I was delighted to read the April Focus in the BJGP.1 The new more positive approach to certification of incapacity is to be welcomed. Starting in 1947, whenever I issued a ‘certificate’ I gave an expected duration of incapacity. This enabled both patient and employer to anticipate ‘return to full function’. It also led the patient to realise that they had a duty to ‘get better’. My patients always knew I was not a soft touch for extended sloth.
PS. I still feel strongly at 90.
- © British Journal of General Practice, 2010.
