Online companies selling same-day sick leave for as little as £25 were criticized today for offering a service that “threatens to become a mockery of the entire system”.
The letters, which allowed clients to be discharged from work by UK-regulated doctors, promised that “an appointment was not necessary”.
Customers simply fill out a form, but some ask them to submit a 30-second video describing their illness.
Users have praised the “excellent” and “fast” services. One even claimed to have obtained his grade in just 20 minutes.
Experts argued that the sites demonstrated that gaining approval was “little more than a box-ticking exercise for some.” Others, however, warned that the problem will not be easy to solve.
Meanwhile, Home2Lab, apparently based in North London, is offering a workplace medical certificate for just £44 for a “regular application”. Under this option, if the site states that a “UK doctor” will sign the certificate before emailing it, “usually within the same day.”
All doctors are registered with the General Medical Council, the body responsible for regulating doctors.
The revelation comes after Rishi Sunak today vowed to crack down on “sick note culture” in the UK, announcing plans to strip GPs of their power to dismiss Brits from work.
Instead, the change would see the letters, known in the NHS as “fit notes”, become the responsibility of “specialist jobs and health professionals” teams.
MailOnline discovered one seller, Updoc UK, advertising “sick notes for work” from as little as £24.95.
The letter, “accepted by both small and large employers”, provides “official confirmation of your illness, guaranteeing that you will receive sick leave”.
He adds: “Earn your certification quickly and effortlessly, with no appointments necessary.”
For £24.95, Brits pay a monthly subscription that offers “unlimited requests for prioritized medical letters.”
Signed by a “UK professional”, the document is sent via email and text message.
Other options include ‘priority express request’, priced at £59.95. This sees patient requests prioritized “at the top of the queue”, reviewed and signed by a UK doctor.
A ‘regular order’ is also available for £44.95 and is emailed ‘usually within a day’.
MailOnline discovered one seller, Updoc UK, advertising “sick notes for work” from as little as £24.95. The letter, “accepted by small and large employers alike,” provides “an official confirmation of his illness guaranteeing that he will get sick leave.”
Meanwhile, Home2Lab, apparently based in North London, is offering a workplace medical certificate for just £44 for a “regular application”.
Under this option, the site claims that a “UK doctor” will sign the certificate before emailing it, “usually within the same day.”
All doctors are registered with the General Medical Council, the body responsible for regulating doctors.
A ‘priority express request’, for a total of £66, will ensure that the request for a note ‘is at the top of the queue’.
When MailOnline tested it, the website asked the user to upload a one-minute video to describe their symptoms.
The two sites have also received an influx of positive reviews on TrustPilot. One claimed that Updoc provided “excellent, fast and accessible service” and received the note “within 20 minutes”.
Another called Home2Lab a “very good service” and admitted they also received their note on the same day.
“Reliable and genuine GP appointment via video,” they added.
However, experts criticized the system.
Jonathan Eida, of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, also told MailOnline: ‘Taxpayers will be surprised that, while it is impossible to get a doctor’s appointment, for many getting sick leave is little more than a box-ticking exercise.
“Doctors should help alleviate the culture of sick leave, not contribute to it.”
Meanwhile, Professor Len Shackleton, a labor market expert at the Institute of Economic Affairs, told MailOnline: “It is strange, but all too believable, that it is so easy to get sick leave.
‘Rishi Sunak has correctly identified this as a problem, but it will not be easily resolved.
‘Insisting on a face-to-face meeting with a doctor or appropriate professional assessor may be the long-term answer, but it is currently impractical and will be very expensive.
The Updoc site adds: ‘Get your certification quickly and effortlessly with no appointments needed’
For £24.95, Brits pay a monthly subscription that offers “unlimited requests for prioritized medical letters.” Signed by a “UK professional”, the document is sent via email and text message.
In a major speech today, Rishi Sunak will warn that a rise in the number of people signed off due to mental illness is putting “unsustainable” pressure on the welfare budget.
“Employers may have to insist on their own procedures, but the Court system must support any such initiative rather than assuming that employees are always victims.”
The Prime Minister today claimed that benefits have become a “lifestyle choice” for some, leading to a “spiraling” welfare bill.
Latest figures suggest 2.8 million Britons are “economically inactive” due to health problems. About half end up with depression, anxiety and nerves.
Official forecasts also show that spending on ill health through the Personal Independence Payments (PIP) scheme will soar to £33bn by 2029, up from just under 19 £1 billion last year.
Sunak added that it was time to be “more honest about the risk of over-medicalising life’s everyday challenges and concerns”.
Labor criticized the plan, arguing that the Government had “run out of ideas”. Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer also accused Sunak of “blaming people who are sick”.
However, many GPs welcomed the change, with some arguing that doctors are “often too afraid to refuse to discharge patients because they fear they will become angry”.
Professor Dame Clare Gerada, former president of the Royal College of General Practitioners, also said: “We can’t be expected to assess them all.” It doesn’t mean we don’t care, because we do. But we may simply not have time to care for all the people who are sick.’
MailOnline has approached UpDoc, Home2Lab and GMC for comment.