More healthcare professionals can certify fit notes from today

• The change is about to assist sufferers getting recommendation and match notes from their healthcare skilled – with out having to individually see a health care provider
• The reform follows match notes going totally digital as they now not must be signed in ink.

From in the present day (Friday 1 July 2022) nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists and physiotherapists can all legally certify match notes, decreasing the stress on NHS medical doctors, significantly GPs and scrapping pointless paperwork.

Updated steering to well being care professionals and their employers on these modifications can also be being revealed in the present day, setting out the best way to assist individuals to stay in work whereas managing a well being situation.

This has been labored up and agreed with well being professionals and DHSC to make sure these modifications ship advantages for each sufferers and clinicians. The present steering for employers and patients has additionally been up to date.

This important change recognises the significance of supporting individuals to stay in work, whereas managing a well being situation by offering recommendation to an employer about the best way to assist somebody. By leveraging the experience of a wider vary of healthcare professionals, the change additionally streamlines the method.

The change, which applies throughout England, Scotland and Wales and is being mirrored in Northern Ireland, will assist and empower higher conversations about work and well being between employers and workers by making it simpler to get recommendation licensed by essentially the most related healthcare skilled.

It can even enhance a affected person’s expertise and scale back stress on medical doctors, as individuals will now not must be despatched to a health care provider to have the match observe signed when seeing and receiving therapy from an alternate skilled for his or her well being situation.

The change is being delivered in GP surgical procedures, hospital and different NHS settings the place healthcare professionals delivering NHS companies could have entry to the brand new match observe kind.

Fit notes present proof to employers about an individual’s absence and any related recommendation on the best way to assist their workers to stay in or return to work. They additionally present proof for claims to advantages for many who are out of labor.

Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work Chloe Smith MP stated:

Having a well being situation doesn’t must take you out of a job. This change will make it simpler for individuals and employers to get the recommendation they want so individuals can keep in work, while additionally decreasing paperwork and releasing up medical doctors’ time.

Too usually we see individuals being confronted with pointless challenges to get a match observe. More professionals having the ability to provide this very important service will velocity up the method and assist individuals to return to or stay in work.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid MP stated:

Slashing pointless paperwork is essential to making sure extra sufferers can see their GP rapidly and get the care they want as we bust the Covid backlogs.

That’s why we have now launched these powers to make sure certifying match notes could be carried out by different healthcare professionals – serving to to alleviate pressures on GPs to allow them to deal with sufferers and ship an additional 50 million appointments a 12 months by 2024.

Director of Practice and Development at Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Ashley James stated:

Physiotherapists are already on the forefront of affected person care however these new powers to certify match notes will guarantee a extra environment friendly course of to assist sufferers’ return to work.

Physiotherapist experience is commonly key in having well being and work conversations and offering efficient rehabilitation all through the return to work journey. Getting therapy and assist proper will help sufferers stay in work and handle situations successfully or return to work in a well timed method.

These new measures take away the necessity for a separate appointment with a GP. This can solely be excellent news for sufferers in addition to assist to take some stress off main care companies.

Chair of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists Specialist Section for Work Dr Jain Holmes stated:

This new alternative will imply extra individuals can get knowledgeable recommendation from occupational therapists. The career is eager to indicate how we establish work and well being wants after which present tailor-made recommendation for the individuals we see.

As Chair of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists Specialist Section for Work, we will likely be offering assist to assist the transition to this alteration which can profit individuals’s on a regular basis working lives.

The modifications to the match observe ship on commitments made final 12 months to scale back sick well being associated job loss within the authorities’s Health is Everyone’s Business session response.

Additional data

• Regulations had been laid on 10 June 2022 to permit extra healthcare professionals to certify match notes along with medical doctors. These professions are nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists, and physiotherapists. The modifications got here into impact on 1 July 2022.
• Updated steering for healthcare professionals, employers and sufferers will likely be revealed on 1 July 2022 on gov.uk.
• Fit notes can solely be issued following an evaluation of an individual’s health for work.
• This follows laws modifications in April 2022 which eliminated the necessity for match notes to be signed in ink. This change made it doable for eligible healthcare professionals to certify match notes digitally and likewise for sufferers to obtain their match observe by way of digital channels (the place GP IT programs assist this).
• Fit notes present proof of an absence of greater than 7 days.

Media enquiries for this press launch – 0115 965 8781

Follow DWP on: