Doctors urged to refrain from signing sick notes

An end to the "sick-note culture" was signalled yesterday by the Government, which suggested doctors should not automatically sign people on to incapacity benefit.

An end to the "sick-note culture" was signalled yesterday by the Government, which suggested doctors should not automatically sign people on to incapacity benefit.

Alan Johnson, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, told the Royal Society of Medicine: "Signing some people off as long-term sick is not always the best way to deal with their health problems." He suggested health professionals should help get people back to work, try to rehabilitate them and "advise them to stay active".

He added: "The forthcoming White Paper on public health will recognise the beneficial role some work can have in helping people recover from illnesses or disease."

Over the past 20 years, the number of people on incapacity benefit has trebled and ministers want to stem the flow of sick people on to benefits to cut the costs of "economic inactivity". The Government believes 90 per cent of people on incapacity benefit want to get back to work but it says research shows "the longer they are on benefit the longer they are likely to be stuck on it". Mr Johnson said the role of health professionals was to "facilitate the return to work" and he said this was possible if "the right help and support is offered early in their claim". He said he wanted to see "early intervention when someone falls ill".

He went on: "Previously, rehabilitation was a second-stage process after medical treatment had no more to offer. It can no longer be seen as a separate stage, but instead as a crucial part of the treatment process."

The Government is targeting millions of people on disability benefits, including those claiming stress, to get them back to work. That may include compulsory work-focused interviews for those on incapacity benefit. The plans are expected to form part of Labour's manifesto for the next election, but they could prove controversial among left-wing MPs and disability groups. There are 900,000 people on jobseekers' allowance and three million on disability benefits.