General rules

General Rules about Medical Statements (Med3, Med4, Med5)

The medical practitioner is required to record on the statement the advice which you give to his/her patient regarding their ability to perform their own job or usual occupation. When providing a medical statement the doctor should ensure that the appropriate form:

• is completed in ink is completed and signed by a doctor (defined as a registered medical practitioner other than the claimant)
• is issued once - any replacement certificate which may be required if the original is lost should be clearly marked `duplicate' and should be provided by the practitioner who issued the original certificate
• is for Social Security purposes only - do not use the prescribed certificates for anything other than Statutory Sick Pay or Social Security benefit purposes
• is kept secure to prevent misuse and fraud
• the statement must contain:
  • patient's name
  • date of examination on which the statement is based
  • an accurate diagnosis of the patient's disorder which has led you to advise the patient to refrain from work or has caused the claimant's absence from work (note that there are special circumstances where this rule is relaxed, described in the section dealing with the MED 6) Terms which do not relate to a specific disease or disablement should not be used, for example 'bereavement' or 'pregnancy'
  • the date the statement is issued
  • the address of the doctor
  • the signature of the doctor

Reference:

1. Department of Work and Pensions (UK). IB204 (August 2004).