GPs are to be stripped of their power to allow people to leave work, under plans to crack down on Britain’s ‘sick note culture’.
In a major speech today, Rishi Sunak will warn that a rise in the number of people ill with mental health problems is putting “unsustainable” pressure on the social budget.
The Prime Minister will say it is time to be “more honest about the risk of overmedicalisation of life’s daily challenges and worries” and say politicians must be bold enough to tackle the problem.
It will present a vision of a “new social deal for Britain”, in which people will be expected to work as much as possible, in return for help to tackle the health problems that are holding them back.
New figures released this week revealed that the number of people considered “economically inactive” after receiving long-term sickness benefits has jumped by a third since the start of the pandemic and now stands at a staggering figure of 2.8 million.
In a major speech today, Rishi Sunak will warn that a rise in the number of ill people with mental health problems is putting “unsustainable” pressure on the welfare budget.
New figures this week revealed that the number of people considered “economically inactive” after being placed on long-term sickness benefits has jumped by a third since the start of the pandemic.
About half suffer from depression, anxiety and nervous disorders.
In total, 9.4 million people aged 16 to 64 are economically inactive, meaning they are neither working nor looking for work.
The Prime Minister will also present figures showing GPs issue ‘adjustment notes’ to 94 per cent of those who request them, with more than 11 million handed out last year.
And he will reveal his plans to end the role of GPs in the system. In future, those wishing to be accredited could be invited to discuss their health with teams of “specialist occupational and health professionals” who will assess the work they can do and the help they need to “bounce back in the workplace”.
“We don’t just need to change sick notes, we need to change the culture of sick notes so that the default is work you can do – not what you can’t do,” Will say -he.
“Building on the pilots we have already launched, we will design a new system to give people quick and easy access to specialist work and health support to help them return to work as soon as possible. first conversation.
“We will also trial transferring responsibility for assessment from GPs and placing it in the hands of specialists and healthcare professionals who have the dedicated time to provide an objective assessment of a person’s ability to work and the personalized support she needs to do so.”
The Prime Minister will say there is ‘a growing body of evidence that good work can actually improve mental and physical health’ (Stock image)
The Prime Minister will say there is “a growing body of evidence that good work can actually improve mental and physical health”.
He will add: “We need to be more ambitious about returning to work and more honest about the risk of overmedicalization of life’s daily challenges and worries.”
The change is part of a wider package of welfare reforms drawn up by Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride amid concerns over the spiraling welfare bill.
Since the pandemic, total spending on working age disability and sickness benefits has increased by almost two thirds to £69 billion – more than the annual schools budget.
Since the pandemic, total spending on working age disability and sickness benefits has increased by almost two thirds to £69 billion.
Mr Sunak will today welcome the fact that people feel able to “talk openly about mental health issues in a way that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago”.
But he will say it would be wrong to “sit idly by and accept” rising case numbers because tackling them is “too difficult or too controversial or for fear of offending”.
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, president of the Royal College of GPs, said: “The college welcomes consultation to understand who is best placed to issue suitability grades, given workforce pressures. work and workload already faced by general practitioners.
“It is essential that while others become involved in this process, the best interests of the patient remain the priority for anyone involved in assessing a person’s work capacity.”
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