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Fit Notes: one year on

 

Sick Notes were replaced with the Statement of Fitness to Work or “Fit Note” in April 2010. Since then, the new Coalition Government has been set up and has come out fighting against the burden of incapacity benefit on the state. Welfare Reform and the Government’s determination to “make it pay to work” have led to an aggressive move to shift people from incapacity benefit to job seeker’s allowance, and ultimately, back into work.

Add to that the fact that the Government recently published a paper titled “Healthy Lives Healthy People: Our Strategy for Public Health in England” (1) and initiated a review of sickness absence, and it becomes clear that they intend to shift more of the burden of responsibility for the nation’s health from the state to individuals, local communities and importantly, employers.

So, at a time when employers are increasingly expected to help minimise the impact of employee absence and the often avoidable transition to incapacity benefit, is the Fit Note living up to the best of its expectations and helping employers keep people in work?

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