Johnson wants change in sick-note culture

Health secretary Alan Johnson says GPs should set out what activities ill workers can undertake as part of proposed changes to the sick-note system.

He hopes the move will give employers the opportunity to welcome employees who are sufficiently healthy to conduct some of their required duties back to work.

The current system of an employee being either too sick to work or completely healthy is unrealistic and inflexible, Mr Johnson believes.

"It is a matter for GPs to decide whether someone should be off work altogether," Mr Johnson said on this morning's Today programme.

"Very often because they are focused on the wellbeing of their patient, they recognise that particularly for people with mental health problems divorcing them from the world of work actually is harmful to their health rather than beneficial."

His comments came before a speech to the British Heart Foundation's Well at Work conference in London, where Mr Johnson praised the government's progress in pushing its work-life balance debate.

"Increased maternity leave, the introduction of paternity leave, time off for adoptive parents and the right to request flexible working have led to a quiet revolution, as more employers recognise that supporting a healthy work-life balance is essential to recruiting and retaining talented staff," he said.

"The next stage is to incorporate work-life balance with work-health balance."

Mr Johnson wants employers to promote better health in the workplace and work with the government in identifying potential health risks, particularly around stress and mental health.

The government should also do more to help those whose ill health prevents them from working get back into the workplace, he added.

Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Norman Lamb warned against doctors becoming responsible for "policing the benefits system".

"If Alan Johnson is serious about helping the large number of people on long-term sick leave back to work, he should focus on providing better access to effective treatment for the huge numbers of people on incapacity benefit with mental health problems," he said.

A new sick-note scheme is to be piloted in the summer.