Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Latest NewsOccupational HealthWellbeing

Doctors want national OH service to tackle sickness absence

by Gareth Vorster 18 Apr 2007
by Gareth Vorster 18 Apr 2007

The British Medical Association has accused the government of encouraging a culture of sickness absence among UK workers.

Dr Peter Holden, senior committee member of the doctors’ professional body, said GPs were being “shot for being the messenger”. He called on government to invest in a nationwide occupational health (OH) service.

“The concept of GPs working with employers is a cop-out by government and industry from having a proper OH service, properly resourced,” he told delegates at the CBI/AXA Absence Management Conference last week.

Holden said GPs were currently the only adjudicators on workplace absence, and pointed out that they were not trained in occupational medicine. “Absence management is a manager’s responsibility,” he said.

He added that GPs were being overwhelmed by sickness absence cases, which got in the way of other, more pressing practice issues. “We are not here to back up the excuse culture,” he said.

Holden’s comments follow publication of the annual survey of 400 private firms by the CBI and insurer AXA, which found that sickness absence cost the UK economy £13.4bn last year.

In 2006, workers took an average of seven days off – a total of 175 million days – up from 6.6 days in 2005.

Holden said GPs hoped to remove doctors from sick certification or reporting requirements before the 28th day of incapacity.

Department for Work and Pensions minister Lord McKenzie said it was unfair to say that adjudication was only down to GPs, citing the introduction of Personal Capability Assessments for incapacity benefit claimants and the Freud review of welfare reform, which recommended more private sector involvement, as examples of how the government was changing the system.

Avatar
Gareth Vorster

previous post
Career file: Alan Thomas – from the chemistry of black paint.
next post
Doctors want HR to deal with sickness absence

You may also like

Government plans to slash Civil Service redundancy pay

16 Aug 2022

Real wages fall at sharpest rate on record

16 Aug 2022

Degrees less important to employers with entry-level vacancies

16 Aug 2022

Mental ill-health at work: the evidence for action

16 Aug 2022

Employees going into office just 1.5 days a...

15 Aug 2022

PwC drops 2:1 degree class requirement

15 Aug 2022

Graduate and apprentice salaries shoot up in war...

15 Aug 2022

Personnel Today Awards 2022 shortlist: Excellence in Public...

15 Aug 2022

Hiring boom set to slow as employers come...

15 Aug 2022

Are you a ‘quiet quitter’?

12 Aug 2022

  • 6 reasons why work-based learning is better than traditional training PROMOTED | A recent Fortune/Deloitte survey found that 71% of CEOs are anticipating that this year’s biggest business disrupter...Read more
  • Strengthening Scotland’s public services through virtual recruiting PROMOTED | This website is Scotland's go-to place for job seekers looking to apply for roles in public services...Read more
  • What’s next for L&D? Enter Alchemist… PROMOTED | It’s time to turn off the tedious and get ready for interactive and immersive learning experiences...Read more
  • Simple mistakes are blighting the onboarding experience PROMOTED | The onboarding of new hires is a company’s best chance...Read more

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today