eMED3 Fit Notes in Secondary Care
Allows fit notes to be issued electronically by a range of healthcare professionals in secondary care.
About this standard
- Publisher
- NHS England
- Also known as
- eMED3
- Reference code
- DAPB4011 Amd 34/2021
- Publication date
- 10/11/2022
- Status
- Active
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Active. Active standards are stable, maintained and have been approved, assured or endorsed for use by qualified bodies.
Deprecated Deprecated standards are available for use and are maintained, but are being phased out, so new functionality will not be added.
Retired standards Retired standards are not being maintained or supported and should not be used.
- Standard type
- Collections
- Information standards
Show definitions of standard types
Collections. A Collection is a systematic gathering of a specified selection of data or information for a particular stated purpose from existing records held within health and care systems and electronic devices.
Extractions. An extraction is a type of collection that is pulled from an operational system by the data controller and transmitted to the receiver without additional processing or transcription by the sender.
Information standards. Information standards are agreed ways of doing something, written down as a set of precise criteria so they can be used as rules, guidelines, or definitions.
Technical Standards and specifications. Technical standards and specifications specify how to make information available technically including how the data is structured and transported.
- Collection level
Aggregate level
- Frequency
Dataset publication or collection occurs once a week.
- Contact point
- Please include ‘eMED3’ in subject line.
Link to standard
- Documentation
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- Applies to
- All NHS funded secondary care providers
- Impacts on
- This mandatory Information Standard requires secondary care NHS funded healthcare providers in England to electronically issue eMED3 fit notes. Fit notes may be completed by the issuing Registered Medical Practitioner, Nurse, Pharmacist, Physiotherapist, or Occupational therapists.
- Associated medias
- Conformance date
- 30/11/2023
- Effective from
- 10/11/2022
Topics and care settings
- Topic
- Adult
- Information codes of practice
- Care setting
- Hospital
- Mental health
- Pharmacy
Dependencies and related standards
- Related standards
- eMED3 (fit notes) DAPB2118
- eMED3 (fit notes)
Review Information
- Scope
- NHS Services
- Sponsor
Jean King, Deputy Director, Health Division, Work and Health Joint Unit
- Senior Responsible Officer
Ursula Montgomery, Interim Director of Primary Care, NHS England
- Business Lead
- Ann Newman, Policy Advisor, Department for Work and Pensions
- Contributor
- Department for Work and Pensions
- Approval date
- 27/10/2022
- Post Implementation review Date
- 01/04/2024
Legal basis and endorsements
- Legal authority
Section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012,
NHS standard contractThis information standard is published under section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012. The responsibility for issuing fit notes is covered in the current NHS Standard Contract, service condition 11.12.
More information
The Statement of Fitness for Work was introduced in April 2010 across England, Wales and Scotland. In 2012, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) enabled General Practices to produce computer-generated fit notes (eMED3). This standard builds on this work and legislation changes that came into force in July 2022 allowing fit notes to be issued electronically by a range of healthcare professionals in secondary care and changes to the Social Security (Medical Evidence) and Statutory Sick Pay (Medical Evidence) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 which means that there will no longer be a requirement to sign the eMED3 form in ink. The fit notes will be digitally certified replacing the current wet signature.
Informing primary care that a fit note has been issued in secondary care is not in scope of this standard but may be introduced in a future release.
Page last updated: 04 May 2024