Medical Disclaimer

1. Pharmacist, not medical practitioner

Certificates issued through Sicknotes are issued by Australian registered pharmacists.

A pharmacist is not a medical practitioner. The pharmacist’s consultation is conducted within the pharmacist’s professional scope and for the specific purpose of determining whether an Absence from Work Certificate is appropriate.

The consultation does not constitute a general medical examination, diagnosis or ongoing treatment service.

Your consultation with the pharmacist is conducted by telephone or another method offered by Sicknotes. It is not recorded, is not processed by any third-party video or transcription platform, and no artificial intelligence tool is used during or after the consultation.

As part of the consultation, the pharmacist will ask you to confirm your identity, to ensure a Certificate is issued to the correct person.

2. Independent professional judgement

The pharmacist independently determines whether a Certificate should be issued.

Sicknotes does not direct or influence the pharmacist’s clinical assessment or decision.

Submitting a request or paying the Sicknotes fee does not guarantee that a Certificate will be issued.

3. Scope of the Service

The Service is intended for requests relating to personal or carer’s leave where the matter falls within the pharmacist’s professional scope and the pharmacist considers certification appropriate.

You are responsible for using the Service only for its intended purpose and should not submit a request for workers’ compensation, compassionate or bereavement leave, or another purpose unrelated to personal or carer’s leave.

A pharmacist may decline to issue a Certificate where, in their professional judgement, the request is unsuitable for certification. This may include circumstances involving:

• Pregnancy-related matters where the request is outside the appropriate scope of pharmacist certification;
• Compassionate or bereavement leave;
• Workers’ compensation matters;
• Conditions requiring assessment or management outside the pharmacist’s scope of practice;
• Circumstances where the pharmacist considers that you are able to work safely;
• Requests for purposes unrelated to personal or carer’s leave;
• Requests involving information the pharmacist reasonably considers to be incomplete, inaccurate or misleading; or
• Circumstances involving a conflict of interest.

These examples are not exhaustive.

The pharmacist may also refer you to another healthcare professional or service.

4. Certificate period

The period of absence stated on a Certificate is determined by the pharmacist based on their professional judgement and the circumstances of the individual case.

Applicable professional guidance generally contemplates short periods of absence and ordinarily limits certificates to two days, subject to the pharmacist’s judgement and the circumstances of the request.

A Certificate issued through Sicknotes is not intended to replace medical assessment where an illness or injury persists or requires further care.

5. Not a substitute for medical care

The Sicknotes Service is not a substitute for diagnosis, treatment or ongoing medical care.

You should seek assessment from an appropriate healthcare professional where:

• Your symptoms are severe;
• Your symptoms are worsening;
• Your symptoms persist;
• You are concerned about your condition; or
• You require diagnosis, treatment or ongoing management outside the scope of the pharmacist consultation.

In an emergency, call 000 or attend the nearest emergency department.

6. Employer acceptance

An Absence from Work Certificate may constitute evidence for personal or carer’s leave under section 107(3) of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) where applicable.

Sicknotes cannot guarantee that a particular employer will accept a Certificate or that paid leave will be granted.

Employers may have their own procedures for submitting and assessing evidence.

You are responsible for checking with your employer, where appropriate, whether a Certificate issued by a pharmacist is acceptable for your circumstances.

7. Certificate authenticity

Each Certificate identifies the pharmacist who conducted the assessment, including the pharmacist’s relevant professional details.

The pharmacist’s registration can be checked through the public AHPRA register.

Verification of a pharmacist’s registration does not, by itself, verify the authenticity or validity of a particular Certificate.

Sicknotes may provide a separate Certificate verification mechanism for employers or other authorised recipients.

8. Privacy

Your consultation involves personal and potentially sensitive health information.

Sicknotes handles that information in accordance with its Privacy Policy.

Sicknotes does not provide your health information to your employer merely because your employer requests it.

9. Professional concerns

If you have concerns about the professional conduct of the pharmacist who conducted your consultation, you may raise the matter with Sicknotes or the relevant professional regulator.

Nothing in this Medical Disclaimer limits your right to make a complaint or notification to a relevant regulatory body.