The Government has announced a new initiative that aims to transform how fit notes are issued and help people with health conditions back into employment. 15 regions across England are set to benefit from the WorkWell Primary Care Innovation Fund, which will enable WorkWell sites to connect patients to local support services to provide work and health advice.
According to the Government, 93% of fit notes issued electronically in primary care across England last year declared people “not fit for work”, offering no constructive alternative or support pathway. Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, said: “This pilot is a step towards transforming a broken system that’s been failing people for years.
“It isn’t just about freeing up GPs to treat patients rather than fill in forms. It’s about fundamentally changing the conversation from ‘you can’t’ to ‘how can we help you?’ When someone walks into their doctor’s surgery worried about their job, they should walk out with a plan, not just a piece of paper that closes doors.”
Interventions via the new fund could include:
- Hiring work and health coaches, social prescribers or occupational therapists for GP teams to refer patients to for holistic support, help and advice, from gym memberships to career coaching
- Supporting and upskilling occupational therapists or physiotherapists to issue fit notes and improve the quality of work and health advice given to a patient
- Upskilling GPs and wider GP teams to improve their ability to support patients with local work and health advice.
An employee is returning to work after an illness, what should I do?
