Fit For Work Service

Louise Walker
Legal Director
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The Fit for Work service was introduced in 2015 as a Government-funded service covering England, Scotland and Wales that provided basic occupational health assessments, where an employee has been absent from work for at least four weeks.

The service was intended to complement an employer’s existing occupational health support or give access to occupational health services to small or medium-sized businesses that would not normally have access to it.

It has been announced that the scheme will be abolished following low referral rates, with the service to end on 31 March 2018 in England and Wales and on 31 May 2018 in Scotland.

A helpline will remain in place which can be accessed by employers, employees and GPs seeking general advice on health and work.

Changes to the rules regarding businesses being reimbursed in respect of Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) were made when the Fit for Work service was introduced. It has been announced that the Government will now consult over any further changes that may be made to Statutory Sick Pay in light of the abolition of the Fit for Work service, and this could include considering a reduction in the current level of SSP.

We will provide further updates as and when they become available.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about this update, or require any further employment law support, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0141 331 5150.

Topics: Statutory Payments