New ‘fit note’ to help an employee back to work after illness
29/01/2010

A new ‘fit note’ is going to be introduced in place of the doctor’s sick note on 6 April 2010 if Parliament approves the changes. The note will help an employee return to work sooner by providing more information about the effects of their illness or injury.

Fit note – changes explained.
The new fit note will be called the ‘Statement of Fitness for Work’ and will be used in England, Scotland and Wales. It will have more information than the present doctor’s sick note. The main changes will mean:

• An employees GP will be able to say if they think they are ‘not fit for work’ or ‘may be fit for work’
• An employees GP can add advice to the note for the employer on how simple changes to the job they do may allow them to return to work earlier
• there will be fewer kinds of medical statements forms issued by GPs