The Government has launched a 12 week consultation on the design of a new medical 'fit note'.
The underlying principle of the replacement of the sick note with the 'fit note' is to improve the advice given to people about staying in work and in the circumstances where this is not possible, what employers can do to make alterations within the job to assist them in returning to work sooner.
The 'fit note' will incorporate a new option where doctors can indicate where a patient may be fit for some work now.
If a patient is classified in this category by a doctor, then they will need to provide general details of the functional effect of that individual's condition. Only generic advice is expected as most medical professionals who issue statements are not experts in occupational health.
The patient's employer will not be compelled to implement any suggestions made by a doctor for workplace changes designed to facilitate a return to work. Changes are to be provided at the discretion of employers and with the agreement of the employee.
However, there are concerns among doctors that they will not be able to make effective work-adjustment situations as they are unfamiliar with their patients' work situations.
Laurence Buckman, Chair of the British Medical Association's GPs Committee, commented: "Sitting in a consulting room, it's impossible for me to have knowledge of my patients' working conditions, so I don’t have the evidence to back up the kind of decision I'm being asked to make. That's the role of an occupational health doctor."
He went on: "In its current form this 'fit note' is likely to be misunderstood by doctors and patients alike. It also represents a fundamental shift of our responsibilities to our patients. GPs act as their patients' advocates, but we can't do that if we're also expected to be judge and jury, and effectively decide whether or not they get social security payments."
Nonetheless, the Government is determined to press ahead with the reforms, and wants a system that is more flexible and takes into account a changing world of work which is less physically demanding and allows employers to apply low-cost changes to facilitate an individual's return to work.
Lord Bill McKenzie, health and safety minister said: "Employers tell us that managing sickness absence can be a challenge. This is compounded by a 'sick note' system that makes sickness absence a black-and-white issue - either you are unfit for work, or you are not.
"We recognise how important it is to help people who are sick to stay in work, or get back to work quickly - the new 'fit note' will do just that."
Health minister, Ben Bradshaw, added: "We know that sickness absence is economically and socially damaging, and makes people more likely to drift into social exclusion and poverty. Getting people back into work quicker is good for their health as well as the country's finances."
The computer-generated 'fit note' is expected to be put into practice in the Spring of 2010.
The underlying principle of the replacement of the sick note with the 'fit note' is to improve the advice given to people about staying in work and in the circumstances where this is not possible, what employers can do to make alterations within the job to assist them in returning to work sooner.
The 'fit note' will incorporate a new option where doctors can indicate where a patient may be fit for some work now.
If a patient is classified in this category by a doctor, then they will need to provide general details of the functional effect of that individual's condition. Only generic advice is expected as most medical professionals who issue statements are not experts in occupational health.
The patient's employer will not be compelled to implement any suggestions made by a doctor for workplace changes designed to facilitate a return to work. Changes are to be provided at the discretion of employers and with the agreement of the employee.
However, there are concerns among doctors that they will not be able to make effective work-adjustment situations as they are unfamiliar with their patients' work situations.
Laurence Buckman, Chair of the British Medical Association's GPs Committee, commented: "Sitting in a consulting room, it's impossible for me to have knowledge of my patients' working conditions, so I don’t have the evidence to back up the kind of decision I'm being asked to make. That's the role of an occupational health doctor."
He went on: "In its current form this 'fit note' is likely to be misunderstood by doctors and patients alike. It also represents a fundamental shift of our responsibilities to our patients. GPs act as their patients' advocates, but we can't do that if we're also expected to be judge and jury, and effectively decide whether or not they get social security payments."
Nonetheless, the Government is determined to press ahead with the reforms, and wants a system that is more flexible and takes into account a changing world of work which is less physically demanding and allows employers to apply low-cost changes to facilitate an individual's return to work.
Lord Bill McKenzie, health and safety minister said: "Employers tell us that managing sickness absence can be a challenge. This is compounded by a 'sick note' system that makes sickness absence a black-and-white issue - either you are unfit for work, or you are not.
"We recognise how important it is to help people who are sick to stay in work, or get back to work quickly - the new 'fit note' will do just that."
Health minister, Ben Bradshaw, added: "We know that sickness absence is economically and socially damaging, and makes people more likely to drift into social exclusion and poverty. Getting people back into work quicker is good for their health as well as the country's finances."
The computer-generated 'fit note' is expected to be put into practice in the Spring of 2010.
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