Costa unveils ‘sick note’ reforms

The Primary Care Centre announced it will be issuing sick notes over the telephone as part of new reforms to reduce pressure on appointment slots.
As from Monday patients will no longer need to see a doctor to request a sick note and can instead talk to trained nurses over the phone.
The new service means appointments previously used up by those requesting sick notes will be freed.
The Minister for Health, Neil Costa, unveiled the new initiative yesterday alongside primary care manager Rose Suissa, principal secretary for health Evelyn Cervan, and deputy medical director Krishna Rawal.
Patients using the new telephone service will be limited to one sick certificate every three months, meaning that any further certificates need to be completed in person.
Sick notes issued over the phone can be collected by a friend or family member on the same day and are valid for two days at a time.
This new telephone service follows recent changes to the repeat prescription service that has freed-up close to 300 appointments in 17 days.
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