N.S. doctors want employers to stop asking for sick notes — but the requests keep coming – CBC

‘Employers need to look at other ways to manage their employees,’ says Doctors Nova Scotia president

Nov 30, 2022

The association representing Nova Scotia’s doctors says physicians are seeing an increase in the number of requests they’re getting for sick notes, despite a request from the province’s chief medical officer of health to employers to stop using them.

Dr. Robert Strang made the plea at his last briefing in mid-November, saying employers are putting “unnecessary pressure” on the health-care system.

Dr. Leisha Hawker is the president of Doctors Nova Scotia, which represents the province’s 3,500 doctors. She said that despite Strang’s plea, physicians are still getting lots of requests to write the documents as COVID, the flu and other viruses spread through the province.

“I’m definitely seeing more requests and hearing it from more of my colleagues as well,” Hawker said. “Employers need to look at other ways to manage their employees and think of other ways to assess their employees’ ability to work.”

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/doctors-stop-sick-notes-employers-1.6669854