Helen Salisbury: An unfit country

Back in 2010, in a move reminiscent of George Orwell’s Newspeak, sick notes were renamed “fit notes.”12 These are forms for employers or benefits agencies, generated by GPs (and sometimes hospitals) to verify that a patient is currently not well enough to work. Doctors have scope to advise amended hours or limited duties, and when I see recovering patients who are impatient to be back in employment we can have a useful conversation about what they can realistically manage as they build up their strength.The old concept of convalescence—giving your body enough time to recover properly from illness—has faded from popular consciousness, and these days employers and employees often seem keen to jump straight back into full time work. But I also work with patients who have lost all their confidence (particularly common after taking time away from work with a mental health problem), and the option of a phased…
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