The 60-year-long tradition of a doctor writing sick notes is to be replaced with "fit notes", detailing duties which workers can carry out, in a bid to cut down the £100 billion cost to the economy of ill-health, the Government has announced.
Business groups welcomed the attempt to reduce the 172 million working days lost to sickness absence, but unions warned that handing someone a list of tasks they could perform while ill would not help them get back to full fitness.
The sick note system has not changed since the NHS was created in 1948, but ministers maintained that the new fit notes, which could be issued electronically, would help sick people return to work quicker. The changes are expected to be made by 2010.
Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell, said the earlier intervention was made, the more help could be given to someone who was ill. "Everyone has the right to work and we want to design a fair system which supports people so they can work when they are able."
Health Secretary Alan Johnson said: "Helping people stay in work does not just have an economic imperative, it has a moral and social one too."
Ministers said the package, which will cost £45 million over three years, would support disabled people, or those who became ill, to return to or stay in work by helping them manage their condition and get help to keep their jobs.
A national centre for health and well-being will be created, a health helpline will be launched for small firms, and employment advisers will be attached to GP surgeries.
Mr Purnell said the idea was to encourage a "fundamental culture change", adding that in the current economic downturn it was more important than ever to help people stay in work.
No specific targets for reducing sickness absence will be set, although the Government has an aim of cutting the number of incapacity benefit claimants by a million by 2015. Mr Johnson pointed out that half the 600,000 people who move on to incapacity benefits every year had previously been in work, a figure he hoped would be reduced.
The current sick note asks GPs to make a decision about whether their patient should work or not and how long they should be off sick. The revised fit note will allow them to indicate that an individual may be "fit for some work" and will allow doctors to provide advice about the impact of an individual's health condition.
This should make things very interesting in the future
I'm preparing myself for the zombie invasion, rule number 1 - Cardio
this has been on the cards for a while - to get rid of the sicknote culture - however a lot of money gets thrown at getting these " malingerers and scroungers " into work , lots of spin and hype , New Labour targets etc - but what is not disclosed is how long these " malingerers and scroungers " actually stayed in work - did they have to leave again ? - or were " let go " as they were ill too often ?
MURDERERS. Need to dispose of a body? Simply parcel it up and post it to yourself via DHL. You will never see it again.
Fit notes instead of sick notes could be a good idea – if implemented properly.
Someone with a bad back cannot lift anything but they would be OK in an office.
Yet most sick building workers would find it hard to get a job as a secretary.
The theory behind the switch is fine – and Health Secretary Alan Johnson, former leader of the posties’ union, is no Victorian mill owner.
But, in a recession with unemployment soaring, the fit chits won’t be worth the paper they’re written on.
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the danger with this is that they could say not fit for delivery ,and not enough indoor work(allready being done in our delivery office)but the mail centre up the road can accomadate you.in principle a good idea as i know quite a few long term sick,my mums next door neighbour is off with a bad neck laid a patio on his own and a regular gym user yet cannot work??
darth postie wrote:the danger with this is that they could say not fit for delivery ,and not enough indoor work(allready being done in our delivery office)but the mail centre up the road can accomadate you.in principle a good idea as i know quite a few long term sick,my mums next door neighbour is off with a bad neck laid a patio on his own and a regular gym user yet cannot work??
It depends on what his Job is. There could be Health and Safety issues, with not having full movement of his head. For example: FLT Operator, Yard Marshall, etc.. Although speaking as someone who has had a neck injury in the past. I find it hard to believe that someone would be able to do all that, with a neck injury. Sill, I'm not a Doctor, so I could be wrong.
Don't knock Insanity
it's just another outlook on Reality!
sorry, to expand further explain when he split up with his wife he was back to work before you could say crozier and bonus.he did originally have an industrial injury and made full use of that,and i did have alot of sympathy with him but when he was having such an active lifestyle and doing tasks that two labourers would do was perhaps taking advantage of the situation.plus he was working on the side as well as a painter.i have no problem with the govt tightening up this but there are always some people that take full advantage,which applies to alot of things these days.
That's often the problem. The tiny minority of piss takers, make it harder and more stressful, for those with genuine injuries. The last thing you need, after an injury. Is to have people insinuating that you are playing on it. And having the emphasis put on you, to prove you are genuinely ill! These "well notes", could cause a lot of unneccessary problems for people.
Surely it would be better, to have serious deterrants for the small minority of malingerers. Rather than put even more pressure on the genuinely ill, or injured.
Don't knock Insanity
it's just another outlook on Reality!
