New Fit Note [MED3 & eMed] Guidance for GP's and others

Richie-from-the-Boro

New Fit Note Guidance is out - NOTE : fitness for work in general and is not job-specific

The GP's MED3 & eMed's & Others

helentay_2

Richie-from-the-Boro wrote: »

New Fit Note Guidance is out - NOTE : fitness for work in general and is not job-specific

The GP's MED3 & eMed's & Others

I have just had a read through the notes and to be honest I am shocked.

I gave up counting how many times the DWP are making a point that 'being ill is bad for your health - work is a much better alternative!'

It is so biased against the patient themselves. They know how they feel, they know what their capabilities are.

You might just as well have given the GP the ESA50 to complete and at the same time carry out the face to face assessment on behalf of ATOS.

The DWP have gone too far with this now, does the GP really know if the patient is capable of any type of work?

Obviously the hope is that it will be another piece of evidence that the DWP will use against the claimant.

If I had to go to mey GP to ask for one of these new fit notes, I would be frightened of saying anything just on the off chance that the GP uses it against me. Where is the care and compassion that a GP is supposed to give you?

Richie-from-the-Boro

Work sets you free agreed the Daily Mirror : "The German slogan 'Arbeit Macht Frei' is somewhat tainted by its connection with Nazi concentration camps, but its essential message, 'work sets you free' still has something serious to commend it. There is dignity to be gained from any job, no matter how menial, and for young people at the start of their careers, there are valuable lessons to be learned from any form of employment, whether that is on the factory floor, on a supermarket till or in the contemporary hard labour camp of a merchant bank or law office."

This grotesque lapse in taste was mysteriously deleted once its presence was revealed on the Twittersphere.

speedfreek1000

My view is going to be unpopular especially amongst the doom sayers!

You have to look at all of these changes as a whole and the whole is a program that has been running for over 10 years driven by the DWP called

Health, Work and Well-being

This is a very ambitious program and it's vision as originally proposed is absolutely brilliant.

Unfortunately everything envisaged has either been shelved or been so defunded... you get the picture.

The spin is that this vision is still running in its entirety and it's only much much later that the reality of what we are actually being offered is known.

This is why we need to take a few steps back and start educating the people who are caring and protecting us GP's etc that although they are being told A in reality we are facing Z. We need to bring them out of this DWP dream land and firmly into the land of NHS destruction, sanctions and the complete cluster !!!! that will be Universal Credit.

They are not stupid, just misadvised and only we can educate them by showing them real life examples.

The worry about this change is not the change itself but the fact GP's are now being asked to make judgments on things they are not trained to do.

They are being told that we will be cared for in this wonderful Health, Work and Well-being program and bombarded with the Utopian visions as it was at it's inception.

Sadly for us this vision is a false profit as the reality is destitution and hardship for the vast majority of us.

I've read the DWP papers where by mental health via NHS will be CBT only (this is happening and funding cuts of 25% hit 2009/2010 followed by 10% a year for the next 5 as other treatments are not needed) as it was envisaged that other treatment would be available and fully funded by the Work Program. Sounds mad but that was the vision and that still being told to those making the decisions. How that now fits in with well we'll make you do job searches as there is no funding will only come out later.

We need to work within the frame work we are being given and start educating those who can make a difference!

helentay_2

speedfreek1000 wrote: »

I've read the DWP papers where by mental health via NHS will be CBT only (this is happening and funding cuts of 25% hit 2009/2010 followed by 10% a year for the next 5 as other treatments are not needed) as it was envisaged that other treatment would be available and fully funded by the Work Program. !

I will give you one example as regards Mental Health in the NHS and this is from personal knowledge.

In 1990, the local hospital had a new wing built - Mental Health - Day Service.
It was a fantastic service, fully staffed with OT's, physchiatrists, psychologists, CPN's, PE instructor, etc. All in all about 30 staff. In addition a kitchen was built in one room that helped educate the patients on how to care for themselves. There was a fully fitted out gymnasium, art room as well as consulting rooms etc.

Outside were two tennis courts, and a large landscaped garden, half of which was built as a sensory garden.

Within the hospital there was a restaurant etc. Attached to this unit, was a secure unit of 50 beds.
The 'Day Service' was well attended - maybe 50+ patients spent every day there.

By 2006, the whole thing had been closed down with the patients scattered to the four winds - Care in the Community.
The secure unit was closed. At one time there were over 200 secure unit beds spread across the county - now there are just 31!

The building itself became a 'Walk in centre' for minor illnesses, the main hospital that it was attached to was pulled down with 40 large detached houses being built in its place.

What happened to the ptients? No idea, some committed suicide, some ended up in jail and the rest were just left to get on with life the best way that they could.
I know of one person who I befriended, within 3 months of being cast aside, he threw himself down the stairwell of his home (flat) from the 7th floor! The sudden stop at the bottom killed him.