Details included on medical cert

I am off work at the moment following a major operation. The hospital gave me a cert when I was leaving just discreetly saying I had been admitted on such a date for a procedure and would not be fit to attend work for so many weeks.

I was back with my surgeon in the hospital yesterday who wants me to stay off work for another while. This time her secretary wrote a letter for work. The letter had the word gynaecologist emblazoned on the letterhead and also under the surgeon's signature and a line inviting my employer to contact them if they needed any further details. My date of birth was also included in bold at the top of the letter. (I am having a significant birthday soon and don't want it known at work because they tend to make a big deal of these whether the person wants it or not and regardless of how they come to have this information). This letter will be going through a number of people's hands in work, and I work in a small place where everyone knows everyone. I really think it includes a bit too much information. Would it seem strange to contact my GP and ask him to give me a more discreet version of the letter or am I just being over sensitive?

Wow, Thats seems like way too much information.
I would ask for something more discreet..

Nope you're right, contact your GP. The employer only needs to ever know you're not fit to work, knowing the exact nature of that is at your discretion and explicit permission.

Definitely contact your GP.

Your own medical information is private. I wouldnt think twice about contacting the GP. Sorry to hear youve had surgery and I wish you a good recovery.

Happy upcoming Birthday as well

Thanks Truthseeker and everyone for the replies. Glad it's not just me over reacting. I'll get on to my GP for an alternative letter.

Do you have the option to send the medical certificate directly to HR rather than to your own manager/office? (unless it's HR staff you're concerned about of course!).

Get well soon and (said quietly) Happy upcoming birthday!

Latrade said:

Nope you're right, contact your GP. The employer only needs to ever know you're not fit to work, knowing the exact nature of that is at your discretion and explicit permission.

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My wife had a cert sent back to her by her employer (civil service) asking for more detail.

Are you saying that they shouldn't be doing this?

Your employer is entitled to the nature of your illness. A medical certificate stating "illness" and not describing what the illness is, is usually unacceptable. You said it was a fairly serious procedure. Your employer is entitled to ask you for a medical certificate indicating that on return to work you are fit to carry out the full range of duties. A medical report from the company doctor might also be required. Sorry for stating the truth and much depends on the actual illness and the sick leave policies of your employer. Sorry to bore you further, depending on the illness you might feel it prudent to send the medical cert. or medical report to your company's medical doctor and have him/her instructed by your doctor/consultant that the report is a "Doctor-to-Doctor" report and it may not be necessary to inform your employer other than your fitness for work. The whole area is a minefield and perhaps you might be wise to ask "unofficially" what the sick leave policies are e.g. can you return to work on light duties until you are capable of heavier duties etc.

Please note when I say your employer, I dont mean the staff.

Things like date-of-birth etc are superflous.

Bill Struth said:

My wife had a cert sent back to her by her employer (civil service) asking for more detail.

Are you saying that they shouldn't be doing this?

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Yes. And sorry Leper but that just isn't true as no one has the right to specific medical information without the induvidual's consent.

An employer is only entitled to know you're not fit for work. Even when seeking a second opinion on the extent if your fitness to work, without the individual's consent, the company's doctor can only confirm or deny if the original diagnosis and certificate was correct.

The only exception is in the case of a communicable disease (say TB) and in those cases the HSE usually leads the informing of the employer and anyone who was in contact.

In most case employees do disclose the nature of the condition to their employer, but they don't have to. In the event that work could make the condition worse and the employee hasn't reported it, then that is a risk the employee must take themselves.

Attendance record to-date may, in some cases, have a bearing on the company's reaction (no offence intended to OP).

Try submitting a cert with the basic information on illness (and no sensitive D.O.B. ) and await the company's response. If they want more info they will most likely do a referral to company doctor who will have to deal with the matter in a confidential manner.

agree with others .

Too much information provided. Hospitalized woulð cover it

All the best and happy birthday.


Marion

Latrade is not correct inasmuch as your employer is not entitled to know the nature of your illness (Sorry to butt in again, no offence meant). In the normal course of illnesses e.g. flu, head-colds, diarrohea etc your employer is entitled to know of the actual illness and at your discretion. But, even the Civil Service will withdraw pay where an employee refuses to co-operate. Latrade is correct inasmuch as if you dont want you dont have to have the illness disclosed.

But, if a doctor-to-doctor report is required by the employer (usually, only in serious illnesses) the doctors will communicate with each other and where necessary a sealed envelope with the medical report is supplied for later use by the company doctor if necessary. This envelope may not be opened by the HR section, the employer or any of the other employees - a medical doctor only can open the envelope. Obviously, the company doctor will make a decision on seeing the report and may also want to see the employee.

Asking gynaecologists to have their "title" omitted from certs. and reports is like asking the sun not to rise. It appears to me that most of these people are unapproachable and carry on like medical dictators and they are not used to being corrected.

Please do not take any offence to anything I wrote above and remember companies differ in their approach to dealing with the medical profession and illnesses endured by employees.

Leper said:

Latrade is not correct inasmuch as your employer is not entitled to know the nature of your illness (Sorry to butt in again, no offence meant). .

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No offence taken and we seem to be going around in circles. But it is quite simple in that the rules of medical confidentiality only have two excemptions. First is a court order and the second is when it is an infectious disease. It cannot be any more simply put than an employer has no legal right to know what illness you suffer from.

Even given an extreme example of a blind person applying for a job as a forklift driver. The employer can only really ask if the individual suffers from any condition that may be an issue with the driving of the truck, they can't really ask them to identify specific conditions.

As I said and you have said, the company doctor can request the details to make their evaluation of the extent of your illness and how it affects work, but unless they have your expressed permission, they cannot say to the employer what that condition is, they can only confirm or deny whether the individual is fit to work.

Bill Struth said:

My wife had a cert sent back to her by her employer (civil service) asking for more detail.

Are you saying that they shouldn't be doing this?

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I think the Civil Service have a "chief medical officer" who is presumably the one who gets to see the further detail.

I know entrants to the Civil Service have to fill out a fairly comprehensive medical history. So do/did some banks, but again they only went to a doctor, not to hr.

Could you black out your DOB using a black marker? Surely theres no real need of it from your employers point of view.

Thanks everyone.

I realised, looking at the letter today, that the secretary had got the dates wrong so I had to ring her anyway. She has agreed to remove DOB and references to 'gynacologist' so I am awaiting revised letter and, if it is okay, I will send it on. The problem I had is that I work in a very small place (kind of offshoot of the Civil Service) with no actual personnel section. It's a bit hap hazard to be honest and there seems to be little or no restriction on who can access personal details, an issue I've raised previously with management there. My boss, (who is lovely) is a sixty year old male and to be honest I think he would be pretty taken aback to get a letter from my gynaecologist inviting him to contact her for further details!!

Hopefully all sorted now and thanks for the birthday wishes.