The introduction of 'fit notes' to replace 'sick notes' from April 6th is a hot topic in the health industry at the moment, one which has implications for HR and occupational health professionals alike.

The new 'fit note' is being introduced within the Social Security (Medical Evidence) and Statutory Sick Pay (Medical Evidence) Amendment Regulations 2010 and aims to simplify current processes ('Med 3' and 'Med 5' forms are being combined) for GPs, seek the best possible outcome for patients and help employers manage absence from work more easily.

The new scheme is intended to enable GPs to encourage discussion between the employee and employer to facilitate a (hopefully) earlier return to work for employees away from work due to ill health.

Once the new notes are introduced, individual GPs will be able to indicate whether a patient is fit for work (or not) for the benefit of sick pay purposes (employers' Statutory Sick Pay obligations are unchanged).  GPs can also include "may be fit for some work" option, which ultimately shifts responsibility to the employer.

GPs should be able to provide general details of the physical implications of an employee's condition, in relation to their ability to work, potentially also making suggestions about optional changes which could be made to enable an easier return to work (eg a phased return, altered hours, amended duties or workplace adaptations).

As currently, employers are not obliged to implement these changes and only the Courts can decide if any suggested workplace adjustments are "reasonable".

The new regulations should also simplify the return to work process for employers by requiring GPs to set certain dates when the patient should be able to return to the workplace.

Blossoms believes the new process is a good idea in principle, however, a number of concerns exist amongst the medical community such as an incredibly number of GPs having received training so far (http://www.healthcarerepublic.com/search/news/944817/GPs-lack-training-complete-patient-fit-notes/?DCMP=ILC-SEARCH), concerns that GPs may be placed into conflict with patients (http://www.healthcarerepublic.com/search/GP/news/981103/Fit-notes-replace-sick-notes-April/?DCMP=ILC-SEARCH) and that the majority of GPs believe in occupational health professionals are best suited to provide clear guidance to businesses.  In practical terms, there is also very little change to the actual forms GPs use, which risks the form continuing to be a 'tick box' exercise for some GPs.

The Department for Work and Pensions has recently issued guides for employers (http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/fitnote-employer-guide.pdf) and GPs (http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/fitnote-gp-guide.pdf), both of which are well worth a closer look.

Blossoms are keeping a watching brief on developments and we'll keep you updated with any news, although we'd continue to suggest that early intervention, flexibility and continuous communication remain the key to successfully managing ill health and it's impact on work.

Training programmes for managers which focus on understanding reduced capacity at work and how to consider adaptations to roles may also be a pragmatic step.

Please don't hesitate to contact us if there's any further guidance or support we can provide.