four weeks sickness absence. The new scheme is predicted to reduce sick pay costs to business in the UK by £80 million to £165 million a year, whilst also increasing economic output by up to £900 million a year.
Service provided to an individual under the scheme will feature two aspects:
1. Assessment service : Upon reaching, or in anticipation of four weeks sickness absence, the employee's GP will make a referral to HML for an assessment, which should identify any issues preventing the employee from returning to work, make recommendations for treatment, and produce a report detailing a "Return to Work Plan". A case manager will also be appointed to help facilitate better understanding of any recommendations and required support to the employee.
2. Advice service : Any health and work advice will be made available to employees, employers and GPs via the phone line and website.
The Service will be provided by HML in England and Wales, and in Scotland, by the Scottish government. For any medical treatments which are recommended to an employee under the Service or through an employer-arranged occupational health service, a tax exemption of up to £500 a year will apply.
New Statutory Adoption Pay guidance
23 September 2014
HMRC have issued a new Developers Guide for SAP which includes test data, requirements/guidance and details of the SAP changes from 5th April 2015.
The guide includes a data section for the 2015/16 changes to the Earnings Rate of SAP in addition to the normal 2014/15 test data set which was first published separately earlier this year.
Fit for Work: exploring future GP referrals
13 October 2014
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have published research into the likely volumes of GP referrals to the new Fit for Work service.
The aim of the new service is to provide health and work advice and support for employees, employers and GPs to help people with a health condition stay in or return to work. Most referrals to the service are expected to come from GPs. The research report which has now been issued provides some useful data about the factors which are most likely to influence GPs’ decisions and thus about the likely number of referrals.
Forms for statutory payments
20 October 2014
As part of the transition to GOV.UK, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have published a single link to all the forms relevant to statutory payments.
The forms for each of the statutory payment schemes can all now be accessed here .
CIPP Policy News Journal
08/04/2015, Page 479 of 521
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