Can I get a backdated medical certificate?
It is often possible to get a medical certificate to cover recent days, provided certain conditions are met (and depending on the doctor’s assessment). A doctor can certify that a period of illness has occurred prior to the date of your actual appointment/examination, subject to the specific medical circumstances AND provided the sick leave took place within the last few days.
The date of the actual consultation will appear at the top of the medical certificate (this is a legal requirement for all medical documents). The certificate will also state that you were unable to attend work or scheduled activities on the dates in question, due to illness- which may include days in the recent past.
You may find that some other online providers will not provide backdated certificates, or certificates for multiple days- often because they do not actually conduct a proper consultation with the patient to discuss the situation. At Qoctor, a video consultation takes place with every patient. This ensures safety, thoroughness and the flexibility to certify for the dates the patient needs, in a responsible way. It also means employers have more trust in the process.
Employees are sometimes incorrectly advised by their employers that getting a medical certificate relating to previous dates is not allowed. However, Australian employment law clearly states that it is allowable for employees to obtain a medical certificate after the period of sick leave in question. According to www.fairwork.gov.au : “an employee has to let their employer know that they are going to take sick or carer’s leave. This has to be done as soon as possible, and can be after the leave has started. They should also specify how long they will be off or expect to be off work”.
However, when too much time has elapsed since the period of sick leave, a doctor, at their discretion, may determine that they are unable to offer a backdated medical certificate in this case (doctors are duty bound to adhere to guidelines from AHPRA around issuing medical certificates) If the doctor is unable to issue you with a certificate for this (or any other) reason, we will offer a full refund.
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