10 days self-certification

We allow schools to self-certify absences for up to two weeks.

At Harrington Bates, we like to ensure that our cover and policy is easy to manage and therefore within our 2024 policy, we will continue include the self-certification benefit as standard meaning your staff can self-certify their absence* for up to 10 working days.

We want to make your life as easy as possible when raising a claim so gathering medical evidence is not necessary for self-certification claims; instead, your school simply completes our online claim submission form! We’ll then have everything we need to assess, process and settle your claim.

Benefits of self-certification

Reduces workloads
Self-certified absences are easier for policy administrators as they don’t need to chase staff to retrieve a Doctor’s Report to verify their absence from work.
Removes pressure on staff
Being able to self-certify allows your absent member of staff to focus on getting back to work, without unnecessary insurance related concerns.
Ensures more paid claims
Failure to submit documentation can lead to claims being declined. External evidence is not required for self-certification absences, ensuring more claims are paid.
Eases cash-flow issues
Schools do not need to pay to retrieve a GP Report to verify a self-certification claim. This will help to ease any cash-flow issues your school may be experiencing.
Improved payment times
We don’t require supporting medical evidence to validate self-certification claims. This allows us to process, assess and settle claims even more efficiently.
No limit on claims
There is no limit to the number of claims you can make. As long as the length of absence is less than 10 working days, staff will be able to self-certify their absence.

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FAQS

What is self-certification?

Self-certification allows a member of staff to verify their absence without the need to retrieve and submit external medical evidence such as a Doctor’s Report or Medical Certificate.

How does it work?

In the unfortunate event that a member of staff is absent from work, your school submits an insurance claim as normal. However, if the absence lasts 10 working days or less, we will not request supporting medical evidence to validate your claim. Instead, the absentee will be required to complete and return a very simple self-certificate form. We’ll then have everything we need to assess your claim.

How do we access a self-certification form?

Once the claim is logged, we will send the relevant self-certificate form to your policy administrator.

Are you able to offer more than 10 days self-certification?

Yes. If you are contacting us from a trust of schools or cluster, we may be able to offer up to 20 days of self-certification cover. If you’d like to discuss this further, please contact us by email at info@harringtonbates.com or telephone on 0800 862 0960 and we’ll be happy to help you with this.

How long is your self-certification period?

Within our 2023 policy, we shall continue to support schools by allowing staff to self-certify absences up to 10 working days.

How do we make a self-certification claim?

The same as always. Simply submit the claim via your online client area here.

How many times can a member of staff self-certify in a year?

There is no limit to the number of self-certification claims you can make. As long as the length of absence is less than 10 working days, staff will be able to self-certify their absence.

What happens if an absence exceeds the self-certification period?

Should the absence claim exceed 10 working days, your school can proceed in one of two ways: a) cease the claim at 10 days with no need to submit external medical evidence to validate the claim, or b) provide any supporting documents we require to verify the period of absence.