Fit note responsibility should shift from GPs to employer-paid assessments, review recommends

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By Daniel Pye

A government-commissioned review is calling for a fundamental shift in how workplace health is managed, proposing that fit notes are replaced with employer-managed occupational health assessments – a move that has won support from the Royal College of General Practitioners.

The 10-month independent review, led by business leader Sir Charlie Mayfield and published Wednesday, recommends a workplace health provision (WHP) to help disabled employees and those with health conditions remain in or return to work with appropriate adjustments, whilst taking pressure off overstretched GP surgeries.