It’s a move that seems so obvious. The UK has introduced “fit notes” that – rather than outline what patients are physically or mentally incapable of, let employees and employers alike know what an individual IS capable of. The idea reflects a recognition of the importance of helping sick people to remain in employment in order for a speedier recovery and reduced cost to the individual, their workplace and their community.

The fit note idea is deliciously simple but, unfortunately, it’s innovative because no one else is doing it.

Why not?!

Letting both worker and boss know what the injured individual can undertake without doing themselves further harm lets them stay in work, or at least return sooner, and removes the “fear factor” for all concerned: the employee’s fear of hurting themselves more, the employer’s fear of allowing an employee to do further damage and also to run the risk of a greater claim.

The notes operate in opposition to “sick notes”, recommendations to stay off work to wait to get better. The rarely useful tendency towards sick notes make the issue of capacity for work seem black and white – either you can work or you can’t – when in reality the situation often has a lot more grey area. An employee may not be able to perform their role exactly as they did before the injury, but most workplaces will have other roles available to someone while they are recovering. Fit notes encourage these roles to be found.

The notes have been developed with the collaboration of healthcare professionals, employer representatives and trade unions and will emerge around March 2010. RTWMatters will be watching with keen eyes to bring you details of how the fit notes go. We suspect great things will result. An encouragement of ability over a focus on disability is just the right RTW culture required universally in return to work.