HR Industry News

Calls for national Occupational Health Service

— 23 April 2007 —

The government has been accused of encouraging a ‘sickie’ culture amongst UK workers by doctors overwhelmed by sickness and absence cases.

The British Medical Association (BMA) is also calling for investment in a nationwide Occupational Health Service (OHS) rather than relying on doctors to work with employers to manage absence.

At the moment, GPs are legally contracted to provide sick notes. The problem is a simple one: we simply do not have enough occupational health nurses and physicians. Major investment would be needed to be able to service the volume of sick notes that are needed.

Paul Avis, Corporate
Development Manager, Ceridian

Speaking to delegates at a CBI/AXA Absence Management Conference, Dr Peter Holden - a senior committee member at the BMA - told doctors the concept of GPs working with employers is a cop-out by the government and industry rather than having a properly resourced OHS service.

He said GPs were currently the only adjudicators on workplace absence and pointed out that they were not trained in occupational medicine and that absence management is the responsibility of an employee’s manager.

GPs were not to be used to back up the excuse culture, he continued, and were being overwhelmed by sickness absence cases, which got in the way of other, more pressing practice issues.

Mr Holden added that GPs hoped to remove doctors from sick certification or reporting requirements before the 28th day of incapacity.

Responding to the claims, Department of Work and Pensions Minister Lord McKenzie is reported as saying that it was unfair to say that adjudication was only down to GPs, citing examples of policies that encouraged more private sector involvement in the system.

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