Rishi Sunak wants to stop GPs from providing sick notes
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If the Tories win the general election, Mr Sunak wants to make it harder for some patients to obtain a sick note.
Disability charities reacted with anger, with Scope branding the plans "a full-on assault on disabled people".
They suggested the planned reforms were "driven by bringing costs down rather than how we support disabled people".
Labour says the government has "run out of ideas".
In his speech, Mr Sunak said a "worrying" proportion of younger potential workers were among a record high of 2.8m people out of work as of February 2024.
"There's nothing compassionate about leaving a generation of young people to sit alone in the dark before a flickering screen watching as their dreams slip further from reach every single day," he said.
Mr Sunak also said, if the Conservatives win the general election, those who were still out of work after 12 months after support from a work coach will have "their benefits removed entirely".
He denied claims his plans lacked compassion, arguing that there would still be a "safety net" for "those who genuinely need it".
But he added: "We don't just need to change the sick note, we need to change the sick note culture so the default becomes what work you can do - not what you can't."
What is a sick note?
Sick notes are officially know as fitness to work notes. They are written evidence that your ill health is affecting your fitness for work. A "fit note" certifies a patient is sick, confirming a valid reason for staying off work and eligibility for sick pay.
Why would somebody need a sick note?
Employees can self-certify absence due to illness for seven days and in most cases, qualify for sick pay. But if their illness means they need to be absent for longer, they need a fit note to continue to receive sick pay and also to qualify for some welfare payments.
Who can sign-off a sick note?
GPs used to be the only healthcare professionals able to sign a sick note. In 2022, this was widened to include nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists, and physiotherapists.
2px presentational grey line
Mr Sunak said not acting would be "irresponsible" when he claimed the current £17.6bn personal independence payments (PIP) bill is forecast to rise by more than 50% over the next four years.
Part of that change would be more "objective assessment" by unspecified "specialist work and health professionals" rather than GPs, Mr Sunak said, claiming the system is currently being "undermined" by "subjective and unverifiable claims" about capability.
The government will launch a consultation on toughening up the eligibility criteria for PIP by demanding "greater medical evidence" about the type and severity of mental health conditions.
"All of which will make the system fairer and harder to exploit," said Mr Sunak, adding PIP bank transfers could be replaced by "access to treatment like talking therapies or respite care".
However, Mr Sunak was unable to provide any details about which "specialist professionals" would be given the job of issuing fit notes and whether they would have to be recruited.
'Ongoing onslaught'
Richard Kramer, chief executive at disability charity Sense, said the speech was "unbelievably damaging and unhelpful", and falsely portrayed disabled people "as shirkers" when many want to work but are prevented from doing so by negative attitudes, unfair recruiting practices and a lack of support and equipment.
He accused the government of carrying out an "ongoing onslaught" against disabled people that was "hard to watch".
Dan Scorer, of learning disability charity Mencap, said many people with a learning disability are already struggling to get by on current benefit rates, resulting in them taking extreme actions including skipping meals and not turning on lights or the heating.
"The government needs to stop demonising disabled people when it is the system that is failing, and ensure that those who need financial support get the right amount," he said.
NHS data showed almost 11m fit notes were issued last year in England, with 94% of those signed "not fit for work".
A call for evidence will be published on Friday seeking responses from healthcare professionals, employers, and those with lived experiences asking how the current process works and how it can be improved.
'Blaming people who are ill'
The British Medical Association (BMA) said people were struggling to get the treatment they need to be able to return to work because of delays and waiting lists in the NHS.
Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, chairwoman of the BMA's GP committee, said that rather than "pushing hostile rhetoric" the prime minister should focus on what is stopping patients from receiving the healthcare they needed which in turn prevented them working.
Dr Chris Jacobs, a GP in Swindon, said it could benefit GPs by having others put in charge of issuing fit notes but said they would need to be trained to deal with physical and mental health.
"We are a diminishing work force on a full-time equivalent basis so I don't think our time is best spent [filling in fit notes]," he said.
Dr Mohit Mandiratta, a GP partner in Halesowen near Birmingham, said he saw people every day who needed fit notes for medical reasons, with the majority of those being "wholly appropriate".
"I certainly see people who, with more support, could do more work and most importantly they want to work," he said.
He said people needed a personalised approach and may need physical and medical support as well as help with things such as their confidence or interview technique.
"The reason people are off work is very specific. It's not always cut and straight," he added.
Labour leader Keir Starmer said the PM's announcement was a "reheated version" of something the government announced seven years ago, a reference to a policy announced by then-PM Theresa May in 2017.
This was in contrast to Labour's "laser-like focus" to deal with "the problem of people getting back into work", he added.
"The big problem here, frankly, is that the government has broken the NHS and waiting lists are up... so that's where the focus needs to be," he said, adding: "It's no good talking about the problem - what we need is action."
Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said the speech was "desperate" when millions are unable to access NHS hospitals, GPs and mental health support.
Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer said the prime minister "should be fixing the NHS... not blaming people who are ill."
What a vile grinch. Has any Tory ever actually worked a day in their lives?
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“Anyone who wants to thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state has to support bolstering Hamas and transferring money to Hamas, this is part of our strategy” —Netanyahu
戦争ではなく戦争と戦う
GOP Predators
Not just handing sick certification over to Tory yes-men, but also ending unemployment benefits after 12 months regardless of how genuine the claimant is. I guess he's taking a step to the right to appeal to his core supporters whose political taste runs to such things. But I'll wager it'll never happen. The Tories will be out on their ear at the next election. He's just given people who care about the poor another good reason for voting against him.
He has also portrayed mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression as being the "normal ups and downs of life."
He has talked about people with adhd who are disabled and who are claiming disability benefits for it as "gaming the system".
He has said people with mental health conditions, including autism, who claim disability may have their cash payments stopped and replaced with talking therapies.
So I guess that when autistic folk who are massively underemployed or unemployed in the economy try to get welfare in the future, they will be told they can have 'talking therapies' instead of money.
The UK is going to end up being a third world country with the conservatives at the helm.
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Diagnoses: AS, Depression, General & Social Anxiety
I guess I just wasn't made for these times.
- Brian Wilson
Δυνατὰ δὲ οἱ προύχοντες πράσσουσι καὶ οἱ ἀσθενεῖς ξυγχωροῦσιν.
Those with power do what their power permits, and the weak can only acquiesce.
- Thucydides
The prophets have spoken.
And this looks quite encouraging:
https://www.politico.eu/europe-poll-of- ... d-kingdom/
With a big, consistent gap like that over the whole year, it's hard to believe Labour won't romp home and rub the Zombie Tory party's face in it good and proper. I think the Tories have noticed that the right-wing populist Reform UK is stealing their core supporters, hence Sumak's desperate attempt to steal their clothes via right-wing policy promises.
Labour aside, I dont know who they plan on using to carry out fitness to work assessments. Would have thought a GP would be the best person in the first place.
Silly me. Sometimes us Americans idealize Labor as if they're that much better than the Dems.
_________________
Diagnoses: AS, Depression, General & Social Anxiety
I guess I just wasn't made for these times.
- Brian Wilson
Δυνατὰ δὲ οἱ προύχοντες πράσσουσι καὶ οἱ ἀσθενεῖς ξυγχωροῦσιν.
Those with power do what their power permits, and the weak can only acquiesce.
- Thucydides
Me neither!
There's been a bit of speculation that he'll call the election early next week to try to take the sting out of the local elections on Thursday.
But I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to hang on as long as possible.
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Me neither!
There's been a bit of speculation that he'll call the election early next week to try to take the sting out of the local elections on Thursday.
But I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to hang on as long as possible.
I'll be surprised if he doesn't hang on until the second half of the year, which he has already hinted at with press releases.
Me neither!
There's been a bit of speculation that he'll call the election early next week to try to take the sting out of the local elections on Thursday.
But I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to hang on as long as possible.
They usually do.
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