Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • 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
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • 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
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Latest NewsMental healthWellbeing

Employers call for radical revamp of how GPs help get people with mental health problems back to work

by Mike Berry 14 Nov 2007
by Mike Berry 14 Nov 2007

Employers are calling for a radical revamp of the way in which GPs work to help people with mental health problems successfully return to work.

The call is based on findings in the latest quarterly Labour Market Outlook report by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and professional services firm KPMG.

The report found that GPs are typically rated negatively by employers for the level of support they provide in helping people with mental health problems return to work. Almost 40% of employers rated GP support in this area as either very poor or fairly poor, compared to only 20% who rated GP support as good or very good.

The survey of 625 employers also showed that currently organisations receive medical reports from GPs on just 50% of employees off work with long-term mental health problems, even though seven in 10 employers reported they contacted GPs to ask them to provide such a report.

Employers said they supported a range of proposals for revamping how GPs services are delivered:

  • A revamped Med 3 sicknote, including more information on phased return to work – 77% of employers thought this would be effective or fairly effective.
  • Improved training for GPs on ‘fitness for work’ issues – 77% of respondents rated this proposal as effective or fairly effective.
  • Changes to GPs contracts to incentivise closer working with patients’ employers and provision of advice on phased return to work – supported by 70% of respondents as effective or fairly effective.
  • Employment advisers in GP surgeries – supported by 60% of HR practitioners as likely to be effective compared to 13% who thought the opposite.
  • An electronic sicknote system to provide faster and clearer communication between GPs and employers – 52% rated this proposal as likely to be effective or fairly effective.

Ben Willmott, CIPD employee relations adviser, said: “GPs are letting down patients signed off work with mental health problems by not communicating effectively with employers. All the evidence shows that a phased return to work can play a hugely beneficial role in the recovery of people suffering with this kind of illness.

“Employers are willing to do their bit, but they need support and better communication from GPs to facilitate appropriately phased returns to work.”

The Department for Work and Pensions is currently looking at ways of improving the support GPs offer to facilitate employees’ return to work.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Employment charity Shaw Trust said it fully supported the report’s recommendations.

Tim Cooper, Shaw Trust’s managing director, said: “Alongside this, we believe there is a need for employers to do more to keep their workplaces healthy and support their staff. In the 21st century, there is no place for the continued stigma surrounding mental ill health.”

Mike Berry

previous post
Workstation launches Jobshout recruitment tool
next post
UK visa agency forced to produce a four-point plan to improve security after a damming report by Information Commissioner

You may also like

Fire and rehire: the relocation question

22 May 2025

Public sector workers gain pay rises of up...

22 May 2025

UK net migration slashed by half in one...

22 May 2025

How neuroscience can unlock employee recognition

22 May 2025

UK universities fret over fall in international students

22 May 2025

HSBC employees warned of office attendance link to...

22 May 2025

The Law Society: Navigating the new world of...

22 May 2025

Workplace stress: Why it’s time to rebrand resilience

22 May 2025

Restaurant tips should be included in holiday pay

21 May 2025

Fewer workers would comply with a return-to-office mandate

21 May 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...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 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • 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
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today