Centre for Mental Health

Dame Carol Black's review of the health of Britain's working age population Working for a healthier tomorrow recognises that for most people work is good both for their long-term health and for their family’s well-being. Its proposals focus on keeping people healthy at work, and also on helping them return to work if they get ill.

Key recommendations include:

• New Fit for Work service to be piloted for patients in early stages of sickness – if rolled out the aim would be to make work-related health support available to all
• If successful Fit for Work should be extended to those on incapacity and other out of work benefits. Government should also expand provision of Pathways to Work to cover all on incapacity benefit
• Outdated paper-based sick note should be replaced with an electronic ‘fit note’, stating what people can do, not what they can’t
• Occupational health should be brought into the mainstream of healthcare provision