Since the NHS was created in 1948, the way for workers to prove they are ill and unable to work has been to brandish a sick note provided by their doctor, but all that is about to change.
The government announced today that under plans to "significantly reduce" the £100bn cost to the economy of people's ill-health, doctors will instead issue "fit notes".
Rather than a doctor issuing a note saying that an individual is not fit for work, the GP will be required to outline the work a person can do.
The philosophy is to "switch the focus of their [doctors'] advice to what people can do rather than what they cannot", according to the Department of Health.
So far, there is little detail - it would certainly be interesting to see how and what different jobs are ranked - but the British Medical Association has expressed concerns in the past that GPs should not be used to police incapacity benefit claimants.
The government will be hoping that the new set of measures satisfies those who bemoan "sicknote Britain", but whether "fit notes" can bring about the wholesale change in philosophy the government is hoping for remains to be seen.
