In a win for the UK health and fitness industry, health secretary, Wes Streeting, has said GPs should refer people to health clubs and gyms rather than write sick notes.

With 2.8 million people currently off work because of poor health, the sick note culture is costly for individuals, the NHS and the economy as a whole. With its Plan for Change and NHS reforms, the government has committed to getting people back to work.

Last year, the NHS issued more than 11 million sick notes, and 93 per cent of them simply declared people “not fit for work” with no alternative or plan to help them find a job or stay in work. The most common reasons for long-term sickness absence are mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression and musculoskeletal disorders such as back pain and injuries.

Referrals will be made by WorkWell centres. Fifteen are being piloted – each backed by £100,000 – which will employ a team of specialist professionals, such as occupational therapists and social prescribers, who can work with individuals to support them back into work. Going to the gym is one of the options which has been suggested, along with career coaching and access to debt management.

GP teams will also be upskilled to improve their ability to support patients with local work and health advice. Other health professionals, such as physiotherapists, will be able to write sick notes in order to free up GP time.

Evidence from the pilot will be used to inform the government’s wider approach to work, health and skills. It is expected to help 56,000 disabled people and people with health conditions back into work by spring 2026.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said the sick society cost the taxpayers eye-watering amounts of money and can’t be allowed to continue: “We can’t afford to keep writing people off. Every person we help back into work isn’t just transforming their own life – they’re contributing to our communities, our economy and breaking the cycle that’s been holding Britain back.

“This pilot is about fundamentally changing the conversation from ‘you can’t’ to ‘how can we help you?’, he said.

The regions included in the pilot are Birmingham and Solihull; Black Country; Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough; Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly; Coventry and Warwickshire; Frimley; Herefordshire and Worcestershire; Greater Manchester; Lancashire and South Cumbria, Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland; North Central London; North West London; South Yorkshire and Surrey Heartlands.