A doctor spends 30 minutes every day checking out people with mental illness, but the GP says returning to work could actually be better for them.
Dr. John Harvard revealed that there has been a ‘significant increase’ in the number of people becoming unemployed, which has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
But he says it may not be a “wise plan” for people feeling anxious or depressed to stay at home, as they “need support from home, family, friends and also from those at work.”
It comes at a time when the number of economically inactive working-age people in Britain stands at 9.4 million, meaning they are neither in work nor looking for work.
Meanwhile, at the end of last year, 4,000 applications for sickness benefits were submitted every day.
Dr. John Harvard, whose practice is based at Saxmundham Health Center in Suffolk, says he spends 30 minutes every day writing sick notes for people
The graph above shows the areas that have seen the biggest increase in long-term illness claims over the period 2022-2023
Dr. Harvard, whose practice is based at Saxmundham Health Center in Suffolk, estimates that GPs across the country are likely to spend ‘half an hour every day’ handing out ‘repeat fit notes’ to those who have been out of work for a while .
He said: ‘There has certainly been a significant increase in the number of patients absent from work due to mental health problems.
‘This appears to have worsened since Covid.’
His practice often contacts patients to find out how they are recovering, in an effort to get them back to work.
This is because the doctors think this can be better for their recovery.
Dr. Harvard added: “If patients are anxious or depressed, there are a number of ways we can help. But taking time off work isn’t necessarily a wise plan.
‘Interaction and support from colleagues can be helpful, which means it is not in their interest to fire some people.’
He was speaking after Rishi Sunak announced plans to strip GPs of the power to fire people, as part of a crackdown on what he calls the ‘sick note culture’ in Britain.
The Prime Minister claims benefits have become ‘a lifestyle choice’ for some people, causing welfare costs to ‘spiral’.
He announced on Friday that the government will try to get ‘work and health professionals’ to issue ‘fit notes’ instead of GPs.
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Mr Sunak hopes this will free up overworked GPs and allow specialists to make a more detailed assessment of a person’s ability to work.
He is implementing the plans amid concerns about the increase in long-term absenteeism since the pandemic, which is mainly caused by mental health problems.
The Tory leader added that he would ‘never dismiss or downplay the illnesses that people have’, but also argued that there is a need to be ‘more honest about the risk of over-medicalising life’s everyday challenges and concerns’ .
Disability campaigners have reacted furiously to the plans, with the charity Scope labeling them as an ‘all-out attack on people with disabilities’.
Dr. Havard said: “If the government has a plan for issuing repeat certificates then I would welcome that idea.
“At this point, though, I have no idea how it would work.”
He added: ‘As a general rule I feel that patients with anxiety and depression need support from home, family, friends and also from people at work.
‘We should never underestimate the power of the wider community to provide support.’
The total welfare bill for the British taxpayer is currently £297 billion and is expected to rise to £360 billion over the next five years – the equivalent of 11 percent of Britain’s entire economic output.
Over the same period, spending on sickness benefits is expected to rise from £66 billion to over £90 billion.
Nearly 3 million people of working age are currently on long-term illness – the highest ever figure was revealed on April 17.
A recent survey by this newspaper found that in the 16 to 24 age group, 280,000 people are receiving unemployment benefits – twice as many as a decade ago, and 50,000 more than before Covid struck.
And it seems that the younger generation is more likely to suffer from negativity about their mental health.
Research from the Resolution Foundation shows that the number of 18 to 24 year olds who are economically inactive due to mental health has more than doubled in the past decade, from 93,000 to 190,000.