Incapacity benefit reforms welcome - CIPD

The governmentís plans to reform incapacity benefits eligibility by introducing a work capability assessment are welcome, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). However, if the government really wants to end what Peter Hain has dubbed ìsick-note Britainî more action is required to get GPs to work more closely with employers to stop people slipping into long-term sickness in the first place.

Research published by the CIPD last week highlighted the poor support many employers feel they get from GPs in this area ñ and reported the practical measures employers believe would help improve the situation.

Ben Willmott, CIPD Employee Relations Adviser, said:

ìEmployers will welcome a refocusing of the incapacity benefits system onto what people can do, not what they canít. But the government rhetoric about ëending sick-note Britainí will ring hollow until they do more to stem the tide of people falling into long-term sickness in the first place.

ìWhat employers are crying out for is more support from GPs when they are dealing with people who are in danger of slipping into long-term sickness absence ñ particularly with problems with mental ill-health. All the evidence suggests that a phased return to work in the relatively early stages of such health problems can be far more beneficial than the disappointingly common response of GPs to simply ësign people off for another couple of weeksí.

ìIt is this kind of simplistic and unhelpful attitude that is the real root of the ësick-note Britainí tag. If the government really wants to get more people into work, they need to bridge the gap between GPs and employers. The opponents of these reforms to incapacity benefit tests rail against the unfairness to people suffering with ill-health. But a more rigorous approach from GPs to dealing with the problems at an early stage would be better for patients as well as employers and the economy. Work can play a hugely beneficial role in the recovery of people with mental ill-health problems like stress, depression and anxiety ñ and spare people the slow decline in self-esteem and employability often associated with longer-term sickness absence.î

According to the CIPD, more work from government is also needed to educate and support employers so they can get the most out of people who have often spent long periods outside the labour market.

John Philpott, CIPD Chief Economist, said:

ìAttacking the sick note culture will help boost the supply of labour available to employers. But a focus on benefit claimants will not in itself tackle the implicit discrimination faced by many jobless people with a track record of ill health nor ensure they are able to hold down jobs. Benefit reforms must therefore be buttressed by education and support measures targeted at employers.î

The latest CIPD / KPMG quarterly Labour Market Outlook report, published last week, included a focus on employer experiences of mental ill-health in the workplace, and the support they receive from GPs when trying to manage it. The report found:

GPs are typically rated negatively by employers for the level of support they provide in helping people with mental health problems return to work. Almost 40% of employers rate GP support in this area as either very poor or fairly poor compared to only 20% who rate GP support as good or very good.

Employers currently receive medical reports from GPs on just 50% of employees off work with long term mental health problems, even though seven in ten employers report they contact GPs to ask them to provide such a report.

Employers supported a range of proposals for revamping how GPs services are delivered. These included:

ï A revamped Med 3 Sicknote including more information on phased return to work ñ 77% of employers thought this would be effective or fairly effective

ï Improved training for GPs on ìfitness for workî issues ñ 77% of respondents rated this proposal as effective or fairly effective

ï Changes to GPs contracts to incentivise closer working with patientsí employers and provision of advice on phased return to work ñ supported by 70% of respondents as effective or fairly effective

ï Employment advisers in GP surgeries ñ supported by 60% of HR practitioners as likely to be effective compared to 13% who thought the opposite

An electronic sick note system to provide faster and clearer communication between GPs and employers ñ 52% rated this proposal as likely to effective or fairly effective, although 20% rated this proposal as ineffective or fairly ineffective.