Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department has made on implementing the recommendations of Dame Carol Black's report, Working for a healthier tomorrow, presented to his Department in 2008.

Following Dame Carol Black’s review ‘Improving health and work: changing lives’, published on 25th November 2008, the recommendations were taken forward including the launching of a series of pilots and programmes to help tackle the costs of working-age ill-health and a National Education Programme for GPs from April 2009. In addition, in 2010 the fit note was also introduced to help GPs provide their patients with better fitness for work advice.

Building on the original report, in 2011 the Government asked Dame Carol Black and David Frost CBE to review the sickness absence system across Great Britain to help combat the 130 million days lost to sickness absence every year. Their review ‘Health at work – an independent review of sickness absence’ was published in 2011, with our response published in January 2013. In its response, the Government accepted the recommendation to establish the service now called ‘Fit for Work’ which will launch shortly. Fit for Work will provide an occupational health assessment to employees who have been off sick for four weeks and general health and work advice to GP’s, employers and employees across Great Britain for the first time.