EMPLOYMENT LAW experts have welcomed proposed changes to the way sick notes are issued, which they say will make it harder for workers to feign illness or injury.
The announcement follows research by The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) estimating that 168 million days were lost through sick leave in 2004 and that up to 23 million or 14% of those were a result of staff ëpulling sickiesí.
The new proposals, announced in a report by the Department of Work and Pensions, will enable non-medical professionals such as physiotherapists, nurses and chiropractors, to dispense sick notes ñ a responsibility formerly reserved for GPs ñ and are expected to be introduced in April 2006.
They work on the theory that a physiotherapist or osteopath is likely to be in a better position to give an accurate diagnosis of his or her patient than a GP with no prior relationship with the patient other than a request for a sick note.
Russell Brown, head of employment law at Manchester law firm, Glaisyers, said: ìThis is good news for employers who want to make sure an employeeís condition has been properly assessed by a specialist with the time and expertise to carry out an accurate examination.
ìGP sick notes serve as strong evidence of a personís incapacity to work but they arenít conclusive. Evidence uncovered by this report suggests that GPs face pressure to provide sick notes for fear that they could face a charge of negligence if they donít.
ìThese proposals should make it harder for those who feign illness or injury to deceive their medial advisers into providing a sick note.î
New sick note rules root out serial slackers
EMPLOYMENT LAW experts have welcomed proposed changes to the way sick notes are issued, which they say will make it harder for workers to feign illness or injury.
