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.
Rise in stress-related fit notes prompts call to investigate causes
Employers have been urged to do more to uncover the root causes of absence, after it was revealed the number...
Top 10 HR questions October 2019: Right to be accompanied
Should employers give employees the right to be accompanied to meetings under a redundancy procedure?
Such a meeting could ultimately...
Bupa and Optima Health partner to bolster occupational health access
Health insurance and healthcare provider Bupa has partnered with OH provider Optima Health in a move designed to expand access...
Top 10 HR questions July 2019: Spent convictions
There are limits to the circumstances in which employers can take a candidate’s past criminal convictions into account when deciding...
NICE guidance urges better communication of sickness absence policies
Organisations should implement and clearly communicate policies for reporting and managing sickness, according to new guidance from National Institute for...
Top 10 HR questions October 2018: annual leave and sickness absence
How should employers deal with annual leave entitlement for employees on long-term sick leave? This issue is dealt with in...
Top 10 HR questions September 2018 – probation dismissals and unavailable companions
Can you dismiss before a probationary period ends if they're not up to the job?
GPs see 13.5% increase in fit notes for mental health issues
Thousands more fit notes were issued by GPs in England in the second quarter of last year, including a 13.5%...
Mental health conditions are most common diagnosis on GP fit notes
Mental health and behavioural conditions accounted for nearly a third (31%) of all fit notes written by GPs in England...
Short-term sickness absence policy: a 15-step guide for HR
Putting together a short-term sickness absence policy can be one of the most daunting tasks an HR professional can face....
Long-term sickness absence policy: a 16-step guide for HR
A watertight long-term sickness absence policy can give employees who are off work for an extended period the best chance...
Fit notes: occupational health practitioners respond to government proposals for reform
The Government has announced a major review of statutory sick pay, fit notes and the role employers can play in...
“Broken” fit note and fit for work scheme face overhaul
The Government has announced plans to overhaul the GP fit note and statutory sick pay, as well as reform the...
Study shows GPs need more training in using Fit Note
Many GPs need training in how best to use the fit note, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH)...
Almost half of employers think fit notes are ineffective
Almost half of employers believe the Department of Health’s flagship fit note scheme is not helping employees return to work....
