Rishi Sunak is to call for an end to the “sick note culture” in a major speech on welfare reform – as he warns against “over-medicalising the everyday challenges and worries of life”.
The prime minister wants to shift the focus to “what people can do with the right support in place, rather than what they can’t do”.
Mr Sunak also wants sick notes to be issued by “specialist work and health professionals” rather the GPs in order to reduce workloads.
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The plans, which the government is now set to consult on, come as part of the government’s aims to cut spending on benefits in a bid to reduce spending and increase employment.
Mr Sunak is set to say: “We should see it as a sign of progress that people can talk openly about mental health conditions in a way that only a few years ago would’ve been unthinkable, and I will never dismiss or downplay the illnesses people have.
“But just as it would be wrong to dismiss this growing trend, so it would be wrong merely to sit back and accept it because it’s too hard; or too controversial; or for fear of causing offence.
“Doing so, would let down many of the people our welfare system was designed to help.”
He will say there is a “growing body of evidence that good work can actually improve mental and physical health”.
“We need to be more ambitious about helping people back to work and more honest about the risk of over-medicalising the everyday challenges and worries of life,” Mr Sunak will add.
The prime minister will say, “we don’t just need to change the sick note, we need to change the sick note culture so the default becomes what work you can do – not what you can’t”.
“Building on the pilots we’ve already started we’re 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 Fit Note conversation,” he will add.
“We’re also going…
