HALF of all sick notes are handed out without the patient seeing a doctor, damning government study reveals

Millions of sick notes are being doled retired without patients having to spot a GP oregon caregiver successful person, according to a damning Government study.

Laying bare the standard of Britain's sick enactment culture, the study reveals that 56 per cent of applicants are fixed them aft a chat connected the telephone (37 per cent), applying online (13 per cent) oregon pursuing a virtual consultation (6 per cent).

Nearly 11 cardinal 'fit notes', which measure an individual's quality to work, were issued successful England successful the 12 months to June past year, suggesting arsenic galore arsenic 6.1 cardinal were handed retired without seeing a GP oregon caregiver successful person.

The bombshell survey besides reveals that much than a 3rd (39 per cent) of recipients said it is casual to get 1 adjacent 'when not truly needed'.

Health workers freely admitted to researchers that they dole them retired erstwhile it was not medically justified oregon without challenging patients, saying they were often acrophobic of a backlash amid increasing numbers of radical complaining of intelligence wellness problems.

Others said that the emblematic ten-minute assignment was not agelong capable for assessing patients oregon that rejecting an exertion tin make 'hours' much paperwork if the diligent complains.

The study past nighttime piled unit connected Labour to overhaul the strategy to tackle the sick enactment epidemic.

Former premier curate Rishi Sunak laid retired plans to overhaul the authorities past April, saying that claiming sickness and past benefits had go a 'lifestyle choice' for immoderate amid a spiralling payment bill.

The program included stripping GPs of their powerfulness to motion radical disconnected work. But the wide predetermination was called and the proposals person not been taken up by Labour.

The study, commissioned by the enactment and pensions and wellness departments and softly slipped retired this week amid the backlash implicit Donald Trump's commercialized tariffs, progressive absorption groups and one-to-one interviews with 84 GPs and nurses, 43 patients and 28 employers.

It recovered the main vexation of wellness workers was patients seemingly 'playing the system', with galore feeling they were 'entitled' to a acceptable enactment 'even erstwhile determination was nary aesculapian justification for it'.

Researchers noted a 'very accordant cognition that it was casual for idiosyncratic to get a acceptable enactment inappropriately', with 'almost all' wellness workers believing they 'could beryllium issued wherever it is not needfully appropriate'.

One caregiver told researchers: 'It takes 2 minutes to motion a sick note, and 20 minutes to explicate to idiosyncratic wherefore they shouldn't person a sick note, truthful you tin spot wherefore they're easy disseminated to patients.'

Some wellness workers said they thought astir 'inappropriate' acceptable notes apt related to radical claiming intelligence wellness issues. 

One GP said: 'If idiosyncratic comes and says they're, you know, very, precise stressed, oregon debased successful temper and depressed, and they privation clip disconnected work, I don't truly question that, I volition springiness them a sick enactment for that.'

Elliot Keck, caput of campaigns astatine the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'It's hard to work this study and not travel to the decision that the acceptable enactment strategy is not acceptable for purpose. It's wide aesculapian professionals are often acting arsenic small much than rubber stampers.

'Ministers request to marque the process overmuch stricter to guarantee that lone those who are genuinely sick tin get signed off.'

The enactment and pensions and wellness departments were contacted for comment.