Sick Leave Policy A Missed Opportunity

Government proposals to dramatically revamp the sick note system have been labelled a 'missed opportunity' by the medical profession and trade unions.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said the proposals announced in February by health secretary Alan Johnson "rather than address the real problems, make things worse. By focusing on information to the employer rather than the employee, they may serve to undermine the relationship between the GP and the patient, and lead to accusations that doctors are being asked to police the benefits system."

He added: "Rather than focus on sick notes, the government should be looking at how to give people who have been off for some time the right to return to work on a phased or reduced basis without losing all their benefits straight away, improve access to rehabilitation services, and invest more in preventing people from becoming ill at work in the first place."

Dr Peter Holden, a lead negotiator for the BMA's General Practitioners Committee, said: "Confirming that a patient is unwell is very different from making a judgment on whether someone is well enough to do their job. This may be determined by a host of other non-medical factors concerning the equipment they are using or the physical environment in which they work. GPs should not be there to police the system."

In the meantime, Trade unions have called for more efforts to ensure sick workers are allowed the time and resources to recuperate properly and for decent job opportunities for those with disabilities.

UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis commented: "Not all work is good for you. Working in the public sector can be stressful and specific health complaints arise for certain professions. It is a sad fact that 75 per cent of ambulance staff retire at 54 due to the physical and mental demands of the job. Nurses, cleaners, cooks, refuse collectors and homecare workers are some of the many staff plagued by back injuries in the pubic sector."

He added: "We want employers to adopt a rehabilitative approach, rather taking punitive action. It is good practice to work with employees to give them sufficient time to recover, and to allow a phased return to work if they need it. It is unacceptable for people to be forced back into work and into a spiral of declining health."

Paul Kenny, GMB general secretary, said the government's decision to shutdown 28 Remploy factories would make it harder to get people with disabilities into and keep them in work. "Ministers simply need to face up to the fact that in today's labour market able bodied and fully fit workers get jobs ahead of those who are disabled and those not fully fit." he said.

Source: TUC Risks

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