Sick notes for short absences to be scrapped!

BC Family Doctors applaud the provincial government’s plans to eliminate the requirement for sick notes for short-term illnesses.

Today, the Ministry of Labour announced the introduction of Bill 11 to amend the Employment Standards Act, eliminating the need for workers to get sick notes for short-term work absences.

This is welcome news for family physicians, patients and our healthcare system. It means:

• Family physicians will spend less time on unnecessary administrative tasks and more time with patients who require medical care
• Patients can stay home and recover, where they need to be when ill, rather than travel to a doctor’s office for a sick note
• The primary care system will strengthen as family doctors spend more time on what matters most – providing care for existing and new patients

BC Family Doctors, Doctors of BC and BC College of Family Physicians have long advocated for the elimination of sick notes. With over 700,000 British Columbians without access to a family doctor, we need physicians focusing on patients, not paperwork.

Sick notes take time, offer little clinical value and add pressure to our overburdened primary care system. In Canada, an estimated 261,000 hours (about 1 million patient appointments) can be saved each year by eliminating the requirement for sick notes.

Every policy change that frees up doctors’ time helps us move toward better care for more British Columbians.

This is a step in the right direction. BC Family Doctors looks forward to participating in the provincial government’s stakeholder engagement to create new regulations for employers regarding short and longer-term absences from work due to illness.

We will continue to make sure health care is a priority by raising our voice on behalf of family physicians across the province and the patients they care for.