Dame Carol Black published a report in March 2008 regarding the health conditions of the working population of the UK. The results have astonished the government, which has introduced the concept of fit notes to solve the problem. The concept has been developed in consultation with doctors, businessmen and employees. The final design of the fit note will be the result of a 3 months long consultation process.

The sick note, which is quite commonly used currently, has a clear-cut formula, which says a person is either well enough to work or is unwell enough to be on leave. It does not leave any option for those who are a little unwell but want to work or want to go back to work as soon as possible, Work and Pensions Minister, Lord Bill McKenzie, said at the launch. He also said that the fit note seeks to ensure that people can work even if they are not 100% fit.

The fit note will be a computer generated document, provided by doctors, and will give workers advice on how to return to work sooner rather than taking long sickness leaves. It will also help them in choosing some other work in the establishment if they are not able to do the work they were doing earlier. For example, if an employee cannot move due to some illness, he can still be given some work that does not require much movement.

While the decision to use it has already been announced, the fit note will become common practice only in the spring of next year.

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