GPs have recently called on the Government to change the current system after research by Doctor and Personnel Today magazine found that 80% of Dctors do not want the responsibility of writing sicknotes. Many GPs have said that they are too busy and issue them without question.
Nichola Upperton Evans, employment partner at Rowe Cohen, said: ìItís been well documented that GPs have a lot on their plate, but staff absence is also a huge problem and itís not as simple as saying that GPS donít have to do it any longer.
ìThe problem of staff taking days off without actually being ill is a problem that needs to be controlled and if the responsibility is taken away completely from GPs, companies will be forced to take on an the additional cost by employing an in-house health profession.î
It is estimated that UK workers take a total of 166 million sick days each year ñ around 6.8 days per employee. For most of these days, it is estimated that a third are taken from malingerers.
Sicknote pressure could backfire on businesses
Calls by GPs to relieve them of the pressure of writing out ësicknotesí for patients will backfire on businesses if a sensible alternative is not provided, warns legal firm, Rowe Cohen.
