Rishi Sunak sets out plans to tackle 'sick note culture'

Rishi Sunak wants to strip GPs of their power to sign people off work as part of a plan to tackle what he calls the UK's "sick note culture".

The prime minister claims benefits have become a "lifestyle choice" for some, causing a "spiralling" welfare bill.

Under the plan, unspecified "specialist work and health professionals" would issue sick notes in England.

Labour says the government has "run out of ideas" and has failed to deliver a healthy nation or economy.

Mr Sunak also said, if the Conservatives win the general election, those who were still out of work after 12 months after support from a work coach will have "their benefits removed entirely".

He denied claims his plans lacked compassion, arguing that there would still be a "safety net" for "those who genuinely need it".

Rishi Sunak sets out plans to tackle 'sick note culture' - BBC News

Well that's it, Labour are getting my vote.  The Conservatives are far too comfortable pushing people over the edge and, for me at least, these steps are far too big.

"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.

"We're also going to test shifting the responsibility for assessment from GPs and giving it to specialist work and health professionals who have the dedicated time to provide an objective assessment of someone's ability to work and the tailored support they need to do so."

I guarantee this has something to do with Restart.  I made this link in one of my previous posts here:
https://respectfulbenefits.forumotion.com/t4915p75-work-and-health-program#19275

Got an illness? No problem, we'll refer you to an external provider who just happens to have links to Restart.  Fuck that.

Labour will get in in November. Sunak is trying to appeal in vain to the remaining gammon that haven't gone over to the Reform Party.

The Tories are destined for an electoral wipeout, which will end their party for good.

Fortunately, Reform will never be elected as a government in the UK, as they are too racist for the general public to tolerate.

In the article I read on these re-announced plans, there was mention of replacing cash benefits with extra health support. Presumably someone awarded PIP or LWCRA due to depression would get access to counselling/therapy or a bad back would be sent to physiotherapy. Of course, this would require quite the investment in health services.

Are these plans also aimed at people currently in employment, not just the benefit scrounging classes?

The idea of a national occupational health service is certainly a challenging proposition. It's unlikely to be Restart providers who get their finger in this pie, but the likes of Reed Wellbeing or whoever they now use for PIP/WCA assessments.

Occupational health medicine is as much a recognised speciality as respiratory medicine or cardiology. Good occupational health can improve the work experience for people with health conditions but I don't think anyone on here believes that's what these plans are about. It will be interesting to see what the Faculty of Occupational Health think of these plans to bring in a new group of employment assessors.

A couple of point's here.

What qualifications do these 'Health Professionals' have. As I personally have had experience of a JCP work Roach with no medical expertise. Contradict a Consultant (MD) assessment.‍. And you could image which direction they will take, between the DWP and an individuals health condition.

🦜Is this to do with the shortage of GP's, so outsourcing their workload.🤨 Onto a third party, instead of having to recruit new Doctors.

Still well play to Mr Sunak, for not using that name 'fit note'. And refering to these as correctly as a Sick Note....

Pintel wrote:A couple of point's here.

What qualifications do these 'Health Professionals' have. As I personally have had experience of a JCP work Roach with no medical expertise. Contradict a Consultant (MD) assessment.‍. And you could image which direction they will take, between the DWP and an individuals health condition.

🦜Is this to do with the shortage of GP's, so outsourcing their workload.🤨 Onto a third party, instead of having to recruit new Doctors.

Still well play to Mr Sunak, for not using that name 'fit note'. And refering to these as correctly as a Sick Note....

What can I say more money for these scumbags? 3rd party private firms not job starts this time they are shouting turn down medical outcome bonuses. Everything boils down to saving money, not lives. The biggest question is their qualification. It all comes down to Google and Wikipedia. My last advisor did that. 

You have hit the nail on the head, #designergas.. I had an experience of this ,a medical professional, reading off a Vdu️ screen. As I looked on nhs- direct website, before appointment. And they where reciting/quoting what I read on the screen. ‍.
So the next stage of cost cutting, could be to have a 'self service' approach. Where the patient types the information onto the IT system, and pulls the lever. To see if they are successful or not . And rigg it so no patient wins...

Plans to bring forward managed migration for IB ESA were apparently part of Lil' Rishi's announcement, confirmed in a tweet from a senior DWP official. Migration notices will start going out in December 2025, not 2028 as originally planned.

https://twitter.com/NeilCouling/status/1781280573278863453

Ignatius wrote:In the article I read on these re-announced plans, there was mention of replacing cash benefits with extra health support. Presumably someone awarded PIP or LWCRA due to depression would get access to counselling/therapy or a bad back would be sent to physiotherapy. Of course, this would require quite the investment in health services.

I have both, allow me to detail my own experiences.
I am on the autistic spectrum, have anxiety, depression, OCD and ADHD. I had couselling in 2007, but it stopped when the place was closed down. I applied for a CBT course in 2017 and haven't heard anything since.

I also have scoliosis which has left me with nerve damage and three crushed spinal discs. I went to a local hospital for physio in 2019. I was placed in a small room with no windows and asked to wait. After an hour had gone past my appointment time (I was practically climbing the walls by then) I was told that they couldn't do anything as they hadn't received my medical records. They hadn't been told I was autistic either.

The following year I was sent a letter telling me that an over the phone (!) appointment had been booked for me and I must wait by the phone for half an hour before the appointment time.

I did.
After two hours had gone I went to make lunch and put the phone on mail. I've heard nothing since.

How Sunak thinks that the medical services are able to cope with this new approach is beyond me.

Archangel wrote:Labour will get in in November. Sunak is trying to appeal in vain to the remaining gammon that haven't gone over to the Reform Party.

The Tories are destined for an electoral wipeout, which will end their party for good.

Fortunately, Reform will never be elected as a government in the UK, as they are too racist for the general public to tolerate.

Unfortunately Liz Kendall was also complaining about the 'benefits bill' recently, and I haven't forgotten Rachel Reeves saying that Labour was not the 'party for those on benefits.'

As a result, I doubt if I will bother with voting; whoever I vote for it will be like a turkey voting for Xmas.

Welcome, madcatwoman1.

Fear not, the Tories and probably Labour, have a cunning plan to cope with the lack of health care professionals to help with these capacity issues. As doctors like to call them - noctors. Where once your health issues would have been the domain of physiotherapaists, clinical psychologists and psychiatrists, now your issues will be dealt with by associates, assistants and practitioners working to a rigid protocol. Cheaper and quicker to train, but potentially not as good for lots of patients. But then politicians are probably not too bothered about that.

I think the idea of replacing cash benefits with additional health care is designed to make them look a bit cuddly/less evil. They will have a damned good go at making PIP and LCWRA & LCW harder to get over the next few years. Plans to give claimants healthcare instead of cash are one to keep an eye on for the future.

madcatwoman1 wrote:

Archangel wrote:Labour will get in in November. Sunak is trying to appeal in vain to the remaining gammon that haven't gone over to the Reform Party.

The Tories are destined for an electoral wipeout, which will end their party for good.

Fortunately, Reform will never be elected as a government in the UK, as they are too racist for the general public to tolerate.

Unfortunately Liz Kendall was also complaining about the 'benefits bill' recently, and I haven't forgotten Rachel Reeves saying that Labour was not the 'party for those on benefits.'

As a result, I doubt if I will bother with voting; whoever I vote for it will be like a turkey voting for Xmas.

They were just electioneering to get some gammon to vote for them. Labour have always been decent to the unemployed once in power. From 1997 to 2010, the DWP never pestered me to look for a job.

It will be a mass cull when Labour gets in as looks likely. More Capita clowns than ever, dressed as the new 'all work is good for you numbskull brigade. '

One thing these so called highly educated people overlook is no employer will be looking to hire anyone, with a history of long term MH or physical sickness. They just dont. And 50 plus with those attributes....forget it.

All idealisms to help claw back millions from somewhere, due to the billions they have wasted and the unemployed and sick are the scapegoats for that and GE votes.

In my case I was assessed by four different medical professionals for autism - real ones, not government box tickers - who all clarified me as 'unfit for work'. Fingers crossed it will be enough to keep the jackals at bay. I don't trust Labour, sadly - I had my first ATOS medical in 2002 when they were in power, horrible person and I got no points at all.

oneman wrote:

Intincroi wrote:

Well that's it, Labour are getting my vote.  The Conservatives are far too comfortable pushing people over the edge and, for me at least, these steps are far too big.

Labour is worse than The Tories. They always have been. I do not see anything changing.

Two cheeks of the same bot.

Remember everyone.

Labour: ''work is not just about a pay cheque''...if your a footballer or rock star etc. Its because of that uninspiring mentality we're all skint. And millions working for nothing and claiming universal credit to just about survive.

jobberpw wrote:Remember everyone.

Labour: ''work is not just about a pay cheque''...if your a footballer or rock star etc. Its because of that uninspiring mentality we're all skint. And millions working for nothing and claiming universal credit to just about survive.

Remember their 'work is good for you' mantra?
Not unlike the sign carved above the gates of Auschwitz.

Here are a few of the things work gave my family:

My dad: a stroke
My mum: a breakdown
My cousin: arthritis in the spine
My nan: severe skin infections
Me: the worsening of the undiagnosed scoliosis I suffered with, resulting in damaged discs which have left me with chronic pain. Oh, and also a breakdown due to the attitude of the bosses, followed by the attitude of the DWP.

Work is good for you, my

Ironic as most politicians these days have never done a day's work in their lives.