Electronically Completed Medical Certificates

We would like to draw your attention to a pilot being run by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) into the use of electronically completed medical certificates.

The pilot is running from June to the autumn (the exact end date was not known at the time of publication) and will involve approximately 20 GP practices in Wales. The purpose of the pilot is to test the use of electronically completed certificates in place of the handwritten ones currently used.

Although the pilot will only involve GPs in Wales, it is possible that the Medical Certificates could be received by employers outside the immediate area of the pilot. If you receive one of these certificates from your employee, you should accept and treat it in exactly the same way as a handwritten medical certificate.

The certificates are similar to the current handwritten version but will obviously differ slightly in appearance and it is intended that they will include an internet address where you will be able to obtain further information on the project. Although electronically completed, these certificates will not be sent electronically to employers.