{"id":4614,"date":"2017-10-13T12:41:33","date_gmt":"2017-10-13T12:41:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oakwoodtrainin.wpengine.com\/?p=4614"},"modified":"2023-12-06T13:46:38","modified_gmt":"2023-12-06T13:46:38","slug":"fit-note-or-sick-note","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/fit-note-or-sick-note\/","title":{"rendered":"Fit Note or Sick Note?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A “Fit Note”<\/strong> is a record of advice from your Doctor. But I wonder how many are used as they are actually intended? Are they really just Sick Notes by another name?”<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Doctor, I\u2019m stressed\u2026<\/p>\n

“Have you had trouble sleeping and concentrating?”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Uh huh..<\/p>\n

“Passing water more than usual?<\/em>“<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not really<\/p>\n

“Difficulty in switching off and relaxing?<\/em>“<\/strong><\/p>\n

Uh huh\u2026<\/p>\n

“You are stressed. Take two weeks off work\u2026here\u2019s a sick, I mean \u201cFit\u201d note.<\/em>“<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hmm\u2026 I know I am taking liberties here, but I need to get your attention somehow. And to be clear, I\u2019m not having a go at GP\u2019s- I\u2019m very fond of mine, but I wonder how many sick notes<\/strong> are still being dished out? You know what I mean- \u201csigned off on the sick\u201d<\/p>\n

Brace yourself as I swing the lantern a little…<\/h1>\n

In 2007 I had an operation on my shoulder, and because I did a particularly physical role at the time, I was \u201csigned off\u201d for over a month while I worked my way back to fitness.<\/p>\n

After a week or two to get the tablets out of my system I was climbing the walls (not literally\u2026my shoulder was just not up to it).  My cognitive ability was no worse than it was pre-op, and I was itching to do something\u2026anything! But I couldn\u2019t you see. Because of the sick note.<\/strong> The job wouldn\u2019t entertain it for insurance reasons.<\/p>\n

But in 2010 all that changed\u2026 The government realised that people could still do something while recovering from illness\/injury- maybe not the exact same job they were doing, but may still be able to contribute meaningfully.<\/p>\n

In fact, people living with mental health problems contributed \u00a3226 billion (12.2%)<\/strong> of the total UK GDP, and we probably lost another \u00a325 billion<\/strong> because we didn\u2019t manage others cases so well. There are other costs too, like staff and carers leaving the workforce, lost productivity, staff turnover, staff not able to access the workplace and absence were the result. Check out the link here.\u200b<\/a><\/p>\n

So they introduced the “Fit Note”…<\/h1>\n

Or to give it it\u2019s full name, \u201cThe Statement of Fitness For Work\u201d<\/p>\n

Rather than documenting what a person can\u2019t do or their inability to work, the focus is supposed to be on what they can do. The GP can tick the option \u201cMAY BE FIT FOR WORK\u201d<\/strong> with reasonable adjustments. <\/p>\n

I’m certainly not advocating dragging yourself in to work when you are unwell. The danger is we start to live to work, rather than work to live. <\/a><\/p>\n

With 45% of all workplace absence being down to Stress, Depression and Anxiety the Fit Note could really come into it\u2019s own.  <\/p>\n

of all absence is Stress, Anxiety Depression related: HSE<\/strong><\/p>\n

11.7 million <\/h1>\n

working days lost<\/strong><\/p>\n

23.9 <\/h1>\n

days per case<\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s a Win-Win!<\/h1>\n

Good for patients<\/strong>, because they can challenge assumptions about their ability to work and it gets them back to work faster. Its a way to help thrive rather than just survive. <\/a>In fact, in a survey from 2016, 86% of workers surveyed agreed that \u201cwork is a key factor in supporting and protecting my mental health.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n

Good for employers<\/strong> because, used properly they give information about what the employee CAN DO in the comments section.  <\/p>\n

And good for GP\u2019s<\/strong>, where it can guide conversations with patients about phased return to work, and help in challenging a patient\u2019s perceptions of what they can and can\u2019t do.<\/p>\n

So when I had my other shoulder operated on in 2011 I was back after a couple of weeks\u2026 (wishing for the good old days of sick notes!!)<\/p>\n

 And if I wanted to go back even earlier, I could have\u2026<\/p>\n

IMPORTANT<\/strong>: Your employee can go back to work at any time (including before the end of the fit note) without going back to see their doctor – even if their doctor has indicated that they need to assess them again. This will not breach your Employers Liability Compulsory Insurance, providing a suitable risk assessment has taken place if required. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cFit Note\u201d Guidance for employers and line managers.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Increasingly GP’s are prescribing treatments other than tablets and bed rest which has to be encouraged. As public awareness around all things “mental health” increases, this will surely place even more pressure on a system already creaking. <\/p>\n

The most common reason for issuing a Fit Note since 2014 is \u201cMental Health and behavioral conditions\u201d (31%). Fit notes for anxiety and stress rose from 503,000 in 15\/16 to 573,000 in 16\/17. <\/p>\n

503,000<\/strong> <\/h1>\n

2015\/16<\/strong><\/p>\n

573,000 <\/h1>\n

2016\/17<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stress and Anxiety Fit Notes <\/strong><\/p>\n

I have to wonder if they are being used as they should be. <\/p>\n

In closing…<\/h1>\n

We know that work is generally good for our overall wellbeing, and the best medical professionals know that. Complete bed rest may be appropriate in some cases, but the days of receiving a diagnosis and being sent home on gardening leave until you\u2019re better should be long gone.<\/p>\n

Your GP is not an expert in what you do specifically, but they can make recommendations about general working conditions, such as: Phased return, change in hours, or adjustments to the workplace.<\/p>\n

The note is not legally binding of course, but provides a great way to test the mission value statement that \u201cour people are at the very heart of what we do\u201d.<\/p>\n

Click on the links for more information if you are an <\/strong><\/em>Employer <\/strong><\/em><\/a>or <\/strong><\/em>Employee.<\/strong><\/em> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A “Fit Note” is a record of advice from your Doctor. But I wonder how many are used as they are actually intended? Are they really just Sick Notes by another name?” Doctor, I\u2019m stressed\u2026 “Have you had trouble sleeping and concentrating?” Uh huh.. “Passing water more than usual?“ Not really “Difficulty in switching off […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4622,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[98],"tags":[43,50,53,57],"post_folder":[],"yoast_head":"\nIs a "Fit Note" Really Just Sick Notes By Another Name?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/fit-note-or-sick-note\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is a "Fit Note" Just A Sick Note By Another Name?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A \u201cStatement of Fitness For Work\u201d or \u201cFit Note\u201d should do just that, tell the employer if you \u201cmay be fit for work\u201d with some adjustments. Not put you on bed rest or gardening leave. We know that work is good for our overall wellbeing- so why are we so quick to be signed off?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/fit-note-or-sick-note\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Oakwood Training\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-10-13T12:41:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-12-06T13:46:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Fit-note.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Terry Streather\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Terry Streather\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/fit-note-or-sick-note\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/fit-note-or-sick-note\/\",\"name\":\"Is a \\\"Fit Note\\\" Really Just Sick Notes By Another Name?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/fit-note-or-sick-note\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/fit-note-or-sick-note\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Fit-Note-Header.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-10-13T12:41:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-06T13:46:38+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/69cb1b6b9472dc11a23fab0539561219\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/fit-note-or-sick-note\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/fit-note-or-sick-note\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/fit-note-or-sick-note\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Fit-Note-Header.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Fit-Note-Header.png\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1280,\"caption\":\"Fit Note or Sick Note?\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/fit-note-or-sick-note\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Fit Note or Sick Note?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/\",\"name\":\"Oakwood Training\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/69cb1b6b9472dc11a23fab0539561219\",\"name\":\"Terry Streather\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f0ac2fadbe2a0d235e6a05171be2b1f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f0ac2fadbe2a0d235e6a05171be2b1f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Terry Streather\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/author\/terrystreather\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Is a \"Fit Note\" Really Just Sick Notes By Another Name?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/fit-note-or-sick-note\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Is a \"Fit Note\" Just A Sick Note By Another Name?","og_description":"A \u201cStatement of Fitness For Work\u201d or \u201cFit Note\u201d should do just that, tell the employer if you \u201cmay be fit for work\u201d with some adjustments. Not put you on bed rest or gardening leave. We know that work is good for our overall wellbeing- so why are we so quick to be signed off?","og_url":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/fit-note-or-sick-note\/","og_site_name":"Oakwood Training","article_published_time":"2017-10-13T12:41:33+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-12-06T13:46:38+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Fit-note.png"}],"author":"Terry Streather","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Terry Streather","Estimated reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/fit-note-or-sick-note\/","url":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/fit-note-or-sick-note\/","name":"Is a \"Fit Note\" Really Just Sick Notes By Another Name?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/fit-note-or-sick-note\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/fit-note-or-sick-note\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Fit-Note-Header.png","datePublished":"2017-10-13T12:41:33+00:00","dateModified":"2023-12-06T13:46:38+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/69cb1b6b9472dc11a23fab0539561219"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/fit-note-or-sick-note\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/fit-note-or-sick-note\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/fit-note-or-sick-note\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Fit-Note-Header.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Fit-Note-Header.png","width":1920,"height":1280,"caption":"Fit Note or Sick Note?"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/fit-note-or-sick-note\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Fit Note or Sick Note?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/","name":"Oakwood Training","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/69cb1b6b9472dc11a23fab0539561219","name":"Terry Streather","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f0ac2fadbe2a0d235e6a05171be2b1f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f0ac2fadbe2a0d235e6a05171be2b1f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Terry Streather"},"url":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/author\/terrystreather\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4614"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4614"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4614\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30352,"href":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4614\/revisions\/30352"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4614"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=4614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}