BARNEY CALMAN: After the Prime Minister yesterday announced a crackdown on sick note culture which has seen the number of Brits out of work due to ill health soar to 2.8 million, MailOnline uncovered companies selling the official documents for just £25, no appointments necessary’
It was disturbingly easy.
After the Prime Minister yesterday announced a crackdown on sick leave culture that has seen the number of Brits out of work due to health problems soar to 2.8 million, MailOnline uncovered companies selling official documents for just £25, no appointment required. .
We put their services to the test and in less than two hours I managed to purchase two sick leave notes, stamped by medical professionals, which took me off work for a month, with hardly any questions asked.
All I had to do was say, vaguely, that I was stressed and needed time off, and give him my credit card details.
While I have no doubt that many people use these services for perfectly legitimate reasons, our simple investigation exposes a system that is very easy to abuse.
A quick Google search for the term “buy a sick note” turns up two ads from London-based companies promising to provide the relevant documents.
The first, home2lab.co.uk, offers, among its many services, ‘Workplace Medical Illness Note/Certificate’, same day service, for just £44, or £66 if you want ‘priority service’ .
I enter some personal information, such as my name, address, and date of birth, and list my symptoms. I write a single word: “stress.”
I pay (home2labs accepts all major credit and debit cards along with Apple and Google Pay) and within moments an email appears in my inbox asking me to upload two things to Dropbox: a short video of between 30 seconds and one minute that describes my “symptoms.” and a photo ID.
One of the casualties that Barney received, dismissing him until May 19.
Another sick note given to Barney read: “I respectfully request that you take his health and medical symptoms into consideration.”
Using my phone’s camera, I film myself saying something like “I think I’m suffering from stress and would like to apply for sick leave.” And that’s it, really.
I initially asked to be cleared for three months and receive a follow-up email from the company (not a doctor) that said: “Under our policy, sick leaves are initially issued for a duration of two weeks, subject to review medical and outreach if deemed appropriate.
‘Upon reviewing the evidence provided, our medical team is content to extend the duration of sick leave to one month.
“However, please note that a further review will take place before the end of the initial sick leave period to assess the need for further extensions.”
I respond by saying that a month would be fine. In ten minutes I receive my discharge to download, confirming that I am not well enough to work until at least May 19.
He claims my “medical condition” is “stress-related symptoms.”
Under the subheading ‘treatment plan’ it says: ‘This certificate is proof of the patient’s medical condition.
‘I believe that with proper treatment and time, the patient should be able to resume his or her duties and responsibilities.
‘The patient has been advised to seek additional medical assistance as necessary. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or updates regarding the patient’s condition.
It is signed by a GMC registered GP.
Home2Lab, apparently based in North London, offers a workplace medical certificate for as little as £44 for a ‘regular application’. Under this option, if the site states that a “UK doctor” will sign the certificate before emailing it, “usually within the same day.”
All doctors are registered with the General Medical Council, the body responsible for regulating doctors.
MailOnline discovered one seller, Updoc UK, advertising “sick notes for work” from as little as £24.95. The letter, “accepted by small and large employers alike,” provides “an official confirmation of his illness guaranteeing that he will get sick leave.”
The Updoc site adds: ‘Get your certification quickly and effortlessly with no appointments needed’
In a major speech yesterday, Rishi Sunak warned that a rise in the number of people signed off due to mental illness is putting “unsustainable” pressure on the welfare budget.
I could use this as official proof that I was unwell for work.
It’s even easier to get a cancellation from the second company that advertises this type of service. Updoc.co.uk asks me to complete a short questionnaire with similar personal details. There is a box where you can fill in the symptoms.
I say I’ve been stressed for a month and I need some time off. Within about 15 minutes, and £24.95 less, I receive my sick note saying that my medical history has been “assessed” and that I have been “assessed”.declared sick and unable to work” until May 3.
This one is signed by a pharmacist.
A suitability note, as the NHS now calls it, must be issued by a healthcare professional, but could be a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, physiotherapist or occupational therapist.
The entire process took less than two hours.
I guess if I wasn’t feeling well I would have appreciated the simplicity and speed of the process.
With waiting times increasing to see a GP, if you were truly in a mental health crisis, a service like this would have been a lifesaver.
But without proper checks and balances, there will undoubtedly also be those who take advantage of such a lax system.
home2labs and Updoc have been contacted for comment.