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Fit notes

A fit note is a doctor’s statement of an employee’s fitness for work. The fit note is designed to encourage employers, employees and doctors to move away from a rigid system of employees being either fit or unfit to work and towards a more flexible approach placing the emphasis on what employees are able to do at work, thus helping sick employees to return to work as soon as they are able.


    • Fit for Work
    • Fit notes
    • Latest News

    Think-tank urges new approach to tackling rising cost of work ill health

    by Nic Paton 31 Jul 2024
    by Nic Paton 31 Jul 2024

    Rising levels of work ill health and sickness are costing UK businesses billions every year and demand a radical new...

    • Fit for Work
    • Fit for Work
    • Fit notes

    Fit notes should allow for referral to OH, suggests think-tank

    by Nic Paton 22 Apr 2024
    by Nic Paton 22 Apr 2024

    Fit notes need to become more ‘dynamic’ to allow people off work because of ill health to be referred to...

    • Absence
    • Fit for Work
    • Fit notes

    Plans to overhaul fit note system announced

    by Ashleigh Webber 19 Apr 2024
    by Ashleigh Webber 19 Apr 2024

    Rishi Sunak is set to announce plans to move responsibility for issuing fite notesfrom GPs to “specialist work and health professionals” in England.

    • Infertility
    • Fit notes
    • Latest News

    Top 10 HR questions June 2023: Time off for fertility treatment

    by Brightmine 4 Jul 2023
    by Brightmine 4 Jul 2023

    Popular HR questions in June 2023 include topics such as term-time workers' holiday pay and rights to time off for fertility treatment.

    • Fit for Work
    • Financial wellbeing
    • Fit notes

    Warnings over patients unable to afford sick leave or eye tests

    by Nic Paton 28 Nov 2022
    by Nic Paton 28 Nov 2022

    The cost-of-living crisis is causing people to refuse fit or sick notes from their GPs because they cannot afford to...

    • Fit notes
    • Criminal records
    • Latest News

    Top 10 HR questions July 2022: heatwaves and fit notes

    by Brightmine 1 Aug 2022
    by Brightmine 1 Aug 2022

    When is it too hot to work? The heatwave has led employers to check their health and safety responsibilities around high temperatures.

    • Fit for Work
    • Fit notes
    • Return to work and rehabilitation

    Covid variants and end of furlough led to rise in fit notes

    by Nic Paton 18 Jul 2022
    by Nic Paton 18 Jul 2022

    The number of fit notes issued by GPs hit a record high of 10.3 million in 2021, a 17% increase from the 8.8 million issued in 2020.

    • Fit for Work
    • Fit notes
    • Latest News

    More health professionals to be able to certify fit notes

    by Ashleigh Webber 10 Jun 2022
    by Ashleigh Webber 10 Jun 2022

    More health professionals have been given the power to certify and issue fit notes to employees who are absent because of sickness.

    • Fit for Work
    • Disability
    • Fit notes

    GPs call for new OH service to relieve fit note burden

    by Nic Paton 23 May 2022
    by Nic Paton 23 May 2022

    GPs have called for an independent occupational health service to be set up to issue fit notes.

    • Stress
    • Reasonable adjustments
    • Coronavirus

    Staff with long Covid should be treated as having disability

    by Ashleigh Webber 1 Mar 2022
    by Ashleigh Webber 1 Mar 2022

    The EHRC's head of policy says that, in the absence of clear legislation, employers should treat staff who have long Covid as if they have a disability.

    • Fit notes
    • Latest News
    • Sickness absence

    Smaller businesses and TUC unite for call to reform sick pay rules

    by Adam McCulloch 18 Feb 2022
    by Adam McCulloch 18 Feb 2022

    Rishi Sunak urged to continue sick pay rebate for all smaller firms and increase rate of SSP.

    • Coronavirus
    • Vaccinations
    • Self-isolation

    Top 10 HR questions January 2022: that extra bank holiday

    by Brightmine 1 Feb 2022
    by Brightmine 1 Feb 2022

    There will be an additional bank holiday in 2022 to celebrate the Queen’s platinum jubilee.
    Many employees will be entitled...

    • Coronavirus
    • Vaccinations
    • Self-isolation

    Next joins Ikea and Wessex Water in reducing sick pay for unvaccinated staff

    by Adam McCulloch 13 Jan 2022
    by Adam McCulloch 13 Jan 2022

    Companies start to reduce sick pay for those who are unvaccinated who have to self-isolate.

    • Coronavirus
    • Fit notes
    • Latest News

    Surprise sick pay changes – what do HR teams need to know?

    by Louise Singh 7 Jan 2022
    by Louise Singh 7 Jan 2022

    HR must consider the risk that some staff might call in sick to take time off where annual leave may not have been granted by an employer.

    • Absence
    • Coronavirus
    • Testing

    Top 10 HR questions December 2021: NHS Covid pass and fit notes

    by Brightmine 4 Jan 2022
    by Brightmine 4 Jan 2022

    Questions on employees’ Covid vaccination status, self-isolation and testing continued to be popular during December.
    Employers were also asking various...

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