The Prime Minister has backed the proposal for a new independent service to sign
workers’ long-term sicknotes, instead of GPs. The plan, which Pete wrote about at the weekend, is aimed at
ensuring that people on sick pay or sickness-related benefits really are too ill to work. Cameron describes how it would work in today’s Mail:
This all comes out of a report for the government by Dame Carol Black and David Frost. They find that sick days cost employers £9 billion a year – through sick pay and associated costs like recruiting temps – and the overall cost to the economy is £15 billion. Meanwhile, health-related benefits cost the government £13 billion and, Cameron claims, this places a heavy burden on doctors:‘The independent service would be free to all employers from four weeks of sickness absence, with the option for employers to pay for it earlier. It would provide an in-depth assessment of an individual’s physical and mental function. So if they’re unable to work, they’ll be helped – but if they are fit, they’ll be identified and supported back into the workplace. This doesn’t just mean better advice for employees and employers in making the adjustments necessary for a faster return to work. It’s also potentially a vital step in getting to grips with sickness fraud.’
The PM stresses the scale of the problem, and the fact that the current benefits system can keep people out of work well beyond their illness – sometimes even for life:‘it’s frustrating for GPs too, many of whom resent being asked to sign the sicknotes. They want to focus on making people better, not spend their time policing the benefit system.’
In fact, that 300,000 is just for Employment Support Allowance. In this week’s magazine, we looked at claimants of two other health-related benefits – incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance – to see what their illnesses are:‘Every year more than 300,000 people fall out of work and on to health-related benefits. Many… fall ill, get signed off by their GP, their fitness isn’t checked again; and before they know it they’re on a conveyer belt to a life on benefits.’
As Cameron says,
‘some of these people genuinely can’t work, and we must support them. That’s only fair. But it’s also fair that those who can return to work should be supported to do so.’
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