UK Statutory Sick Pay changes

As of the 17th December 2021, the Government have made an important amendment to SSP (Statutory Sick Pay) requirements.

The changes to SSP effect when an employee is off for more than 7 days.

With the recent Covid-19 variant Omicron having an increased impact on people's health and added pressure on the NHS, the changes are being introduced in order to allow GP capacity to be increased and support for the coronavirus vaccine booster program can be maximised.

What are the changes?

If an employee goes off sick on or after 10 December 2021, up to and including 26 January 2022, you cannot ask them for proof of sickness until they have been off for 28 days or more.

Within the 28 days you may accept:

• Self-certification verbally or by letter
• Form SC2 for self-certification
• Your own similar form

Call for HR Help and Support

Employment Law can be complicated and we would advise any employer that is unsure about how employment laws should be applied to contact us for support.

At Nori HR and Employment Law, we take away the stress and uncertainty of HR and Employment Law. You can contact us, view our HR Consultancy plans here, or take advantage of our HR Clinic.

You can also view more about the change to SSP Fit Note requirements on the Government website at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/statutory-sick-pay-employee-fitness-to-work