Patients will be able to see the most appropriate healthcare professional and have more productive conversations about work and health as a result of the update.
The changes come after the April introduction of digital certifying of fit notes, which simplified the process of issuing and receiving fit notes.
Nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists, and physiotherapists will be able to legally certify fit notes beginning July 1, 2022, a task currently reserved for doctors. If you’ve been out of work for more than seven days due to illness, a fit note provides evidence to your employer about your absence as well as any relevant advice on how to support you to stay or return to work.
The most significant change since the fit note’s inception in 2010, will support and empower better conversations about work and health between employers and employees by making it easier to have this advice certified by the most appropriate healthcare professional. This change will be implemented in general practise and hospitals.
It will also help to relieve pressure on doctors, particularly general practitioners, while simplifying the process of issuing and receiving a fit note, reducing bureaucracy for employers and the National Health Service.
Chloe Smith, Minister for Disabled People, Health, and Work, stated:
The expansion of fit note certification is fantastic news for patients, as it will make it easier for them to get the support and advice they require from the right place, allowing them to work as long as possible.
These latest fit note changes recognise the important role that other professions play in helping people manage their health, and I hope that this will help reduce unnecessary bureaucracy for doctors and general practitioners more broadly.
Maria Caulfield, Minister for Patient Safety and Primary Care, stated:
Improving access to GP services and reducing unnecessary bureaucracy are critical as we work to clear the Covid backlog. Extending powers to other healthcare professions to provide fit notes will relieve additional pressures on GPs and is another step toward helping to deliver an additional 50 million appointments in general practise per year by 2024.
This is just one more way we’re assisting GPs in primary care, and we’re still on track to hire 26,000 more primary care staff by 2024 to help improve patient access to appointments.
Dr Kieran Sharrock, deputy chair of the BMA England GP committee, stated:
This is a positive step, and we hope that it will help to improve the process for people who need confirmation that they are too ill to work, as well as free up GPs’ time to care for patients who require their expertise.
For many years, the BMA has stated unequivocally that a GP is not always required or appropriate to issue a fit note, particularly when a patient has seen a different member of the practise team for their condition, such as a nurse or physiotherapist.
At a time when the entire NHS is under strain, reducing unnecessary administration and bureaucracy while providing more flexible and pragmatic patient services is critical.
Karen Middleton, Chief Executive of The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, stated:
We applaud this legislative change because physiotherapists are uniquely qualified to have health conversations and work with patients.
The longer someone is absent from work, the less likely they are to return, so physiotherapy expertise early in an absence can be critical for ensuring their rehabilitation is effective and they can return in a timely manner.
So this announcement is good news for patients, with the added benefit of not requiring a separate appointment to be signed off by a GP.
Karin Orman, Director of Practice and Innovation at The Royal College of Occupational Therapists, stated:
We are pleased to have helped open this new opportunity for Occupational Therapists by collaborating with DWP and being bold and progressive.
Workers and employers alike are pleading for more assistance in assisting people with health issues to continue working where they are able. Because of these new changes, Occupational Therapists can now directly provide that advice.
The extension of fit note certification follows changes made in April 2022 that allow fit notes to be certified and issued digitally, making the process more efficient for employees, employers, and general practitioners.
They also follow through on commitments made in the government’s Health is Everyone’s Business consultation response to reduce job losses related to illness.
Further information
