Sicky Review

Bottom Line:

Simple medical certificates issued by pharmacists. Limited offering that’s highly rated by users.  

Sicky is an online medical certificate provider offering 24/7 video assessments and medical certificates issued by pharmacists for work and university. Some employers may not accept these certificates.  They also may not be sufficient to cover extended sick leave, compassionate leave, family/maternity leave, health/welfare entitlements, or insurance claims, according to the website. 

Pros and Cons

Pros:

1. Low cost for multi-day medical certificates, compared to most telehealth providers such as Qoctor

2. 24/7 availability, which only some certificate-issuing providers offer, such as Updoc. 

3. Video assessments, where a lot of low-cost providers offer a questionnaire or phone-based contact. 

Cons: 

1. Pharmacist-issued certificates only, not AHPRA-registered doctors like on Updoc and other providers’ sites – these may not be accepted by your employer/ uni/ school. Instant Consult offers GP-issued certificates in comparison.

2. A single-day certificate is more expensive than on the cheaper sites such as Qoctor. 

3. No additional services such as clearance certificates, eScripts, or doctors’ consultations like on Instant Consult.

Available Services

Convenient and Affordable Medical Certificates  

Medical Certificate: Sicky offers only medical certificates, no other telehealth services. Pharmacists issue these following a video consultation via the Sicky app, but neither medical advice nor eScripts are an official part of the appointment. The site’s featured patient reviews show, however, that some pharmacists also provide advice.  In accordance with the Australian Fair Work Act 2009, they are allowed to provide health advice and absence/ leave certificates in case of personal illness [1]. 

These are only available for minor ailments that pharmacists are qualified to assess, such as a flu or cold, they cannot be backdated, and are only for one to two days. According to the current numbers of consultations vs issued certificates, a little over half of all patients being assessed received a certificate. This may be partially due to patients not being suitable, as Sicky cannot offer certificates for carers, compassionate leave, pregnancy, extended absence, and so on. 

The service is available 24/7 at short notice, with the site stating that patients are responded to within minutes, consultations last 10 minutes, and certificates are issued swiftly following the consultation, meaning the whole process may take 15-30 minutes. 

From the website’s process description, it looks like no certificate means no charge. 

There is no bulk billing available.  

Pricing and Speed

Affordable and Quick Service 

Compared to most other telehealth providers, Sicky offers some of the most affordable certificates in line with services such as Qoctor. However, Sicky is limited to pharmacist-issued certificates, which are not accepted in all circumstances. The service is best for minor ailments requiring only one to two days' absence from work or study.  

Other telehealth providers are registered with Medicare and offer carers’ certificates, clearance certificates, and sometimes also backdated certificates – in line with AMA regulations – at a similar cost. 

User Experience

Simple to Use, If App Works on Your Phone 

• Navigating Sicky.com.au is easy, as it only offers one service and uses a single-page site, where the top menu refers to sections on the site to make navigation easier.  
• The service is not clearly described, as the website initially states you receive a medical certificate issued by a health professional, and only upon reading through the FAQs does it clarify that pharmacists issue the certificates. It is only in the FAQs that Sicky also states all the situations when a certificate via their site may not be suitable. There is only unspecific wording used around the time it takes to receive a video call from the pharmacist. Finally, even after reading through the whole website, I am unsure whether you are charged if no certificate can be issued.  
• The process itself requires downloading the Sicky app for your video call with the pharmacist, which is also needed for some other sites, such as Simple Online Doctor, but not standard in the telehealth industry. Some reviewers on the App Store[2] commented that the app wasn’t compatible with their older phone or wasn’t installing properly. 

Overall, the site is simple and the process is reasonably straightforward, with few issues reported by users. On the App Store, the app ranks very highly at 4.5 out of 5 stars and four stars on the Play Store. This ranking puts Sicky near the top of comparable apps such as Updoc. 

Privacy and Data Security

Robust Privacy Policy, No Marketing 

Sicky describes its privacy policy in sufficient detail. The service uses multiple layers of password protection and performs regular data backups, similar to premium telehealth services such as Prime Medic. The provider “complies with its confidentiality and privacy obligations”. It does not share your data with any third parties other than for medico-legal reasons.  

While other sites, such as Instant Consult, require you to opt out of marketing material, Sicky only advises that there may be links to external providers on its site, which have their own privacy policies. 

Customer Support

Limited Timely Support Options But High Customer Satisfaction Ranking 

Customer support is mainly via email (or a web form that sends you to their email). According to reviews in the App Store and Play Store [2, 4], customer support responds typically within a few hours. Many customers report that troubleshooting by reinstalling the app solves technical issues.  

While there isn’t a lot of information regarding customer support options, this may not be necessary for a single-service telehealth app, as patients do not generally turn to Sicky for medical advice. 

Sicky has been around since 2019 [3], and its reviews since then have been overwhelmingly positive in the App Store and Google Play Store.  While the lack of immediate customer support options is quite typical of single-service telehealth providers such as Simple Online Doctor, it does not seem to be affecting customer satisfaction much in the case of Sicky, suggesting a reasonably well-functioning product and service. 

Sick Certificate Service that Works for a Specific Niche 

Sicky offers a single service: 24/7 pharmacist-issued medical certificates relevant for minor ailments and short absence from work or study. Its users rank the service among the top-performing providers. Sicky is transparent about its limitations if you do read all of the site’s information. But plenty of reviews [2], [4] suggest that some patients thought they had a GP telehealth consult. 

Those who realised the service was provided by pharmacists often left satisfied reviews stating they received general health advice – an added benefit not per se included in the service offering. 

This article is for informational purposes only. It does not offer any medical advice. While great care is taken to research and present the most up-to-date information, please conduct your own research before engaging any telehealth service.  

Telehealth is no replacement for your primary care and cannot offer the same standard of medical advice.  

Please get in touch with your GP in case of any medical questions or concerns. 

[1] https://my.psa.org.au/servlet/fileField?entityId=ka10o000000QN7NAAW&field=PDF_File_Member_Content__Body__s
[2] https://apps.apple.com/au/app/sicky-medical-certificate/id1490260904?see-all=reviews
[3] https://abr.business.gov.au/ABN/View?id=32635569309
[4] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=au.com.sicky.prod