This is the condition most people are off work with but DWP wants to make it harder to claim sick pay

Rishi Sunak is planning to make it harder for people to take time off work sick under tough new plans to tackle what he calls the "sick note culture". He wants to strip GPs of their power to sign people off amid concerns too many are taking time off work when they could be working.

There were a record 2.8 million people out of work in February but disability charities have criticised the plans. Recent figures showed mental health conditions account for the highest number of workers taking time off sick.

This can include things like stress, depression and anxiety but the Government wants to make it harder for these people to take time off and claim sick pay. The Prime Minister argued being at work and having a daily routine could be just as beneficial as helping mental health as spending time off.

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NHS data in 2017 showed mental health and behavioural conditions have accounted for almost a third (31%) of all fit notes, where the diagnosis was known. And the number of people off work with mental health conditions has only increased since the Covid pandemic.

But Mr Sunak said the rising trend of mental health sickness notes needed to change. "There's nothing compassionate about leaving a generation of young people to sit alone in the dark before a flickering screen watching as their dreams slip further from reach every single day," he said.

The Prime Minister said there would still be a "safety net" for "those who genuinely need it" but added: "We don't just need to change the sick note, we need to change the sick note culture so the default becomes what work you can do - not what you can't."

Disability charity Scope argued the plans were "driven by bringing costs down rather than how we support disabled people", while Sarah Brown-Fraser, head of communications and Policy at Activity Alliance said the "narrative" around welfare reform was "harmful".