Can a Medical Certificate Be Backdated?

DEvok on 04/01/2024 - 17:44
Last edited 04/01/2024 - 18:51 by 1 other user

Had to call a sickie today due to my past injury with my back, couldn't reschedule any doctor online as it was last minute and those told me to come in as a walk through then refuses me, fair enough.

I asked for back dated for another days appointment and was told it's illegal, fair enough, then found online medical forums being done, took the bait $9 with product reviews and such and went ahead, now stumbling across some sites saying about doing back dating certificate.

Now the question is, are these illegal as GP clinics told me they were?

• 

  JIMB0 on 04/01/2024 - 17:59

  +13

  A stat dec is good enough evidence for sick leave according to the act. Keep the statement vague (don't go into detail) and get it signed at any number of places. You can also back date it by stating the period of time you were unwell for.

  • 

    donga100 on 04/01/2024 - 19:22

    +5

    Really wish more people would do this. Go to a doctor if you need medical attention/advice but don't go purely for a medical certificate, it's a waste of resources/money.

  • 

    Morien on 04/01/2024 - 21:30

    I personally did not know this. Thank you for saying. Are you able to direct me to where it says this?

    • 

      dm02 on 04/01/2024 - 21:35

      +4

      https://www.fairwork.gov.au/leave/sick-and-carers-leave/paid…

      Types of evidence needed for sick / carer’s leave

      Medical certificates or statutory declarations are examples of acceptable forms of evidence. While there are no strict rules on what type of evidence needs to be given, the evidence has to convince a reasonable person that the employee was genuinely entitled to the sick or carer’s leave.

• 

  Muzeeb on 04/01/2024 - 18:06

  +11

  GP's cannot backdate medical certificates but they can write that they were advised that you were not available for normal duties for the same symptoms as presented.

• 

  AngoraFish on 04/01/2024 - 19:06

  I used Qoctor a couple of days ago, they were great. The doctor I got was easily googleable and also works in face to face practices. Not sure who you used but $9 seems… cheap?

  https://www.qoctor.com.au/faq-items/can-you-backdate-medical…

  In any case, you used an online service today to get a certificate for sick leave that you also took today, and therefore presumably got a medical certificate actually dated for today from an actual registered GP today, so I am unclear what the problem is?

  You're not getting a certificate for your original back injury. You're getting a certificate for the fact that you couldn't move today because your back hurts and therefore you were unable to go into work.

• 

  Tee Rex Arms on 04/01/2024 - 19:50

  These guys will backdate 2 days for a med cert

  https://panraaclinics.com.au/online-medical-certificate

• 

  USER DC on 04/01/2024 - 19:54

  +1

  are these illegal as GP clinics told me they were?

  umm, No. they are no illegal dude. that being said GP's really dont back date nowadays from my experience, at best they tend to do like yesterday, (from my experience when talking about when meeting doctors physically at GP clinics). I assume this is because they are saying on paper/writting we were sick in past when they cannot verify it, and could possibly be a false statement. It is still kinda insane I totally agree, if you are sick enough that you cannot get to a GP/pharmacy, say you were really really sick IDK some case like that. recover like 7 days after, getting a sick cert is quite difficult in those cases to be back dated. Most workplaces/ University exams/flight cancellations etc. etc. thing specifically require that particular date to be mentioned in the document.

  Not to mention that a Lot GP's themself say to patients to stay at home, (not come) if they are unwell. You are only left with getting to a GP online, or via like telehealth, (when sick, but good enough to talk on phone, and good enough to actually wait for operators to answer call, then be awake when doctor calls etc). if you are in that kinda condition I'd just call 13 sick ask them for a telehealth operator, (you will need to give them a local GP name that supports telehealth and say you been in that GP in last 1 year)

• 

  Baysew on 04/01/2024 - 20:04

  Had to call a sickie today due to my past injury with my back

  A sickie is a sickie, we understand. You don't have to pretend with us.

• 

  AndyC1 on 04/01/2024 - 20:16

  Chemists can do a "Absence from Work Certificate".

• 

  Protractor on 04/01/2024 - 20:59

  -2

  Yeah, but you can't back date the truth

• 

  Rako on 04/01/2024 - 21:56

  Doc Martin won't backdate Medical Certificates.

• 

  DEvok on 04/01/2024 - 23:07

  Correct me if Im wrong so it's not illegal? Then why do most clinic insist it is also why only a handfull online GPs are willing to do it?

  • 

    avoidfullprice on 05/01/2024 - 00:08

    -2

    How about take some bloody rest as opposed to getting upset that they didn’t take you in yesterday, and whatever reason they gave you for not backdating a med cert.

  • 

    USER DC on 11/01/2024 - 01:07

    Its not really illegal to lie, say if you are not under legal oath yeah??

    If doctors have a specific regulation (say a law handbook, an act not just simple like employee handbook) that they need to follow that states them to not backdate it, then only it is illegal

    However it is possible that in some act it says doctors must follow general practitioner guidelines (which could be issued by board of doctors) then it could be made illegal too.

• 

  kiwijunglist on 06/01/2024 - 06:20

  +2

  I'm a doctor, nz

  The date on the medical certificate would be the date it was written by the doctor. The body of the certificate would contain

  The duration of the symptoms as provided by the patient during the consult.

  The date patient was assessed.

  Advice regarding returning to work.