Abstract
Answer A. Advise your patient to request compassionate leave from her employer.
Patient’s may request that they are ‘signed off work’ because of a bereavement. Fit notes can only be issued for a patient’s own medical condition. If a patient is so distressed that the bereavement would affect his or her ability to work, then it may be appropriate to document ‘distress due to bereavement’ on the fit note. However, ‘bereavement’ alone is not permitted as a diagnosis on the fit note. In these situations, it is more appropriate to suggest that patients request compassionate leave from their employer.
InnovAiT article: Bereavement and coping with loss. DOI: