Adequate post-surgery time off is necessary for both physical and mental recuperation. Equally taking prolonged periods of time off work may make it harder to adjust back to normal day-to-day activities as well as having wider economic ramifications.

There are no formal guidelines on how long a fit note should be signed for post oculoplastic surgery. Department for Works and Pensions have generic information regarding fit note certification available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fit-note-guidance-for-healthcare-professionals/getting-the-most-out-of-the-fit-note-guidance-for-healthcare-professionals.

All patients ideally require their individual holistic needs (such as a patient’s workplace environment; type of work, pre-existing medical conditions, mental health) to be taken into account for a bespoke fit note.

We would like to identify practice patterns when signing patients off work for a typical patient, without any major co-morbidities doing a desk job, taking into account the average recovery time required for that particular group of surgeries.

We hence invite you to participate in the attached BOPSS approved survey.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3GR39XN

To make it easy to complete but relevant, we have categorised oculoplastic surgery into four groups:

1. Minor: such as chalazion, lumps and bumps
2. Routine: such as ptosis, entropion, ectropion, single stage excision and reconstruction
3. Moderately complex: such as DCR/ blepharoplasty/ multistage excision and reconstruction (to be certified from the final stage of surgery)
4. Orbital: biopsy/tumour removal/decompression/enucleation and complex oculoplastic procedures e.g. large reconstructions

We appreciate patients can self-certify up to 7 calendar days but often ask for a note even for a shorter period of time as a guidance to themselves and their employers.

Another aspect we would like to investigate is the advice given on how long to abstain from driving after surgery. Again, we appreciate this would depend on individual requirements so kindly consider for a typical patient driving his own car to work while answering this question.

Thank you for completing this BOPSS approved survey.

The results would work as a guideline for all healthcare professionals providing fit note, which they can modify based on patient’s individual holistic needs and avoid conflicting advice between primary and secondary care providers.

Best wishes

Owen Kennedy, Junior Clinical Fellow
Sachin M. Salvi, Supervising Consultant

Please direct any queries to sachin.salvi@nhs.net