Mental health sicknotes to be harder to get as PM tries to cut £69bn benefits bill

Fewer people should be signed off work ill by doctors to end a “sick note culture” leading to soaring numbers out of work, Rishi Sunak will say today.

The Prime Minister will set out plans to reduce the number of people off work sick, which will see the bar raised to cut down on unemployment due to conditions like anxiety and depression.

GPs could no longer be responsible for issuing fit notes, under the proposals, with it instead falling to occupational health specialists to make the call as to whether someone is able to work.

The announcement prompted concern from charities which argued economic inactivity was linked to “crumbling” public services.

Mr Sunak will stress that he would “never dismiss or downplay” health conditions but will say the focus must shift to what work people might be able to do.

The Government said the fit note system had “opened the floodgates for millions of people to be written off work” and the policies will instead focus on supporting people to stay in appropriate employment.

Mr Sunak is due to say: “We should see it as a sign of progress that people can talk openly about mental health conditions in a way that only a few years ago would’ve been unthinkable, and I will never dismiss or downplay the illnesses people have.

“But just as it would be wrong to dismiss this growing trend, so it would be wrong merely to sit back and accept it because it’s too hard; or too controversial; or for fear of causing offence. Doing so, would let down many of the people our welfare system was designed to help.”

He will say there is a “growing body of evidence that good work can actually improve mental and physical health”.

Mr Sunak 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.”

The Government said recent NHS data showed almost 11 million fit notes were issued last year.

In his speech, Mr Sunak will address the challenge of rising economic activity since the Covid-19 pandemic, linking it to mental health conditions.

Since 2020, the number of people out of work due to long-term sickness has risen significantly and a large proportion of those report suffering from depression, bad nerves or anxiety – although often these are secondary conditions.

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Spending on working age disability and ill-health benefits increased by almost two-thirds from £42.3bn to £69bn, the Government said.

Responses from healthcare professionals, employers and people with lived experience will be sought in a call for evidence launched today.

Disability equality charity Scope questioned whether Mr Sunak’s announcements are being “driven by bringing costs down rather than how we support disabled people”.

James Taylor, Scope director of strategy, said: “We’ve had decades of disabled people being let down by failing health and work assessments; and a broken welfare system designed to be far more stick than carrot.

“Much of the current record levels of inactivity are because our public services are crumbling, the quality of jobs is poor and the rate of poverty amongst disabled households is growing.”

He added: “We hope this system has been designed with disabled people and has been crafted to work with them not against them.”

Alison McGovern MP, Labour’s Acting Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said the Government had “completely failed” to build a healthy nation.

“Today’s announcement proves that this failed Government has run out of ideas, announcing the same minor alternation to fit notes that we’ve heard them try before. Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak’s £46bn unfunded tax plan to abolish national insurance risks crashing the economy once again,” she said.