Government Overhaul Of Fit Notes

On 20 May 2026, the Government announced several pilot schemes aimed at addressing what it refers to as the “broken” fit note system. A new approach to fit notes was recommended by the Keep Britain Working Review, which was led by Sir Charlie Mayfield. The aim is to identify how employers can prevent absence where possible and support safe and swift returns to work.

Selected NHS WorkWell sites and several major employers will pilot the new scheme, which is intended to help patients, employers and GPs navigate sickness absence from work. You can read more about WorkWell here on the GOV.UK website.

The pilot will trial a number of options and approaches:

• An initial GP fit note, but with all patients being referred to a new support service led by non-clinical staff, including social prescribers (also known as link workers) and work and health coaches;

or

• An initial GP fit note and patients being offered referral to a service made up of clinical and non-clinical staff.

It is the aim that three-way conversations between patients, employers and trained professionals will help employees stay connected to their workplace from the first day of absence and be enabled to return to work, with adjustments if needed.

You can read the DWP (Department for Work & Pensions) and DHSC (Department of Health & Social Care) press release here.

This is not the first and will surely not be the last endeavour to address what causes so much sickness absence from work. It is a thorny issue which costs employers and the economy a fortune each year, and an issue which seems to be getting worse with each passing year. Previous endeavours to improve things have not succeeded, and the cynic in me is minded to think this is not likely to be any more successful than previous efforts. 

The reasons people take time off sick are so multi-layered and complicated. They are not always sickness-led either. I am often saying, whenever asked to comment on sickness absence, that the main thing to ensure is that the lines of communication between the employer and the employee should be kept open as far as possible and appropriate. When an employee goes off sick and refuses to engage, a successful return to work becomes less likely. As a litigator, I often see employers doing daft things, though, such as asking a manager who is known to have a difficult relationship with the absent employee to contact the person who is off sick. A small modification, such as asking a work colleague to reach out or another member of management who is less involved, can reap rewards. It takes little imagination to think about how best to approach an absent employee, yet it is often lacking. No one is suggesting any of this is easy, but if an employee feels they can be open without being punished and that dialogue may improve matters, there are some solutions that can be found without recourse to a fit note process at all. And one which, above all else, avoids lawyers.