TY - JOUR T1 - Commentary: From sickness to fitness: modernising medical certification JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 515 LP - 515 DO - 10.3399/bjgp09X453549 VL - 59 IS - 564 AU - Steven E Bradshaw Y1 - 2009/07/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/59/564/515.abstract N2 - The coming years herald a radical overhaul of the sickness absence certification process in the UK, under direction of the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). Decreased productivity, days lost and the associated healthcare expenses of ill health in people of working age in the UK is estimated to cost in excess of £100 billion per annum.1 This sum is equivalent to the gross domestic product of Portugal, and is greater than the total annual running costs of the NHS.2 It is an accepted view that work can be beneficial to health. Therefore there is a move towards promoting able employees back into … ER -