The Assessment of Fitness for Work
With evidence that long periods away from work can be detrimental to an individual’s health, the CSP has lobbied for more employers to recognise the importance of supporting employees to remain in work, even when they are unable to conduct their normal duties.
How can Chartered physiotherapists help change this situation?
Why is it important? Physiotherapists should be at the forefront of sick absence management. The Assessment of Fitness to Work tool offers the profession the way to prove our worth. Using the tool should offer practical help to patients and employers in keeping them working effectively through recovery.
The Assessment of Fitness for Work is an A4 document providing a tick-box for ‘can work with adaptations’/’can’t work’ and a space for advice on how to retain an employee in work whilst recovering from illness or injury.
If the employer cannot implement the recommendations, the employee can then give the form to their GP for use in completion of the Fit Note.
The Assessment of Fitness to Work form can therefore help GPs, employees and employers to focus on what a person can do whilst using work as part of their rehabilitation rather than sign a person off to recover at home.
