Doctors under scrutiny over sick certificates

Family doctors who give sick certificates to persons who are later consistently found by Government medical assessors to be capable of work will, in future, be kept under "close review" by the Department of Social and Family Affairs.

Minister for Finance Brian Cowen told the Dáil Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in a report that such a policy is to be put in place by the Department of Social and Family Affairs as soon as possible.

He said new systems were to be developed by the Department of Social and Family Affairs that would allow for the monitoring of certifiers' performance.

In a report drawn up in February of last year, PAC, which monitors State expenditure, expressed concern at the practice of some GPs issuing sick certificates to people who were later consistently found by medical assessors of the Department of Social Affairs to be fit for work.

PAC chairman Michael Noonan said at the time that the fact that the number of those claiming disability payments had increased significantly in recent years, combined with the fact that GP assessments were being overturned by department assessors, led to "a suspicion that some GPs were giving out certs on demand".

The PAC recommended that the Department of Social Affairs should "keep under close review those GPs who certify persons as incapable for work who are later consistently found capable by the department's medical assessors".

In its response or "minute" on the report of the committee at the last PAC meeting, the Department of Finance said Mr Cowen had been advised by the Department of Social and Family Affairs that it intended to implement the recommendation as soon as possible. "He [ Mr Cowen] is also informed by that department, however, that its systems are unable to support the carrying out of such reviews at present.

"Following the recent review of the medical review and assessment function, recommendations have been made for the development of new systems that would enable such reviews to be undertaken," the Department of Finance stated.