|
|
Article: GPs told to fight sick note culture ; SOPHIE GOODCHILD Health Editor
- Article from:
- The Evening Standard (London, England)
- Article date:
- February 20, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2008 Evening Standard - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
|
HEALTH Secretary Alan Johnson is setting out plans today to
change Britain's "sick note culture" into a "well note culture".
In a speech at the British Heart Foundation, Mr Johnson will call
on GPs to do more to cut the numbers on incapacity benefit.
Department of Health figures show that people who are on
incapacity benefit for one year are likely to stay there for eight.
Once they have been there for two years or more, they are more
likely to die or retire than work again.
He is expected to say: "Incapacity benefit should not be a oneway
street that starts in the GP's surgery and stops at the dead end of
a lifetime on benefits.
"The evidence shows that far from being bad for health, work ...