Website URL : http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=2832

Statement of Fitness for Work or 'Fit Note'

Sick notes changed to fit notes in April 2010.

What is the fit note?

The Statement of Fitness for Work, or 'fit note', is a new Medical Statement that GPs will issue from 6 April 2010. It replaces the old 'sick note' and aims to focus on what an employee may be able to do at work rather than what they cannot do.

What's different about the new fit note?

In the past GPs have either said that 'you should refrain from work' or 'you need not refrain from work'. The fit note offers a new option - 'may be fit for work taking account of the following advice'.

A GP will be able to suggest ways of helping an employee get back to work. This might mean discussing:

a phased return to work
flexible working
amended duties
workplace adaptations.

The GP will also provide general details of the functional effect of the individual's condition.

Why the change?

For many employees work means a lot more than just their salary. Studies show that work is good for health; and prolonged sickness absence can produce its own set of problems, such as:

isolation
loss of confidence
mental health issues
de-skilling
social exclusion.

Many employers recognise that reducing levels of long-term ill health is about developing a partnership between the line manager, the individual, the GP, occupational health and the HR department.

What do I do now?

Understand the changes

See the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) web page on fit notes or download a PDF copy of the guidance.

Get help and training from Acas

We can help you to:

understand the changes and the benefits of the new fit notes approach
understand how the new Statement of Fitness for Work fits into the wider issue of an employee's health and wellbeing
train your managers to handle difficult conversations in the workplace with Acas training
use mediation to resolve conflict and help people get back to work - to find out more call our Customer Service Team on 08457 383736.

Acas training

All those dealing with sickness, absence or attendance at work will need to know about these important changes and Acas is running training courses to help employers and managers understand what they will mean for them. This training is designed to address issues such as:

contractual implications
transitional arrangements
disagreements
confidentiality.

For full details of this training and to find a course please visit www.acas.org.uk/training.

We can also provide in-company training for organisations with larger groups of staff who may wish to learn about fit notes. Visit our Business Solutions page for further information.

What further support is available?

The DWP have provided further guidance for GPs, HR professionals, payroll managers, employers and employees. For more information visit the DWP website at www.dwp.gov.uk/fitnote.

Acas pre-claim conciliation

Where a problem or disagreement in the workplace is likely to lead to a tribunal claim, Acas will often be able to offer free and impartial pre-claim conciliation (PCC).

The aim of this service is to help employers and employees to find a solution that is acceptable to both, and avoid the costs, stress and time associated with an employment tribunal.

For more information, visit our pre-claim conciliation page at www.acas.org.uk/pcc.

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