A Family doctor from London gives an honest insight into why he often puts healthy patients on sick leave. The anonymous doctor tells the British newspaper “The Telegraph“That many patients would specifically request certificates of incapacity for work, even if these were actually not appropriate.

“If they’re pushy or persistent, it’s easier to get one certificate so that I can treat the next patient and move on,” admits the doctor. In his experience, appointments often take unnecessarily long if patients wouldn’t get a certificate. “That’s why you often feel like it’s not worth asking them about it – you end up getting so behind on everything else and causing a traffic jam of delays all day long,” he explains in the Telegraph.

Long waiting times make the situation worse

The doctor also refers to a survey by BBC. In this study, over 70 percent of family doctors stated that they had never refused a certificate due to psychological problems. In addition, patients sometimes reacted aggressively if they were not given sick leave. In one case, a person also refused to leave the practice without a certificate of incapacity for work.

According to the anonymous family doctor, a particularly large number of sick notes relate to mental illnesses. Doctors can often only prescribe medication and offer consultations. In his opinion, short appointments are not enough to seriously assess one’s ability to work. In the Telegraph he calls for a fundamental reform of the British health system.

Debate about telephone sick leave in Germany

There has also been a debate about sick leave in Germany since January. At that time criticized Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merzthat employees stay at home for an average of 14.5 days. In particular, the Chancellor questioned sick leave over the telephone. The Union is pushing for abolition.

However, the general practitioners’ association warns against an unnecessarily large number of patients in practices. “All previous evaluations by the health insurance companies confirm that telephone sick leave does not lead to a higher rate of misuse of sick leave,” said chairman Markus Beier in January.Editorial network Germany“.