This sick government is always looking for money for tax cuts for the rich and election bribes! Sunak's latest stunt is planning to deprive the power of GPs to write sick notes. He says it is to end "sick note" culture. While I accept this exists this is not the way to tackle it but what you would expect from a government shoirt of ideas. My fear is it would hit the most vulnerable rather than the professional benefit claimants! I recall being sent for an ATOS assessment when I was unemployed and recovering from surgery over a decade ago. The ancient semi-retired GP deemed me fit for work overriding both my consultant and GP! This country is moving ever closer to Third World status! The news seemed to have slipped under the radar because of other world events!
The PM wants to strip GPs of power to issue sick notes but Labour says he has run out of ideas.
www.bbc.com
Hi
@MikeyBikey
I was about to post the same story this morning.
I think you make a really good point, that there is a difference between those genuinely unable to work and those making spurious benefits claims. I remember a time when benefits were given out quite easily and how today for many, likely the ones who are really in need of help, are made to plead and beg for help and often left without any.
As a type 1, I remember being told that many of us were advised to go on benefits and not work because living with type 1 (daily management) is already a full time job. Fast forward to today, and now the pm is aiming to put those suffering with stress, anxiety and depression back to work ("with support" whatever that means).
The question is not should or shouldn't they go back to work, but would it actually do their conditions any good? will it help or harm their health?
Alternatively, they could just close all the tax havens, loops holes etc.
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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 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."
It comes after Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary, was criticised a month ago for suggesting in an interview that there was "a real risk" that "the normal ups and downs of human life" were being labelled as medical conditions which then held people back from working.
The government has repeatedly said it wants to cut welfare and benefits spending in a bid to save money, enacting plans to get people back into work and threatening "anyone choosing to coast on the hard work of taxpayers".
news.sky.com
