The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has introduced a change which now allows nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists and physiotherapists to legally certify fit notes, in new measures designed to help reduce the pressure on NHS doctors, particularly GPs by “slashing unnecessary bureaucracy”.
Fit notes provide evidence to employers about a person's absence for more than seven days and any relevant advice on how to support their employees to remain in or return to work. They also provide evidence for claims to benefits, including Universal Credit, for those who are out of work.
Updated guidance for health care professionals and their employers on these changes has been published on the GOV.UK website, setting out how to support people to remain in work while managing a health condition. This has been worked up and agreed with health professionals and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to ensure these changes deliver benefits for both patients and clinicians.
The existing guidance for employers, employees and patients has also been updated - find out more here.
The DWP said this significant change recognises the importance of supporting people to remain in work while managing a health condition by providing advice to an employer about how to support someone. By including a wider range of healthcare professionals, the change also streamlines the process.
The change applies across Scotland, England and Wales and is being mirrored in Northern Ireland. The DWP said it will support and empower better conversations about work and health between employers and staff by making it easier to get advice certified by the most relevant healthcare professional.
It is also hoped it will improve a patient's experience and reduce pressure on doctors as people will no longer have to be sent to a doctor to have the fit note signed when seeing and receiving treatment from an alternative professional for their health condition.
The change is being delivered in GP surgeries, hospital and other NHS settings where healthcare professionals delivering NHS services will have access to the new fit note form.
Commenting on the change, Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work Chloe Smith MP, said: “Having a health condition doesn’t have to take you out of a job. This change will make it easier for people and employers to get the advice they need so people can stay in work, whilst also reducing bureaucracy and freeing up doctors' time.
"Too often we see people being faced with unnecessary challenges to get a fit note. More professionals being able to offer this vital service will speed up the process and support people to return to or remain in work."
Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid MP, said: “Slashing unnecessary bureaucracy is key to ensuring more patients can see their GP quickly and get the care they need as we bust the Covid backlogs.
“That’s why we have introduced these powers to ensure certifying fit notes can be carried out by other healthcare professionals - helping to relieve pressures on GPs so they can focus on patients and deliver an extra 50 million appointments a year by 2024.”
The changes to the fit note process deliver on commitments made last year to reduce ill health related job loss in the UK Government’s ‘Health is Everyone’s Business’ consultation response.
Director of Practice and Development at Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Ashley James said: “Physiotherapists are already at the forefront of patient care but these new powers to certify fit notes will ensure a more efficient process to support patients’ return to work.
“Physiotherapist expertise is often key in having health and work conversations and providing effective rehabilitation throughout the return to work journey. Getting treatment and support right can help patients remain in work and manage conditions effectively or return to work in a timely manner.”
Chair of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists Specialist Section for Work, Dr Jain Holmes, added that the new opportunity will mean more people can get expert advice from occupational therapists.
Dr Holmes said: “The profession is keen to show how we identify work and health needs and then provide tailored advice for the people we see.”
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