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Members of the Institute of Payroll Professionals (IPP) have outlined their recommendations to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) about the proposed reforms to sick notes.

The Reforming of the Medical Statement consultation opened by the DWP in May, set out proposals to change the ’sick note culture’ and help more people stay in work rather than drift into long term absence.

The purpose of this consultation was to seek views about the format of the new computer generated medical ‘fit note’ which will explain to employers what work an employee is able to undertake upon returning to work.

The IPP has responded to the consultation process following a survey of their 5000 members.

In the survey two thirds (67.2%) of respondents agreed that medical statements should only be issued when an employee is assessed as ‘not fit for work” or ‘may be fit for some work’. However, many believed that medical statements should also include a ‘fully fit for work’ option as the employer needs evidence that the employee is fit to fully undertake their job responsibilities.

Many believed that in instances where an employee ‘may be fit for some work’ the GP must have the option to include more details as employers have a ‘duty of care’ to consider if an employee was to come back to work before the certified date of return.

Four fifths of the IPP respondents (79.4%) also believed that the maximum duration of a medical statement should be less than six months, with many supporting a three month period.

Providing doctors with the opportunity to indicate where the employee may benefit from common types of workplace or job role changes to support their recovery was also supported with 80% agreeing to the introduction of a list of options to aid the GP’s decision.

Most concerns highlighted in the survey surrounded the viability for a doctor to accurately assess someone as ‘fit for some work’ as they have minimal or no knowledge of the workplace setup or conditions.

From a payroll perspective the main concern surrounded how Statutory Sick Pay would be paid at times when an employee returns to work on reduced hours due to the ‘fit for some work’ assessment.

However ,most felt that the introduction of computer generated sick notes (with a practice stamp) would aid administration, not only for record keeping but also by making medical certificates easier to decipher.

Karen Thomson, Associate Director of Policy, Research and Strategic Visibility, at the IPP says: “The IPP is grateful for the opportunity to comment on the consultation on Draft Regulations for Reforming the Medical Statement. In order to gain a true representation of our membership the IPP decided to commission research to discover what payroll professionals in the UK thought about the proposed changes. The majority of IPP members who responded are in favour of all the proposals within the consultation, however there is a resounding vote for more clarity in certain areas.”

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Filed under: Press Releases on August 31st, 2009

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