Hundreds of GPs have told the BBC they have never refused to sign a patient off work for mental health issues.
BBC News sent a questionnaire to more than 5,000 GPs in England asking if they had ever denied a fit note – often called a sick note – to someone who had requested one because of their mental health.
Of the 752 GPs who replied, 540 said they had never refused such a request, while 162 told us they had turned at least one down. A smaller number – 50 – said they would prefer not to say.
Some revealed how frustrated they were with the current system, saying the provision of fit notes should not be part of GPs’ jobs.
They also highlighted instances of patients becoming aggressive if they were not signed off work. One GP revealed how a patient had refused to leave the practice without a fit note.
We cannot know whether the GPs who responded to the BBC questionnaire are representative of all family doctors.
