Terms & Conditions

1. About these Terms

These Terms & Conditions (“Terms”) apply to your use of the Sicknotes website and certificate assessment service.

In these Terms:

• “Sicknotes”, “we”, “us” and “our” mean Blistr Pty Ltd (ABN 16 688 317 642), trading as Sicknotes;
• “you” and “your” mean the person submitting a request through the Service;
• “Certificate” means an Absence from Work Certificate issued following a pharmacist assessment through the Service;
• “pharmacist” means the Australian registered pharmacist who conducts your consultation and independently assesses your request;
• “Service” means the Sicknotes website and certificate assessment service;
• “immediate family member” and “household member” bear the meanings given to them under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth); and
• “Business Day” means a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday in Victoria.

In these Terms, a reference to “including” or “includes” is not a term of limitation, and headings are included for convenience only and do not affect the interpretation of these Terms.

2. Acceptance

By submitting a request and completing payment, you agree to these Terms, our Privacy Policy, Refund Policy and Medical Disclaimer.

You should read these documents before submitting a request.

If you do not agree to these Terms, you should not use the Service.

3. What Sicknotes provides

Sicknotes provides an online service through which you can submit a request for an Absence from Work Certificate and arrange a consultation with an Australian registered pharmacist.

Sicknotes provides the technology and administrative service through which:

• Your request is submitted;
• Information is provided to the pharmacist;
• The consultation is arranged;
• Payment is processed;
• The pharmacist’s assessment is facilitated; and
• A Certificate is delivered where the pharmacist determines that one should be issued.

4. The pharmacist’s role

The pharmacist who conducts your consultation is an AHPRA-registered pharmacist engaged by Sicknotes as an independent contractor.

The pharmacist independently exercises professional judgement in conducting the consultation and determining:

• Whether a Certificate is appropriate;
• The period, if any, that may be certified;
• Whether further information is required; and
• Whether referral to another healthcare professional or service is appropriate.

Sicknotes does not direct, require or influence the pharmacist’s clinical assessment or decision to issue, decline or refer.

Payment for the Service does not guarantee that a Certificate will be issued.

The pharmacist remains responsible for the clinical content of their consultation and professional assessment, subject to their professional and legal obligations.

5. The consultation

The online questionnaire is an intake and information-gathering process. It does not itself constitute the pharmacist consultation or determine whether a Certificate will be issued.

A Certificate will only be issued following real-time contact with the pharmacist by telephone or another consultation method offered by Sicknotes.

The pharmacist may ask you to confirm identifying information, including your name and date of birth, before proceeding.

You must provide information reasonably required by the pharmacist and answer the pharmacist’s questions honestly and accurately.

The consultation is not recorded by Sicknotes, is not processed by any third-party video or transcription platform, and no artificial intelligence tool is used during or after the consultation.

6. Eligibility

The Service is available to people who are located in Australia at the time of the consultation and who are seeking evidence in connection with employment-related personal or carer’s leave.

You are responsible for ensuring that you use the Service only for its intended purpose and that you meet the eligibility requirements that can reasonably be determined by you before submitting a request.

You must not use the Service:

• For a purpose other than personal or carer’s leave;
• For workers’ compensation matters;
• For compassionate or bereavement leave;
• For court, educational, sporting or other non-employment requirements;
• While you are outside Australia;
• To request an extension of an existing Certificate rather than a new assessment; or
• Where you are not authorised to provide information about another person in connection with a carer’s leave request.

You must also provide complete, accurate and truthful information and must not deliberately omit information relevant to your request.

If you are unsure whether your request is suitable for the Service, you should seek appropriate advice or healthcare assessment before submitting a request.

Meeting these requirements does not guarantee that a Certificate will be issued. The pharmacist remains solely responsible for determining, in their independent professional judgement, whether your particular circumstances are suitable for certification.

7. Certificates

A Certificate is issued only where the pharmacist determines, in their independent professional judgement, that issuing one is appropriate.

The period covered by a Certificate is determined by the pharmacist in accordance with their professional judgement and applicable professional requirements.

Applicable professional guidance generally contemplates short periods of absence and ordinarily limits certificates to two days, subject to the pharmacist’s professional judgement and the circumstances of the individual case.

A Certificate issued through Sicknotes will not be backdated unless the pharmacist determines that doing so is permitted and appropriate under applicable professional requirements.

A Certificate is not an extension of an existing Certificate. A further period of absence requires a new assessment.

8. Fair Work Act and employer acceptance

An Absence from Work Certificate issued by a pharmacist may constitute evidence for the purposes of section 107(3) of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) where applicable.

The Fair Work framework does not mean that Sicknotes can guarantee how an individual employer will assess or respond to particular evidence.

Employers may have their own administrative requirements or processes for submitting evidence of personal or carer’s leave.

Sicknotes does not guarantee that a particular employer will accept a Certificate or that the Certificate will result in paid leave being granted.

You are responsible for checking with your employer, where appropriate, whether a Certificate issued by a pharmacist is acceptable for your circumstances.

9. What the Service does not cover

You should not use the Service for a matter that is outside the purpose of an Absence from Work Certificate issued by a pharmacist.

The Service is not intended for:

• Pregnancy-related matters where the request is outside the appropriate scope of pharmacist certification;
• Compassionate or bereavement leave;
• Workers’ compensation matters;
• Conditions requiring assessment or management outside the pharmacist’s scope of practice;
• Requests for purposes unrelated to personal or carer’s leave; or
• Other circumstances that fall outside the pharmacist’s professional scope or the purpose of the Service.

Some of these matters can be identified before submitting a request. You are responsible for not using the Service where you know that your request falls outside its stated purpose or eligibility requirements.

Whether a particular illness, injury or other health circumstance is suitable for certification is a matter for the pharmacist’s independent professional judgement.

The pharmacist may decline to issue a Certificate, request further information or refer you to another healthcare professional or service where appropriate.

These examples are not exhaustive.

10. Not a substitute for medical care

The Service is not a substitute for diagnosis, treatment, ongoing medical care or emergency care.

A pharmacist may determine that your circumstances require assessment by another healthcare professional.

If your symptoms are severe, worsening, persistent or otherwise concerning, you should seek appropriate medical attention.

In an emergency, call 000 or attend the nearest emergency department.

11. Your responsibility for information provided

You are responsible for ensuring that information you provide to Sicknotes and the pharmacist is accurate, complete and not misleading.

You must not:

• Impersonate another person;
• Provide false or materially misleading information;
• Deliberately omit information relevant to your request;
• Submit a request for a purpose that is outside the intended purpose of the Service;
• Provide information about another person unless you are authorised to do so;
• Alter or forge a Certificate;
• Allow another person to use your Certificate; or
• Use a Certificate for a purpose for which it was not issued.

Where you provide information about another person, including in connection with a carer’s leave request, you confirm that you are authorised to provide that information.

The pharmacist remains responsible for determining whether the information provided is sufficient and whether the particular circumstances are suitable for certification.

12. Fraud and misuse

Sicknotes may refuse, suspend or discontinue the Service where it reasonably suspects fraud, misuse, impersonation, falsification or other serious breach of these Terms.

Sicknotes may withdraw or invalidate a Certificate where it has reasonable grounds to believe that the Certificate was obtained through fraud or material misrepresentation, or has been altered or forged.

Where you provide false or misleading information for the purpose of obtaining a Certificate, you indemnify Sicknotes, and its directors, officers, employees and contracted pharmacists, against any loss directly suffered by any of them as a reasonably foreseeable consequence of that conduct.

Sicknotes may disclose personal information where required or authorised by law, including where disclosure is reasonably necessary to address suspected unlawful conduct or to protect the rights, safety or security of Sicknotes or others.

13. Employer enquiries and verification

Sicknotes does not provide an employer with information about your symptoms, consultation or health information merely because an employer requests it.

Where an employer seeks information beyond that contained on a Certificate, Sicknotes will generally require your written consent before providing that information, unless disclosure is required or authorised by law.

Sicknotes may establish a Certificate verification process through which an employer or other authorised recipient can verify the authenticity of a Certificate without receiving additional clinical information.

14. Fees

The fee for the Service is displayed before payment.

The fee is for the pharmacist consultation and assessment and associated Sicknotes service. Payment does not guarantee that a Certificate will be issued.

Payments are processed through our nominated payment processor.

15. Refunds

Our Refund Policy explains when a refund is available.

Where a pharmacist determines that a Certificate should not be issued, the fee will be refunded in accordance with the Refund Policy.

Nothing in these Terms or the Refund Policy limits rights or remedies available to you under the Australian Consumer Law that cannot lawfully be excluded.

16. Consumer Law

Nothing in these Terms excludes, restricts or modifies any consumer guarantee, right or remedy conferred by the Australian Consumer Law that cannot lawfully be excluded, restricted or modified.

Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

17. Liability

To the extent permitted by law, Sicknotes is responsible for the services that Sicknotes itself provides, including the operation of the platform, payment administration, delivery of communications and handling of personal information.

The pharmacist independently determines the clinical content of the consultation and whether to issue, decline or refer in connection with a Certificate. Sicknotes does not direct or control that professional judgement.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Sicknotes’ liability arising from or in connection with the Service is limited to the amount paid by you for the relevant request.

Sicknotes is not liable for loss arising solely because an employer or other third party does not accept a Certificate, where the Certificate was validly issued and the Service was otherwise provided in accordance with these Terms.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability to the extent that doing so would be unlawful.

18. Availability

Sicknotes may modify, suspend or discontinue the Service or any part of it, including for maintenance, security, technical reasons or circumstances outside our reasonable control.

Where Sicknotes is unable to complete a paid request because of a failure attributable to Sicknotes, any applicable refund will be dealt with under the Refund Policy.

19. Intellectual property

The Sicknotes website, content, branding, systems, software and Certificate templates are owned by Sicknotes or its licensors.

You may use a Certificate issued to you for its intended purpose.

You must not reproduce, modify, alter, distribute or commercially exploit Sicknotes’ website content, systems or Certificate templates.

20. Suspension or refusal

Sicknotes may refuse, suspend or discontinue access to the Service where reasonably necessary, including where:

• You breach these Terms;
• Fraud or misuse is suspected;
• The Service cannot safely or appropriately be provided;
• Continuing to provide the Service would create a legal, regulatory or security risk; or
• The Service is discontinued.

21. Complaints concerning a pharmacist

If you have a concern about the professional conduct of the pharmacist, you may raise the matter with Sicknotes and/or the relevant professional or regulatory body.

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency maintains the public register of registered health practitioners and accepts notifications concerning registered practitioners.

Nothing in these Terms prevents you from making a complaint or notification to a relevant regulator.

22. Privacy

Sicknotes handles personal information in accordance with its Privacy Policy.

By using the Service, you acknowledge that personal information, including health information, will be collected and handled as described in that Privacy Policy.

23. Dispute resolution

If you have a complaint or dispute concerning the Service, you should first contact Sicknotes through the Contact & Support page and give us a reasonable opportunity to resolve the matter.

Nothing in this clause prevents you from exercising any statutory right or remedy.

24. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of Victoria, Australia.

You submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Victoria, Australia, except to the extent that applicable law provides otherwise.

25. General

These Terms, together with Sicknotes’ Privacy Policy, Refund Policy and Medical Disclaimer, constitute the entire agreement between you and Sicknotes in relation to the Service, and supersede any prior understanding or representation on the same subject matter.

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue to operate.

A failure or delay by Sicknotes in exercising any right under these Terms does not operate as a waiver of that right, and a single or partial exercise of a right does not prevent any further exercise of that or any other right.

Sicknotes may transfer or restructure its business, including assigning rights or obligations under these Terms, where permitted by law. Sicknotes will notify you where such assignment or novation affects an active request.

26. Changes to these Terms

Sicknotes may update these Terms from time to time.

The version published on the Service is the version applicable at the relevant time.

Where required by law, we will provide appropriate notice of material changes.

27. Contact

Questions concerning these Terms should be directed to Sicknotes through the Contact & Support page.