April 6: "Fit note" system begins
Statements of fitness for work, or "fit notes", will replace sick notes from 6 April 2010. The new fit note is intended to give employees and employers greater flexibility in managing sickness absence and to help more people to get the support that they need to get back to work.
Like sick notes, fit notes will be able to be used as evidence of why employees cannot work due to illness or injury. The main difference between the current sick note and the new fit note is a new option for doctors to advise that an employee "may be fit for work taking account of the following advice". Another difference between the current system and the new fit note system is that, during the first six months of an individual's sickness, a fit note cannot be issued for more than three months. After the first six months, the fit note can be issued for any appropriate period up to an indefinite period.
- Fit notes: overview; fit notes: dealing with sickness absence; fit notes: case study and fit notes: FAQs The XpertHR topic of the week series provides guidance on dealing with fit notes, including an overview of the new fit notes system, a look at how employers should deal with sickness absence in light of fit notes, and a case study that considers how employers should deal with sickness absence under the fit note system.
- Statement of fitness for work This is a sample version of the statement of the fitness for work (or "fit note") that a doctor can give to an employee as evidence of whether or not he or she is able to go to work.
Also
Statement of fitness for work: a guide for employers (PDF format, 457K) Official guidance on the Department for Work and Pensions website.
Black warns fit note will fail without detail The health expert who invented the fit note has warned it is in danger of becoming just "another version of writing a sick note".
Fit notes will lead to disputes over suitable work, say HR chiefs The Government's new fit note strategy will "inevitably" lead to disputes between employers and staff about what constitutes suitable work following a period of sickness absence, HR chiefs have warned.
