Long waiting times and access to interventions can be a barrier to returning to work, says DAUK’s GP committee.
Dr Rosie Shire, DAUK GP committee member, challenged assertions GPs ‘immediately write people off with a fit note’.
She was speaking on national radio about a pilot scheme the Government says will help GP practices get people back to work.
Dr Shire said that how the Government’s launch document spoke about fit notes was that once written by a GP, that patient ‘was off forever’.
“That’s not the case,” she said.
“A sicknote is given because someone is unwell. It gives that person time to recover or to wait for interventions such as investigations or surgery.
Support earlier
“There are times when someone has, say, back pain or mild depression or anxiety. Getting them support earlier would be really good.
“But to say GPs stop giving out sicknotes and instead we refer everybody who gets one to get them back into work – there are a lot of people who are more seriously unwell and it’s not as simple as that.
“Most people who are unable to work long-term would actually love to work.”
Speaking on LBC, Dr Shire was asked about the numbers of fit notes issued having doubled since 2015.
“We know that Covid has caused a lot of long-term problems,” she said.
“Maybe it’s that people have struggled to get interventions.
“If you have a mental health issue or are struggling with workplace stress, getting early access to therapy to support you means, perhaps, you can go back to work sooner.
Waiting times
“But if you’re having to wait six months for that intervention or you need a knee replacement because you can’t do your job, having to wait a year or longer for that surgery means you can’t work.
“It’s not as simple as just stop giving a sicknote.
“We want people to work and people do want to work, and that’s really important.”
The WorkWell Primary Care Innovation Fund will is backed by £1.5 million across 15 regions.
The Government says the scheme will look to find other ways to help people back into work.
It is expected to support up to 56,000 disabled people and people with health conditions into work by spring 2026.
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