2.8m sick notes issued in Q1 26/27

Of the sick notes issued, 92.2% (2.59m) deemed the recipient ‘not fit for work' compared to 7.8% (217,254) that deemed them ‘may be fit for work'. Notes that assign ‘may be fit for work' include advice such as a phased return, altered hours, amended duties and/or an adapted workplace. The number of sick notes have risen by more than 160,000 since Q1 2025/26, up from 2.64m. In total, over 11m sick notes were issued in 2025, according to NHS England, with 148.8m working days lost because of sickness or injury over the 12 months, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). ...