Revised guidance on the Fit Note has been given by the Government to GPs and doctors. This is to ensure judgments about fitness to work move away from job-specific assessments and focus on what a person can do, rather than what they can’t. Employers and patients can then use the Fit Note to help an individual back to work by looking at what changes could be made to their specific jobs and workplaces. The guidance clarifies that the fit note is about someones general fitness for work and is not tied to their most recent job, allowing flexibility to discuss what changes could help someone do some work.
Peter Stanway, our BackupHR legal expert comments:
Cynics may argue that the advice was necessary because many GPs had never really understood the change from sick to fit notes. This guidance does represent a shift in approach in asking GPs to be more flexible in their thinking and consider what their patient might be able to do, if they believe they are not yet ready to return to ‘their job’ straight away, but could do something. What is also required is the same flexibility from employers and employees to come back to a different job, different hours or whatever else works for both parties.
The guidance provided in this article is just that – guidance. Before taking any action make sure that you know what you are doing, or call us for specific advice.