Pilot schemes looking at alternatives to sicknote certification are to be expanded following publicity in Occupational Health.
The pilots, part of GPs’ plans to give up responsibility for signing sicknotes by April 2006, were due to start in about four firms next month.
But stories in Occupational Health led to a flurry of interest from employers desperate to test alternatives to using GPs. At least 20 firms are due to take part, although the start date is likely to be January.
“We had a lot of interest after the publicity. The firms taking part are a mixture of large and small organisations,” said Dr Barbara Kneale, occupational health and safety adviser at Peugeot Citroen, which will be running a pilot at its Ryton plant in Coventry.
