subject: Fit For Work? - Sickness Policy [print this page] With the current sick note policy changing in April this year, employees and employers alike will no doubt see a huge change in how absence is recorded and authorised, impacting employers sickness policy. But what do the changes really mean?
The current sick note system allows GPs to sign an individual off work for a period of up to six months incapacity, before the individual moves into the state incapacity benefit system - a system which has been subject to abuse in some situations. Under the new "fit note" approach the aim is to change the culture to one which encourages a partnership between GP and employer to help those with a disability or a long-term medical condition to return to productive work faster.
Whilst many have welcomed this approach, how it will actually work has yet to be seen with a large number of unanswered questions raised by trade unions, health professionals and employers alike.
A major concern is that the new "fit note" seems to be rather complex with GPs being asked a range of questions. These span from what the patient can and cannot do in the workplace, whether they would benefit from amended duties through to whether any changes should be made to their working environment. GPs themselves have questioned whether they will be able to make the appropriate recommendations from a short consultation with the patient. These concerns could ultimately have a major impact on sickness policy and procedure.
Concerns have also been raised around the training of GPs, after all, they are not trained experts in the field of occupational health so will they receive any extra coaching in order to make these recommendations? Other questions which need to be answered are: will there be any consistency and checking of the questioning? What information will they request from the patient and how long will they speak to them? Then there is the risk that some of the recommendations made could prove to be inappropriate or too costly for the employer to make and have a large impact on sickness policy, so what happens then?
A solution would be to include an occupational health professional in the process. Many employers already have access to these services either in-house, out sourced, or via group insurance / benefit policies within their current sickness policy. FirstCare provide occupational health to organisations which can be either integrated within their absence management solution or offered as a standalone service. Occupational health is a specialty in its own right and as such, experts trained in this area are much better placed to make the judgments required within the new "fit note" system. Occupational health enables businesses to mitigate the risk of cases becoming long term, difficult and litigious whilst supporting the employee back into the workplace.
Whatever happens, whether the fit note stays or goes, you should ensure that your sickness absence policy reflects the changes to the process and most importantly keeps the elements of best practice. Every spell of absence should be followed up with a return-to-work interview where you can identify the reasons for absence and assess whether the employee is able to do their job as it is. Guidance on the new fit note process has been published this week and the Department for Work and Pensions is urging all employers to visit www.dwp.gov.uk/fitnote to find out more.
