By Annie Dabb • Updated: 02 Jul 2022 • 11:12
Image - Doctor's Note -Flickr
Bosses often request a sick note if employees require more than a week off for illness. However, before this week, people had to go to their GP to be signed off, as reported by thesun.co.uk. The new change in law will also make it easier for those signed-off long term to claim universal credit or government benefit that they could be entitled to.
Long waiting lists since the covid-19 pandemic have prompted the change, as doctors and nurses across England, Scotland and Wales continue to feel the pressure of millions of ill people who need doctors’ appointments.
Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has said “slashing bureaucracy is key to ensuring more patients can see their GP quickly and get the care they need as we bust the Covid backlogs.”
The new change follows the move to digital rather than pen-on-paper doctor’s notes which came into force in April 2022. Javid is pushing for a “digital revolution” on this note, to speed up access to NHS services. This will include new features on the NHS app which will allow uses to chat directly with a GP, manage hospital appointments and access medical records.
Currently, 6.48 million people are estimated to still be awaiting NHS treatment, and Javid has stated that he hopes to see 50 million more appointments delivered per year by 2024.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article, do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Share this story
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don't already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
From Newcastle originally, Annie is based in Manchester and is a writer for the Euro Weekly News covering news and features. Got a story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Download our media pack in either English or Spanish.