Nurses won't be issuing sick leave - but from spring 2026, they will gain important new powers of judgment. The Supreme Council of Nurses and Midwives explains what the changes in the amendment to the Social Security Act signed by the President of the Republic of Poland entail, and why there has been so much misunderstanding in the public space.
NRPiP straightens out information about changes in the law. What does the amendment really change for nurses?
Published Jan. 20, 2026 07:50
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In recent days, there has been a lot of conflicting information in the medical community and on social media regarding the alleged granting of nurses the authority to issue sick leave. In response to numerous inquiries, the Supreme Council of Nurses and Midwives clearly clarifies the scope of the changes in the regulations.
As the nurses' and midwives' self-government reminds us, on January 7, 2026, the President of the Republic of Poland signed into law an amendment to the Law on the Social Security System and certain other laws. This amendment does not deal with sick leave, but with the expansion of the competence of selected health professions - including nurses - in the area of jurisprudence.
New entitlement: adjudication of inability to live independently
The signed law amends the Law of July 15, 2011 on the professions of nurse and midwife. Section 6a was added to Article 4 (1), which grants nurses the right to declare inability to live independently, as specified in the Law on Pensions from the Social Insurance Fund.
The prerequisites for such a ruling are clearly defined in the current legislation. Inability to lead an independent life is established in the case of impairment of bodily functions to an extent that causes the need for permanent or long-term care and assistance of another person in meeting the basic needs of life.
Importantly, the new powers are to be exercised with statutory qualifications and oversight, so not in an arbitrary or automatic manner.
When will the changes take effect?
The NRPP also stresses that regulations granting nurses new rights will take effect on April 13, 2026, three months after the law is published in the Official Gazette. Until then, the existing regulations remain in effect.
This is not a L4
The nurses' self-government strongly denies information that the amendment gives nurses the right to issue sick leave (e-ZLA, so-called L4). The scope of the changes relates only to the adjudication of inability to live independently, not to the adjudication of temporary inability to work.
- The new regulations represent an expansion of nurses' professional competence in the field of jurisprudence, not in the field of temporary incapacity certification, the NRPiP notes. At the same time, the self-government says it is taking steps to allow nurses to issue certificates of incapacity in the future, but this is not part of the currently signed amendment.
Source: NIPIP
