Fit Notes

A new medical ‘Fit Note’ to improve the management of sickness absence is undergoing a 12 week consultation period which ends on 19 August.

DWP hopes that the new system, which allows a doctor to indicate that an employee may be fit for some work, rather than the blanket fit or unfit under the current certificate process, will help  people get back to work sooner and be able to stay there, instead of drifting into long term sickness absence.

The new Fit Notes are due to come into use in spring 2010, and will also simplify the process for GPs and allow them to be printed rather than handwritten.

Statistics show that about 2.6% of working time was lost to illness in 2007, abd 40% of days lost to absence are due to absences lasting over four weeks. In May 2008 (latest available data) 2.6 million people were on incapacity benefits.