Fit Note System to be Overhauled As many will know, it can be difficult to manage employees who are ill. One of the challenges is a system of fit notes, which is increasingly seen as unfit for purpose. The general consensus is that the current fit note process is ineffective in meeting the needs of employers. With a particular criticism being the general lack of understanding by healthcare professionals of workplace contexts, as well as the ease with which fit notes could be obtained without a face-to-face consultation. In theory, a fit note does not sign employees off as sick but should identify what tasks the employee is still capable of doing. However, Government data shows that of the 11 million fit notes issued in England last year, 93% of them declared patients “not fit for work” without offering any support to return. In a recent survey, over 70 GP’s have never refused a request from a patient for a fit note. Indeed only 29% of primary care staff seeing and issuing patients with fit notes as a good use of their time. Even where a ‘may be fit for work’ fit note is issued, employers find that often lacked appropriate detail. As a result, the UK Government has launched a series of pilots in England with the intention of a more integrated approach to healthcare in the workplace. The intention is to bring employers, the NHS, and patients together to help people recover faster, stay connected to their jobs, and to improve the health of the economy. In Birmingham and Solihull, GPs will issue the first fit note where needed, with all patients referred to a new support service led primarily by non-clinical staff, including social prescribers and work and health coaches; In Coventry and Warwickshire, GPs will issue the first fit note, with patients able to be referred to a support service made up of both clinical and non-clinical staff; In Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, GPs will refer patients directly to a non-clinical support service, without issuing a fit note; and In Lancashire and South Cumbria, GPs will refer patients to a support service made up of both clinical and non-clinical staff, without issuing a fit note. Further details of the current proposals along can be found here [1] . The responses to a recent call for evidence published 21 May 2026 can be found here [2] Whilst the Government’s intentions can only be applauded, it remains to be seen how effective these pilot scheme will be. Motor Industry Legal Services Motor Industry Legal Services provides fully comprehensive legal advice and representation to UK motor retailers for one annual fee. It is the only regulated law firm in the UK which specialises in motor law and motor trade law. MILS currently advises over 1,000 individual businesses within the sector as well as the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI) and its members.