Does Britain have a "sicknote" culture?

Doctors have been urged to encourage patients to follow the example of Tony Blair and return to work quickly after illness rather than adopting a "sicknote culture".

A meeting of 200 doctors was implored by welfare secretary Alan Johnson to think twice before signing patients off sick because of evidence that a lay-off was worse for their wellbeing; and that of the taxpayer.

Government Response: Department of Work and Pensions

Alan Johnson, work and pensions secretary, said: "While we must provide security for those who cannot work, increasingly doctors agree that signing some people off as long-term sick is not always the best way to deal with their health problems. For people who are able to work again, a job can itself be an important step in the road to recovery and rehabilitation.