7 July 2005 - Publication of DWP research report 225: Key Findings and Publication of DWP Research: The potential for certification of incapacity for work by non-medical healthcare professionals
A research report published today by the Department for Work and Pensions provides findings from a feasibility study exploring the difficulties and prospects for the potential scope of extending responsibility for issuing sickness certificates to healthcare professionals other than doctors.
The report contains findings from an international literature review, interviews and focus groups with a variety of healthcare professionals and a telephone survey of over 1000 healthcare professionals.
Key Findings:
- Overall non-medical healthcare professionals (NMHPs) are in favour of extending certification of incapacity for work to their professions (69 percent).
- Those more in favour include Osteopaths/Chiropractors (88 per cent), Primary Care Nurse Practitioners (83 per cent), A&E Nurse Practitioners (74 per cent) and Physiotherapists (72 per cent).
- Clinical Psychologists (55 per cent) and Occupational Health Nurses (61 per cent), although still in agreement, were least in favour of extending certification.
- Of NMHP surveyed those groups who are more in favour of the proposal already advise on fitness for work, outside the NHS, to a greater degree than the average (overall 67 per cent, Osteopaths/Chiropractors 95 per cent).
- NMHPs were concerned that they would need more training if certification were extended to their groups with 37 per cent claiming to have no awareness of the DWP criteria for issuing advice and statements of incapacity.
- Healthcare professionals stated a preference for the widening of fitness for work advice and certification on the basis of a tiered system, whereby complex cases outside their professional remit would be dealt with by another professional.
- Some of the most commonly cited advantages of the proposal were that it would benefit patients and reduce pressure on GPs. The majority of NMHP (71 per cent) stated that if provided with training and guidelines they would not have difficulty in assessing fitness for certification purposes.
- However some NMHPs felt that the proposal would result in an increased workload (70 per cent) and some felt it could damage relationships with patients (Clinical Psychologists 52 per cent, Occupational Therapists 38 per cent).
- No international literature was found to support or refute the proposal to extend incapacity certification to non-medical healthcare professionals
- The findings from this research will be considered by DWP in consultation with other government departments and professional bodies.
Notes to Editors
- Doctors are currently the only people legally able to sign the statutory sickness certificate known as the ‘Med 3 form’.
- The potential for certification of incapacity for work by non-medical healthcare professionals by Karen Niven, is published today in the DWP Research Report Series: report number 225.
- A summary and copy of the report are available on the DWP website at www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/
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