Sunak to cite Britain’s ‘sicknote culture’ in bid to overhaul fit note system

Rishi Sunak will coming declare Britain is suffering from a “sicknote culture”, arsenic he warns location is simply a consequence of “over-medicalising” normal worries by diagnosing them arsenic intelligence wellness conditions.

In a reside connected really to trim group being signed disconnected sick from work, nan premier curate will opportunity nan authorities is readying to proceedings getting “work and wellness professionals” to rumor fresh notes, shifting distant from GPs carrying retired this role.

Sunak will opportunity he is concerned astir nan summation successful semipermanent sickness since nan pandemic, mostly driven by intelligence wellness conditions pinch 2.8 cardinal group now “economically inactive”.

In narration to intelligence health, he will opportunity he would “never disregard aliases downplay nan illnesses group have”, but besides reason that location is simply a request to beryllium “more honorable astir nan consequence of over-medicalising nan mundane challenges and worries of life”.

His connection echoes that of Mel Stride, nan activity and pensions secretary, who has claimed that excessively often doctors “label aliases medicalise” conditions which successful nan past were seen arsenic “the ups and downs of life”.

As portion of a caller thrust to overhaul nan system, Sunak will opportunity 1 plank of nan reforms will beryllium testing whether work for issuing sicknotes should beryllium shifted from “overstretched” GPs to “specialist activity and wellness professionals who person nan dedicated clip to supply an nonsubjective appraisal of someone’s expertise to activity and nan tailored support they request to do so”.

The rule was changed past twelvemonth to let fresh notes to beryllium issued by immoderate doctor, nurse, pharmacist, physiotherapist aliases occupational therapist successful summation to GPs, who person traditionally overseen nan system. No 10 past nighttime would not explain whether nan authorities was readying to widen nan criteria further to let non-medical professionals to rumor aliases alteration fresh notes arsenic well.

Sunak will propose successful his reside that GPs are signing group disconnected sick for activity “by default”, pinch 11m fresh notes issued past year, of which 94% assessed group arsenic “not fresh for work”. No 10 claimed that nan fresh statement strategy has “opened nan floodgates for millions of group to beryllium written disconnected activity and into use without getting nan correct support and curen they mightiness request to thief them enactment successful work”.

However, extracts of nan reside released to nan media connected Thursday nighttime did not reside nan rumor of NHS intelligence wellness capacity, pinch NHS bosses informing “overwhelmed” services person been incapable to header pinch a large post-Covid summation successful group needing help.

Dr Sarah Hughes, main executive of nan intelligence wellness kindness Mind, said: “We are profoundly disappointed that nan premier minister’s reside continues a inclination successful caller rhetoric which conjures up nan image of a ‘mental wellness culture’ that has ‘gone excessively far’.

“This is harmful, inaccurate and contrary to nan reality for group up and down nan country. The truth is that intelligence wellness services are astatine breaking constituent pursuing years of underinvestment, pinch galore group getting progressively unwell while they hold to person support.”

She added: “To connote that it is easy some to beryllium signed disconnected activity and past to entree benefits is profoundly damaging. It is insulting to nan 1.9 cardinal group connected a waiting database to get intelligence wellness support, and to nan GPs whose master judgement is being called into question.”

James Taylor, nan head of strategy astatine nan disablement kindness Scope, said: “Much of nan existent grounds levels of inactivity are because our nationalist services are crumbling, nan value of jobs is mediocre and nan complaint of poorness among abnormal households is growing.”

Employment experts said nan number of fresh notes issued – 11m past twelvemonth – has not risen since earlier nan pandemic.

“Fit notes are not driving nan summation successful economical inactivity. They are not responsible for precocious levels of worklessness from sick health. Economic inactivity has been driven by group who are already retired of activity and person been for agelong periods,” said Tony Wilson, nan head of nan Institute for Employment Studies.

Plans to betterment nan fresh statement strategy were first flagged by Jeremy Hunt successful nan autumn statement. A caller work called WorkWell is owed to beryllium launched this twelvemonth successful 15 areas, which is described arsenic “early-intervention activity and wellness support and assessment”. This will beryllium targeted mostly astatine group pinch intelligence wellness and musculoskeletal conditions, pinch group who person fresh notes attending sessions pinch “work and wellness coaches” successful an effort to get them to return to employment.

The past Labour authorities introduced “fit notes” alternatively than “sicknotes” successful 2010 to put a caller accent connected doctors certifying what patients are capable to do, alternatively than what they cannot.

Alison McGovern, Labour’s acting protector activity and pensions secretary, said: “We’ve had 14 Tory years, 5 Tory premier ministers, 7 Tory chancellors, and nan consequence is simply a grounds number of group locked retired of activity because they are sick – astatine unspeakable costs to them, to business and to nan payer paying billions much successful spiralling benefits bills.”

Ruth Rankine, nan head of nan NHS Confederation’s superior attraction network, said its members had “long advocated for a reappraisal of nan fresh statement process which could beryllium much efficaciously managed done trained professionals that support group backmost into work”.

But she added: “The deeper problem isn’t nan strategy – it’s that group are sicker than they were and they person much analyzable healthcare needs. This is why it is captious nan authorities starts treating finance successful nan NHS arsenic an definitive instrumentality of economical improvement and also, that nan premier curate should lead a nationalist ngo for wellness betterment to displacement nan attraction from simply treating unwellness to promoting wellness and wellbeing.”