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The GP fit note system that allows young people to sign off work sick with conditions such as ADHD after brief consultations is “insane”, the government adviser Alan Milburn has said Family doctors issued nearly one million sick notes signing people off work with mental health issues last year, according to NHS data. GPs are responsible for deciding if people should be off work. Those given the notes are able to claim sick pay and in some cases qualify for welfare payments Milburn, a former Labour cabinet minister who is conducting a review into youth unemployment, said the system was “ruining the life chances of young people” by leaving them “stuck” on benefits He made the comments during a trip to the Netherlands where fewer than 5 per cent of young people are not in education, employment or training (Neets) compared with 13.6 per cent in the UK He said: “The fit note thing is just bloody insane. You get a fit note. You enter the welfare system. We know that once you enter the welfare system, you get a health and disability benefit “The stickiness kicks in. You stand a 50 per cent chance of being on a health and disability benefit if you get it today in 15 years’ time. Everybody talks about the fiscal disaster. Fine, but most importantly, it’s a life chances disaster because we’re ruining the life chances of these young people.” Milburn added: “Just because you’ve got a condition, or even just because you’ve got the diagnosis, shouldn’t mean you aren’t able to work. What is it that we need to do to stop the notion that just because you either self-identify or are identified as having a condition, that automatically means you’re not able to participate in the Labour market.” https://t.co/lTCtiLXY19