Employers will welcome changes to transform the sick note culture to a ‘well note’ culture, said the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

The ‘well note’ will encourage GPs to offer fitness to work advice to patients and employers as part of the government’s plans to reduce the 2.64 million on incapacity benefit.

Research from the CIPD shows that GPs are typically rated negatively by employers for the level of support they provide in helping people with mental health problems return to work.

Almost 40 per cent of employers rate GP support in this area as either very poor or fairly poor, compared to only 20 per cent who rate GP support as good or very good.

The survey also shows that employers currently receive medical reports from GPs for just half of employees off work with long term mental health problems; even though seven in 10 employers report they contact GPs to ask them to provide such a report.

Employers are supporting a range of proposals including:

• A revamped Med 3 Sick note including more information on phased return to work – 77 per cent of employers thought this would be effective or fairly effective




• Improved training for GPs on ‘fitness for work’ issues – 77 per cent of respondents rated this proposal as effective or fairly effective




• Changes to GPs contracts to incentivise closer working with patients’ employers and provision of advice on phased return to work – supported by 70 per cent of respondents as effective or fairly effective




• An electronic sick note system to provide faster and clearer communication between GPs and employers – 52 per cent rated this proposal as likely to be effective or fairly effective, although 20 per cent rated this proposal as ineffective or fairly ineffective




• Employment advisers in GP surgeries – supported by 60 per cent of HR practitioners as likely to be effective compared to 13 per cent who thought the opposite

Mike Emmott, CIPD employee relations adviser, said: “If government wants to achieve its objectives on welfare reform, it must act to ensure GPs are fully aware of the crucial role they have to play in working with employers to prevent people slipping in to long-term sickness absence.

“All too often the reality today is a quickly scribbled note signing someone off for another period of weeks. This can contribute to long-term sickness absence, and often to extended periods on incapacity benefits.”