickness or injury for sick leave if the sickness or injury that gave rise to the leave is for a period of three or more consecutive calendar days, and a proof of sickness or injury may include a certificate from a health practitioner.

The employer could ask for proof within three consecutive calendar days, but they would have to pay the employee’s expenses in obtaining the proof.

E tū union national secretary Rachel Mackintosh said while it was legal for employers to ask for a sick note, they urged employers to waive the requirement.

“This is the employers’ right but it causes hardship to workers who either can’t get a GP appointment or have to pay high consultation fees to GPs, including online doctor practices.

“Employers don’t have to ask for medical certificates and we would encourage them to drop the requirement unless there is some doubt in their minds about the genuineness of the illness.”

Paul Jarvie, manager of employment relations and safety at the Employers and Manufacturers Association, said there could be an imbalance in the medical certificate process.

“One is the employment system, and the second one would be the medical system. Ideally they should work in tandem, but sometimes they appear to be working at odds with each other.

The doctor can only hear the employees version of what’s going on and there’s no real ability for the doctor or whoever it is to contact the employer to find out their story of can the person come back to work, are there alternative duties that kind of stuff. So there’s always been a bit of a disconnect.”

Where do you get a certificate?

General practitioners

The most common way to obtain a sick note is to go through a general practitioner.

For enrolled patients, depending on the GP, the cost for an appointment can range from $18 to $90.

However, with a GP shortage, it can take weeks to get a GP appointment.

An RNZ-Reid Research poll found about 60% of respondents were able to get a GP appointment within a week, 30% were waiting for more than two weeks with 17% waiting three or more.

Telehealth services

Virtual healthcare businesses and some GP services offer online medical certificates.

Patients can often get an on-the-day video call or phone call and receive a medical certificate for three to five days.

An appointment generally costs around $40 to $65.

However, buyer beware: a quick search by RNZ found overseas companies marketing sick notes for New Zealanders and asking for personal information including IDs in its application process. The Ministry of Health said only health practitioners registered with a New Zealand authority can issue valid sick notes.

Pharmacies

Pharmacists are legally allowed to write sick notes. However, not all do.

For pharmacists who confirm they are able to provide a medical certificate, an in-person consultation is required and costs between $30 to $40.

It is best to call the pharmacy before your visit to confirm that they can write sick notes.

Who else can issue sick notes?

Ministry of Health says a health practitioner is defined under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 as a person who is, or is deemed to be, registered with a New Zealand authority as a practitioner of a particular health profession.

A list of professions regulated under the Act and their responsible authorities can be found on the Ministry of Health website.

The list contains 18 professions with a range that includes from Chinese medicine services to dietetics, nursing, osteopathy to psychotherapy.

It is important to differentiate medical certificate and proof of sickness, while only medical practitioners, doctors, can write medical certificates, all health practitioners can certify proof of sickness.

Can Healthline provide sick notes?

Healthline is a free over-the-phone health service available 24/7 and connects the caller to nurses and paramedics.

But the service does not issue sick certificates.

In an email, a spokesperson said: “That’s because the Healthline service involved nurses and paramedics providing triage (assessing symptoms, providing health and treatment advice, developing a plan for next steps for care), not diagnosis.

“And to be able to issue a medical certificate would mean being able to verify that someone was unable to work for at least 3 days, which most of the time would require some form of medical diagnosis, which is not part of the service we offer.”

- RNZ