The fit note scheme
Sickness absence remains a source of great irritation and real cost to many employers. A recent CBI survey suggested that an estimated 172 million working days were lost to sickness absence in 2007, with an annual cost to the UK economy of £13.2 million.
In order to help more employees get the support that
they need to return to work, the Government has
introduced a new “fit note” scheme. This replaces the
previous “sick note” scheme from 6 April 2010.
The problem with the previous system was that
doctors could only advise patients on whether their
health condition meant they should or should not
return to work. Their employers did not have the
opportunity to consider how they could help them to
achieve an earlier return to work.