4 weeks ago
GPs moving successful nan NHS are routinely penning sick notes for patients they person not seen, doctors person claimed.
Family doctors admit that '95 per cent' of requests for clip disconnected are waved done aft an email petition without immoderate further assessment.
They besides admit sick notes are 'rarely ever' denied.
Some declare that doctors are 'too frightened to refuse' sick notes because they interest patients will go fierce aliases constitute a antagonistic reappraisal of nan GP believe connected societal media.
'We don't want to consequence confrontation,' claimed 1 GP based successful nan North of England. 'Often, we don't cognize nan patient. We conscionable spot nan petition successful our inbox and okay it.'
In a awesome reside today, Rishi Sunak will pass that a surge successful group signed disconnected sick pinch intelligence wellness conditions is placing 'unsustainable' unit connected nan use budget
The revelation comes aft Rishi Sunak announced plans coming to portion GPs of their powerfulness to motion group disconnected work.
The Prime Minister described nan move arsenic an effort to tackle nan UK's 'sick statement culture' which was causing a 'spiralling' use measure owed to nan grounds number of group out-of-work pinch illness.
Latest figures propose 2.8 cardinal Britons are 'economically inactive' owed to sick health. Around half are signed disconnected pinch depression, worry and bad nerves.
Sunak added that it was clip to beryllium 'more honorable astir nan consequence of over-medicalising nan mundane challenges and worries of life'.
Labour criticised nan plan, arguing that nan Government had 'run retired of ideas'. Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer accused Sunak of 'blaming group who are ill'.
However, galore GPs welcomed nan change, which would spot sick notes – known successful nan NHS arsenic fresh notes – go nan work of teams of 'specialist activity and wellness professionals'.
Key points from PM's sick statement speech
- Piloting utilizing master teams to measure what activity group tin do, alternatively than GPs signing them disconnected semipermanent sick
- Anyone connected benefits for 12 months who does not comply pinch conditions group by their activity coach should beryllium stripped of handouts entirely
- Speeding up displacement to Universal Credit for those connected 'outdated' bequest benefits
- A use fraud crackdown including caller powers to transportation retired warrants for searches, seizures and arrests
'There needs to beryllium a rethink successful really we decently measure semipermanent aliases chronic disease,' said Professor Dame Clare Gerada, erstwhile president of nan Royal College of General Practitioners.
'We request to spot if location are different ways to support group than signing disconnected a sick note.
'It's very difficult to opportunity no. General believe is successful freefall. We person less GPs, less specialists and we are seeing acold excessively galore patients.
'We can't beryllium expected to measure them all. It doesn't mean we don't care, because we do. But we simply whitethorn not person clip to spot each personification who is disconnected sick.'
A GP root said that galore family doctors were 'deliriously happy' pinch nan move.
'Fit notes create conflict betwixt GPs and their patients,' nan root added.
'Doctors are often excessively frightened to garbage to motion patients disconnected because they interest they will get angry.
'This mightiness lead to nan diligent showing up astatine nan room and acting aggressively to nan unit aliases they will time off a bad reappraisal online which damages their reputation.
'Most days I'll person astir 4 aliases 5 fresh statement requests. I'll only spot nan diligent if they person developed a caller condition, which is almost ne'er nan lawsuit because astir group asking for a statement person long-running issues for illustration symptom aliases anxiety.
'I'd opportunity that astir 95 per cent of nan fresh notes I woody pinch are handled without seeing nan patient. And I seldom ever contradict them. It's not worthy nan stress'.
The Royal College of General Practitioners has been approached for comment.
