UK: Financial Times: NHS to trial GPs no longer handing out ‘sick notes’

[Lou B Lou]

The increase in sickness/disability benefits, now largely brought under the Universal Credit benefit umbrella, is in great part Not New Claims. Existing claims for old style Legacy Benefits (Incapacity Benefit/IB and Employment and Support Allowance/ESA) were Migrated to Universal Credit with an additional amount (the Health Element).

The vast figures cited in the press were largely due to the Migrated (existing) sickness/disability benefits claims being all counted as new claims. This has now been publicly stated by the DWP, but the press frenzy about 'a million new claims for disability benefits' has stuck in the minds of the public, and unscrupulous media outlets.




The other factor, confirmed by the Office of Budget Responsibility, is the UK rising State Pension age. People in their 50's and 60's with (often age related) ill health, who would have retired at age 65 (men) and 60 (women), now struggle to work the additional years.


'The rise in incapacity benefits 2013-2024 coincided with a rise in the state pension age'

The Office for Budget Responsibility Welfare Trends Report, October 2024

The effects of ageing and a rising state pension age on incapacity benefits caseloads - Office for Budget Responsibility

The rise in incapacity benefits after 2013-14 coincided with a rise in the state pension age. In this box we explained how much of the change in incapacity benefit caseload was explained by rises in the state pension age and the ageing of the population.

obr.uk

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[MrMagoo]

Twitter - GP Dr Steve Taylor says the pilots are optional and that he "was in the discussions and forming of the pilots"





Dr Steve Taylor
"I have been in the discussions & forming of the pilotsIf those who are unable to work are forced to, I wouldn’t support it. Conversely this will help those who continue to work & shouldn’t work as there will be an option to use this to negotiate better conditions potentially"





"The pilots are optional. If you are unable to work you won’t work. If you need to be signed off in the pilots you still will. If you think it’s possible to do some work the scheme will liaise with your employer about options. The idea is to get better options & support"







"The pilot is looking at better options to help people to stay in work if possible. It is NOT about getting people to work who cannot work. The Pilots will see if it would work with people & employers. It’s NOT long term sick but aimed at preventing this"



There is a lot of worry about these proposals and the pilots. I can only repost here what Dr Taylor tweeted. I don't know how it will work out in practice.

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Good luck to the social prescriber or whatever the role is (surely not a GP) who has to liaise with employers about getting adjustments.

No matter how much you promote/explain, there are managers who just don’t want to make an adjustment which is within their gift. Reasons like “it’s not fair we’d all love to work reduced hours/from home/doing admin not speaking with customers” etc etc.
It’s too difficult to rearrange the work between the rest of the team.
If they want reduced hours they need to put in a flexible working request otherwise we cant consider it.
I don’t think they are really ill
They’re always ill when there’s a lot of work on because they’re lazy
They aren’t even a good worker why should I
Who will pick up the work they aren’t doing?

(Laughs in *bitter experience*) ok good luck with that!

Honestly what will become apparent is that employers don’t want to make reasonable adjustments. They don’t care what fit notes say, they don’t care what Occupational Health Drs write in reports which they instigate and pay for.

What it will do is
1. Look like the government is “doing something”
2. Create jobs for social signposting agents on minimum wage doing the boring “fit note” part of the GP’s job

 

[Lou B Lou]

The Disability News Service November 2025:

'New official figures expose how politicians and media have repeatedly lied about social security spending'

'Updated statistics from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) show that, rather than “spiraling out of control”, social security spending is predicted to be lower in 2029-30 than it is this year"


https://www.disabilitynewsservice.c...peatedly-lied-about-social-security-spending/

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[Felis Catus]

What it will do is
1. Look like the government is “doing something”
2. Create jobs for social signposting agents on minimum wage doing the boring “fit note” part of the GP’s job

3. Justify the existence and costs of WorkWell
4. Spend money on wellbeing activities organised by various CICs

 

[MrMagoo]

3. Justify the existence and costs of WorkWell
4. Spend money on wellbeing activities organised by various CICs

There is a modern phenomenon of bloated “services” it started with Adult Social Services but it’s everywhere in the public sector now. It creates jobs. Out of money which should go to the service users, in my cynical opinion.