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Sick-Note Britain: How Social Problems Became Medical Issues
Dr Adrian Massey has worked at the intersection of medicine and society for decades. He argues compellingly that our hyper-medicalized society has falsely equated sickness with illness, and sickness with unfitness to work--whereas sickness is primarily a social problem requiring social, not medical, solutions.
Sick-Note Britain lays bare Britain's gross when doctors cannot 'fix' anxiety or chronic pain, workplace attendance is still treated as a matter for arbitration by our strained primary care service. What is needed is a tailored, employer-employee contractual solution, but obstacles block this excessively complex employment law constraining both sides; an outdated benefits system that overburdens doctors and traumatizes the vulnerable; and a workplace culture that is too inflexible to keep sick employees in work.
This is a blistering condemnation of a sham system that works for nobody, and an urgent call to rethink how we manage sickness--for the sake of our economy, our wellbeing, and our health service.
Sick-Note Britain lays bare Britain's gross when doctors cannot 'fix' anxiety or chronic pain, workplace attendance is still treated as a matter for arbitration by our strained primary care service. What is needed is a tailored, employer-employee contractual solution, but obstacles block this excessively complex employment law constraining both sides; an outdated benefits system that overburdens doctors and traumatizes the vulnerable; and a workplace culture that is too inflexible to keep sick employees in work.
This is a blistering condemnation of a sham system that works for nobody, and an urgent call to rethink how we manage sickness--for the sake of our economy, our wellbeing, and our health service.
368 pages, Hardcover
Published April 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 23, 2020
This is a fascinating book that is also extremely readable - which one wouldn't expect given the subject matter of GPs signing off sick notes! It is, however, far more than that, as Dr Massey expertly takes the reader on a far more expansive journey. He weaves in history, economics, politics, futurology, razor sharp personal anecdotes and a healthy dose of pop culture as he rams home his central points about the flaws in the current way sickness is handled in the workplace. The writing has a lightness of touch that is in places reminiscent of Bill Bryson.
A very good read and you'll learn something.
A very good read and you'll learn something.
November 11, 2019
Fascinating, informative, and balanced.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews