Patients often have no symptoms when they see a doctor for a sick note--over a third of the time. This means sick notes are often a false form of verification.
FACT: Sick Notes Aren’t Effective
Eliminating Sick Notes.
Good for Everyone
Good for Manitobans
- Better access to care
- Rest and recover when sick
- Eliminate hassle and expense of getting sick notes
Good for Employers
- Improved productivity
- Better employee engagement and trust
- Shift to better and proven methods to manage absenteeism
Good for Doctors
- Reduced administrative burden
- More time for patient care
- Less spread of illness
2186379
Minutes spent on sick notes by Manitoba's doctors in last 12 months
By the numbers
Doctors write over 600,000 sick notes per year in Manitoba, taking time away from patients with health concerns that need medical care.
FACT: Sick Notes Take Up Valuable Time.
Over 300,000 doctors visits could be freed up for real medical concerns if Manitoba eliminates sick notes. That’s the same as adding over 50 doctors!
FACT: Eliminating Sick Notes Will Improve Patient Access
Unnecessary sick notes result in hundreds of unnecessary doctors visits every day, costing taxpayers over $8 million per year.
FACT: Sick Notes Waste Money
“Manitoba has the biggest shortage of family doctors in Canada, so it’s vital we all work together to free up as much of their time as possible for patient care.”
Benefits of Eliminating Sick Notes
Eliminating sick notes is about more than just freeing up doctors' time. It's good for patients, good for employers, and ultimately good for Manitoba.
Improve Patient Care
Eliminating sick notes will free up over 300,000 unnecessary patient visits per year for doctors to see patients who really need help. That’s the same as immediately adding over 50 doctors to Manitoba’s health system!
Reduce Inequity
The time and expense of getting a sick note is particularly challenging for low wage workers and those without access to a family doctor.
Stop Spread of Illness
People with short-term, minor illnesses or injuries often need to stay home, rest and recover – not bring more colds and flu to their workplace or busy medical waiting rooms. Research shows 82% of workers would rather go to work sick than get a sick note.
Save Taxpayers Money
A third of the time patients are only visiting their doctor for a sick note, not medical care. That means sick notes cost Manitoba taxpayers an estimated $8 million per year on these unnecessary medical visits. Plus, many workers have to pay out of pocket for a sick note as an uninsured service.
Reduce Physician Burnout
Manitoba has the fewest family physicians per capita in Canada. By eliminating sick notes, healthcare providers can focus more on patient care rather than paperwork, helping address the physician burnout crisis and retaining more of the doctors we have.
Improve Productivity
Sick notes are ineffective for managing absenteeism. They can create a false sense of verification for employers and undermine workplace trust. Sick note requirements also promote the spread of illness through more people working while ill or going to the doctor unnecessarily.
Manitoba is Behind.
Manitoba is one of only two provinces that hasn’t taken any action to limits the use of sick notes. This is a big problem, especially when Manitoba has one of the biggest doctor shortages in the country. Eliminating sick notes would free up enough physician time, it would be like adding more than 50 doctors to Manitoba overnight.
Momentum is growing for a shift away from sick note to verify short term absences and there is strong support public and business support for these measures. Public polling shows 89% of Canadian business owners support the reduction of unnecessary paperwork for doctors (CFIB Survey).
Strong support for eliminating sick notes
New research shows strong support from Manitobans – including employers – for eliminating or limiting sick notes. This includes 96% of Manitobans who support eliminating or limiting sick notes, including 87% that favour elimination, and 10% who prefer limits on sick notes, such as after 10 or 7 days.
Let’s Eliminate Sick Notes!
Doctors Manitoba has released guidance for employers and other institutions to transition away from using sick notes to simplify verify absences. This follows two years of research and consultations, including with employers, labour organizations, doctors, HR and legal experts.
Support for Limiting Sick Notes
There’s a strong consensus among doctors, employers, labour leaders, HR
experts, and others that eliminating sick notes is the right move for
Manitoba.
“Access to reliable, quality health care is important to our members and to all Manitobans, wherever they live in the province. The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce strongly supports work to shift away from sick notes and improve access to health services. Ultimately, good quality healthcare is key to strong communities and a thriving environment for economic growth.”
Manitoba Chambers of Commerce