Sick Note to Fit Note
23 February 2010
Please note that from the 6 April 2010 the sick note will change and become the ‘fit note’. It is intended that the new Statement of Fitness to Work (Fit Note) can help get employees back to work with Doctors being able to advise people who are on sick leave for over 7 days on whether, with extra support from their employer, they could return to work earlier and on what grounds.
Evidence shows that work is generally good for your health and that often going back to work can actually aid a person’s recovery. On the other hand, staying off work can lead to long-term absence and job loss with the risk of isolation, loss of confidence, mental health issues, de-skilling and social exclusion.
The new fit note will ask GPs to state whether individuals are 'unfit for work', or 'may be fit for work taking account of the following advice'.
Doctors will then be told to list whether the employee would benefit from a phased return to work, altered hours, amended duties or workplace adaptations, but the note does not require them to go into detail regarding which activities an employee can carry out at work.
The Department for Work and Pensions has published guidance to help employers use the new fit note and get staff back to work following periods of ill-health.
You can access this from their website:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/fitnote
If you would like to see a sample of the new fit note, then please click the link below:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/med3-fitnote-sample.pdf
The new guidance states that if an employer does not understand the advice on the fit note, they should discuss it with the employee in question, and if the matter is not resolved, they could then contact the GP in person for clarification. However, this could come at a cost to the employer.
In addition the guidance says ‘If you are still unsure about the advice given that you may want to consider advice from an occupational health professional or write to the GP for further information.
The guidance also states that the GP’s advice on the fit note is not binding and is up to the employer how they would act on the advice. Therefore if you believe that an employee cannot perform reduced duties or hours as suggested by the GP they will be treated as if the GP had stated not fit for work.
Over the coming weeks HR Solutions will be reviewing all client’s Sickness Absence policies and providing bespoke recommendations of changes. If however you wish to find out more now then please don’t hesitate to contact your account manager.