Patients are refusing to accept doctor’s notes because they cannot afford to take time off work, according to the nation’s top physician.
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, who took over as chair of the Royal College of GPs last week, stated that the cost-of-living situation has “suddenly gotten a great deal worse” during the past few months.
She stated, “Recently, I’ve had patients refuse sick notes because they cannot afford to take time off work.
When it’s obvious that someone needs time off, they typically refuse to take it.
Some of the individuals who refuse sick notes have chronic ailments such as asthma and diabetes, as well as mental health issues.
Currently, inflation is at a 40-year high of 11.1%, driven by rising food and energy prices.
Leading analysts estimate that the ordinary family in the United Kingdom now pays roughly 90 percent more for heating and lighting than it did a year ago.
And experts anticipate further deterioration.
Professor Hawthorne stated that more people are getting asthma attacks because they cannot afford to heat their houses, while others are experiencing deteriorating mental health due to financial difficulties.
The GP in Mountain Ash, South Wales, told The Guardian: ‘These are people who, technically speaking, should not be at work because they have a chronic ailment such as asthma or diabetes, but also frequently mental health issues, quite severe mental health issues.
‘There are a few cases who require a bit of sick note peace to aid in their recovery.
In the past year, when I’ve offered a sick note, my coworkers have said, “Oh no, I can’t take time off. I need the income from my job’ They have declined.
They assert, “I must continue working to support myself and my family.”
‘Of course, I don’t take anything personally, but I feel sorry for people because for a few minutes you join their lives and understand how difficult it is.’
Professor Hawthorne, who is also the head of graduate entrance medicine at Swansea University, stated that when the weather worsens, people are “extremely worried” about what the future holds.
She stated, “I now have patients who are concerned about fuel expenditures this winter, as they have not yet turned on their heating and have their windows shut.
People are extremely concerned about the future and whether they will have to pick between heating and eating.
Professor Hawthorne stated that GPs are psychologically suffering as a result of the crisis because they feel unable to assist their patients as they would like.
More than 1,000 needy patients whose diseases worsen in the winter will soon receive heating prescriptions from their doctors.
The “Warm Home Prescription” initiative, sponsored by taxpayers, has so far paid to heat the homes of 28 low-income patients and will be expanded to an additional 1,150 in Gloucestershire, Aberdeenshire, and Teeside.
Advocates of the initiative assert that prescribing heating can prevent patients’ diseases from worsening, hence decreasing their likelihood of requiring hospital care and saving the cash-strapped NHS millions over time.
As a result of rising prices, this winter will be a miserable one for Britons. Food, fuel, and electricity costs have increased, retirees are being compelled to return to the workforce, and shops are locking up more merchandise.
The Bank of England forecast that inflation will peak at 10.7%.
However, it has already reached 11.11 percent, putting the Federal Reserve under immense pressure to increase interest rates once more.
As a result, food prices have skyrocketed and retailers have resorted to security tags.
Compared to the previous year, the price of milk, cheese, and eggs increased by more than 27 percent, and a security box containing these and other typical household commodities was discovered.
As a result of skyrocketing prices, Britons are struggling to heat and feed, and even retirees are being compelled to return to work to put food on the table.
According to recruitment specialists Reed, scared retirees are reassessing their finances in light of approaching recession forecasts.
Last month, one couple, Joan Preston, 79, and her husband Leon, 81, disclosed that they worked part-time hours to supplement their state pension.
Mrs. Preston works up to four days per week, while Mr. Preston works one or two minimum wage jobs per week at a cinema to supplement his £140-a-week state pension.
