The controversial fit note which was brought in to replace the sick note last year is helping to get people back into the office space, according to GPs.
More than 60 per cent of the GPs questioned in the General practitioners’ attitudes towards patients’ health and work said they thought the fit note had encouraged more people to discuss the idea of going back to work, while just under half said it had meant that they recommended more people to go back to work in office space in Milton Keynes and beyond.
Phased return to work, where workers complete the tasks they are deemed ‘fit for’, has also increased, HR Magazine reported.
Mark Simpson, medical director of AXA ICAS, told the news provider: “These are welcome findings and show that much of the scepticism that met the launch of the fit note was unfounded.”
Research published in 2009 suggested that working was good for people’s mental health. It has also been widely acknowledged that sustained unemployment can lead to health problems.
