Rishi Sunak has vowed to tackle the UK’s prevalent ‘sick note culture’. He claims it is heavily slowing productivity and driving down employment rates. He plans to strip GPs of the right to write off patients from work.
What is Sick Note Culture?
‘Sick note culture’ refers to a workplace environment where employees frequently take sick leave. It implies excusable absenteeism due to minor-illnesses or the slightest mental health problems. Sick leave also involves monthly or yearly payments made by the government for even the most minor illnesses.
It is mainly the younger generation who abuse the easy way to earn money off of a minor illness. This may be an example of the adverse effects of over-emphasis on mental health awareness in the UK. The idea that so many GPs consider people with the slightest sign of anxiety or depression as unfit to work is absurd.
Rishi Sunak has stated that, if the conservatives win the next general election, he will redact some of the benefits of sick leave, and make it harder for GP practitioners to issue them.
In fact, he wants to strip the GPs ability to issue a sick leave entirely. He wishes to delegate that responsibility to workplace officials.
Rishi Sunak wants to make government compensation for healthcare related unemployment either a one time deposit, or a monthly payment for twelve months after which benefits will be revoked entirely.
Welfare Budget and Unemployment
Sunak wants to cut down on money spent by the government this way. He made specific reference to the £69 billion disability welfare bill of the government. He stated it is now larger than the core schools budget.
Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary, sided with Sunak as he told Sky News, “If you go to the GP and say you are feeling a little bit depressed, and you’re signed off, in 94% of occasions, a box is ticked that says you’re not capable of work whatsoever.“
Sunak stated in his speech that in February 2024, a staggering 2.8 million unemployed people were on ‘sick leave’, claiming the government’s benefits. He made sure to include, however, that those who require genuine care and money from the government will have as much, once his stricter regulations are in place to filter out those who don’t need as much care.
He received significant backlash against disabled charities, who claimed this was a targeted offence against those with disabilities. They argued that the spiral in work benefit costs were due to crumbling public services and poverty among disabled households.
“There’s nothing compassionate about leaving a generation of young people to sit alone in the dark before a flickering screen watching as their dreams slip further from reach every single day”
Rishi Sunak, taken from BBC
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