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You’re entitled to sick pay if you need to take time off work due to a physical or mental health issue and you’ve got an employment contract with the council.
In some cases, recurring sick leave could be a sign of an underlying problem.
Managers will receive an email notification when you’ve been off sick in the last 12 months either:
The email is a prompt for them to check your absence record and review the Sickness absence management guidance (PDF, 658KB).
If you are currently managing an employee’s sickness absence under the previous Sickness absence procedure (PDF, 93KB), you should continue using that process through to its conclusion. The new sickness absence management process will only apply to new cases that began from June 2025 onwards. Contact People Support by raising a ticket on the Assyst portal if you are unsure which procedure applies.
Before starting a formal sickness absence procedure, managers should:
If you’re still off sick regularly or for a long time and it's continuing to impact your ability to work, your manager may decide to start a formal sickness absence procedure as described in the sickness absence management guidance.
The purpose of the formal sickness absence procedure is to find a way to support you to improve your attendance or return to work.
Depending on individual circumstances, the procedure will usually involve a number of meetings or hearings with your manager, followed by a hearing with an independent manager.
Different outcomes for employees can include:
You have the right to appeal decisions made at both the line manager and independent manager hearings.
Sickness appeal form for employees (DOCX, 51KB)
Sickness absence policy (PDF, 159KB)
Sickness absence management guidance (PDF, 658KB)
Medical redeployment guide for managers and employees (PDF, 193KB)
The following guides are available from People Support by raising a ticket on the Assyst portal:
• sickness absence hearing guide for managers
• how to set up an attendance improvement plan
• sickness absence report template for managers
• sickness absence independent hearing guide for managers
• how to conduct an appeal for managers
Return to work meeting form (DOCX, 42KB)
Stage 1 - Invite to sickness absence meeting (DOCX, 77KB)
Stage 2 - Invite to line manager hearing (DOCX, 80KB)
Stage 1 and 2 - Reschedule line manager hearing (DOCX, 79KB)
Stage 1 and 2 - Failure to attend line manager hearing (DOCX, 78KB)
Stage 3 - Invite to independent hearing (DOCX. 63KB)
Stage 3 - Reschedule independent hearing (DOCX, 78KB)
Stage 3 - Failure to attend independent hearing (DOCX, 79KB)