Government scraps fit for work referral service

The referral service, offering occupational health assessments for employees who are at risk of long-term sickness absence, failed to get as many referrals by employers and GPs as the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) had expected.

There were just 650 referrals a month in England and Wales, compared with the original forecast of 34,000, and 100 a month in Scotland, compared with the estimated 4,200.

Employers, employees and GPs will still be able to use the Fit for Work helpline, website and web chat facility.

In its announcement on 30th November 2017, the DWP also said it would explore a more flexible approach to ‘fit note’ usage by extending absence certification powers to other healthcare professionals, such as physiotherapists, psychiatrists and senior nurses, as well as GPs.

Healthcare consultancy RehabWorks has welcomed the DWP’s move. Mark Armour, clinical director, said: "The Fit for Work initiative was always very well intentioned, but it was held back for a few reasons, including the difficulty a national service has in understanding specific occupational issues and liaising effectively with employers about the return-to-work strategy for their members of staff." 

He added: “While the news confirming the end to the Fit For Work initiative does ultimately mean an end to one particular concept, we very much feel that it is now paving the way for a strategy which focuses on wider certification potential and more awareness.

“However, one caveat to offer is that frontline NHS employees will need to be upskilled in order to plan appropriate programmes for return-to-work or remaining in post during health issues.”

Launched as a referral service for GPs in December 2014, Fit for Work was designed to cut the cost of long-term sickness absence from work for employers and the state, by getting individuals back to work as quickly as possible.

If an employee was off work for four or more weeks, either their GP or their employer could refer them to the service, which would assess their case and offer one-to-one support, in person or on the telephone.