HALF of all sick notes are handed out without the patient seeing a doctor, damning government study reveals
Millions of sick notes are being doled out without patients having to see a GP or nurse in person, according to a damning Government study.
Millions of sick notes are being doled out without patients having to see a GP or nurse in person, according to a damning Government study.
Laying bare the scale of Britains sick note culture, the report reveals that 56 per cent of applicants are given them after a chat on the phone (37 per cent), applying online (13 per cent) or following a virtual consultation (6 per cent).
Nearly 11 million fit notes, which assess an individuals ability to work, were issued in England in the 12 months to June last year, suggesting as many as 6.1 million were handed out without seeing a GP or nurse in person.
The bombshell study also reveals that more than a third (39 per cent) of recipients said it is easy to get one even when not really needed.
Health workers freely admitted to researchers that they dole them out when it was not medically justified or without challenging patients, saying they were often afraid of a backlash amid growing numbers of people complaining of mental health problems.
Others said that the typical ten-minute appointment was not long enough for assessing patients or that rejecting an application can create hours more paperwork if the patient complains.
The report last night piled pressure on Labour to overhaul the system to tackle the sick note epidemic.
Former prime minister Rishi Sunak laid out plans to overhaul the regime last April, saying that claiming sickness and then benefits had become a lifestyle choice for some amid a spiralling welfare bill.
Millions of sick notes are being doled out without patients having to see a GP or nurse in person, according to a damning Government study
Medics and patients have spoken out about the way the sick note system is abused
Nearly 11 million fit notes, which assess an individuals ability to work, were issued in England in the 12 months to June last year, suggesting as many as 6.1million were handed out without seeing a GP or nurse in person
The plan included stripping GPs of their power to sign people off work. But the general election was called and the proposals have not been taken up by Labour.
The study, commissioned by the work and pensions and health departments and quietly slipped out this week amid the backlash over Donald Trumps trade tariffs, involved focus groups and one-to-one interviews with 84 GPs and nurses, 43 patients and 28 employers.
It found the main frustration of health workers was patients apparently playing the system, with many feeling they were entitled to a fit note even when there was no medical justification for it.
Researchers noted a very consistent perception that it was easy for someone to obtain a fit note inappropriately, with almost all health workers believing they could be issued where it is not necessarily appropriate.
One nurse told researchers: It takes two minutes to sign a sick note, and 20 minutes to explain to someone why they shouldnt have a sick note, so you can see why theyre easily disseminated to patients.
Some health workers said they thought most inappropriate fit notes likely related to people claiming mental health issues.
One GP said: If somebody comes and says theyre, you know, very, very stressed, or low in mood and depressed, and they want time off work, I dont really question that, I will give them a sick note for that.
Elliot Keck, head of campaigns at the TaxPayers Alliance, said: Its difficult to read this report and not come to the conclusion that the fit note system is not fit for purpose. Its clear medical professionals are often acting as little more than rubber stampers.
Ministers need to make the process much stricter to ensure that only those who are genuinely ill can get signed off.
The work and pensions and health departments were contacted for comment.