DAUK\u2019s Dr Steve Taylor described Government plans to crackdown on so-called \u2018sick note culture\u2019 as \u2018an appalling state of affairs\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Taylor, GP spokesperson for the Doctors\u2019 Association UK (DAUK), said that the Government\u2019s own policies were responsible for much of the current levels of economic inactivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And he called on the Government to invest in public services to improve people\u2019s health and boost the economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have 7.7 million people waiting for hospital treatment and mental health treatment,\u201d Dr Taylor said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have unprecedented demand in general practice to try to help people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat he\u2019s actually saying is that while we are struggling to get people in to see doctors and therapists, and to get help and operations, and yet he wants to crack down on those very people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is an appalling state of affairs, for a Prime Minister to pick on those people who are in the situation because of this government\u2019s policies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Taylor was speaking after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced plans to tackle what he called Britian\u2019s \u2018sick note culture\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They included proposals to strip GPs of their power to sign people off work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead \u2018specialist work and health professionals who have the dedicated time and expertise to provide an objective assessment of someone\u2019s ability to work and the tailored support they may need\u2019, the Prime Minister said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t just need to change the sick note, we need to change the sick note culture so the default becomes what work you can do \u2013 not what you can\u2019t,\u201d Mr Sunak said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBuilding on the pilots we\u2019ve already started we\u2019re going to design a new system where people have easy and rapid access to specialised work and health support to help them back to work from the very first\u00a0fit note conversation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re also going to test shifting the responsibility for assessment from GPs and giving it to specialist work and health professionals who have the dedicated time to provide an objective assessment of someone\u2019s ability to work and the tailored support they need to do so.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n