DOCTORS will reportedly scrap “sick notes” under a government trial designed to slash the number of benefits claimants signed off work with poor health.
The proposed overhaul follows official statistics revealing that more than 11 million “fit notes” – the modern iteration of the traditional sick note – were handed out last year.
Sign up for the Health newsletter
Thank you!
Now, the new pilot programme will instead refer struggling workers to surgery-based “social prescribers”, according to The Times.
Prescribers will recommend active alternatives such as exercise regimes and career coaching to keep them in employment, reports the outlet.
Almost all “fit notes” handed out last year declared the recipient entirely “not fit for work”.
This effectively cut many Brits off from further support to re-enter the labour market.
MYSTERY ROLE
Top diplomat who stood in after Mandelson sacked abruptly leaves post
FOOD FREEZE
Milk, eggs and bread prices could be frozen at UK supermarkets to help shoppers
A burgeoning “sick-note culture” over the past decade is increasingly blamed for stifling the country’s economic growth.
Detractors have blasted how it has let individuals remain off work, claim sick pay, and potentially qualify for long-term welfare.
And while usually issued by GPs, the notes can also be authorised by nurses and pharmacists.
Mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression, alongside musculoskeletal disorders like back pain, remain the leading drivers of long-term absenteeism.
Desperate to curb a ballooning sickness benefits bill, ministers are launching four distinct trial approaches across England this July.
In two of the pilot schemes, patients will bypass GPs entirely, routing directly to social prescribers who can issue the fit notes and connect individuals with targeted support.
The remaining two trials will still require an initial GP consultation before referral.
The government will also harness its existing WorkWell coaching scheme to support those handed fit notes.
Launched in October 2024, the initiative integrates tailored support like physiotherapy and counselling for those out of work or at risk of leaving.
Under the framework, a depressed patient struggling with full-time hours might receive employment advice to adjust their CV or secure flexible work.
Similarly, someone with an ankle injury would be directed to a physiotherapist or granted local gym passes, rather than being written off the workforce entirely.
In February 2025, some 24 million people claimed at least one type of benefit, including the state pension.
Data revealed that 10 million of those claimants were of working age, while 800,000 were under 16.
It comes after it was revealed that a new sick note rule will reportedly be launched nationwide from November – and will see some GPs sending patients to the gym.
The new scheme aims to give those signed off work access to additional support and services.
Rather than just writing sick notes, GPs will refer patients to financial advisors or fitness coaches as a way to support those signed off work.
It is the first major shakeup of the system since sick notes were first introduced in 2010.
Under ‘WorkWell’, the new government scheme will be rolled out across England later in November, reports The Mirror.
Meanwhile, Universal Credit claimants hit an all-time high of 8.3million, it was revealed earlier this month.
Staggering figures show the proportion holding down a job has actually fallen sharply in a bitter hit to getting the welfare budget down.
The benefits caseload has surged by 830,000 in just twelve months, up from 7.5million in February 2025 to more than 8million in February – the highest number since it was rolled out in 2013.
