Great Britain currently loses around 130 million days to
sickness absence each year, with a significant cost to business and
individuals alike. To address this issue, a new Health and Work
Service is being introduced by the Government in accordance with
recommendations made by Dame Carol Black in her independent report
published in 2011. The scheme will be rolled-out gradually from the
end of this year to April 2015.
The new Service will be funded by the abolition of the
Percentage Threshold Scheme for Statutory Sick Pay (under which
employers are subsidised by the Government if their liability for
Statutory Sick Pay in any month is more than 13% of that
month's National Insurance Contributions). Consequently,
employers will now be responsible for the whole cost of Statutory
Sick Pay for their employees. The Percentage Threshold Scheme
currently costs the Government £50 million a year and is
mostly paid out in small amounts to employers. Although employers
will no
