Author Description
Cover -- Sick Note: A History Of The British Welfare State -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Acknowledgements -- Contents -- List Of Figures -- List Of Abbreviations -- 1: Introduction -- What Is A Sick Note? -- What Is Sickness? -- 'sick Note Britain'? -- Chapter Plan -- 2: The 'birth' Of The Sick Note -- First, Intermediate, Final -- The 'health Service' -- Gps And Sick Notes -- The Safford Report -- Conclusion -- 3: Absenteeism And Postwar Rebuilding -- Absenteeism -- Royal Ordnance Factories -- National Coal Board -- Metropolitan Police -- Post Office -- Conclusion 4: Chauvinists And Breadwinners In The 'classic Welfare State' -- Poverty -- Migration -- Women -- Conclusion -- 5: Privatization?: The Sick Note Into The 1980s -- The Limitations Of Sick Notes -- Opportunities For Change -- Statutory Sick Pay -- Conclusion -- 6: Chronicity And Capacity Towards The New Millennium -- Statutory Sick Pay And Absenteeism -- The Sick Note In Media Culture -- Chronic Sickness And Capacity Testing -- Conclusion -- 7: The 'death' Of The Sick Note? -- New Labour And Active Labour Management -- Employment And Support Allowance -- 'sick Note Britain' -- The 'fit Note' Conclusion -- 8: Conclusion -- The Afterlife Of The Sick Note -- Bibliography -- Primary Sources -- Archives -- Newspapers/periodicals -- Legislation And Legal Decisions -- Government And Parliamentary Publications -- Film, Television, And Audio -- Archived Websites -- Contemporary Websites -- Secondary Sources -- Articles And Chapters -- Books And Phd Theses -- Index Electronic Reproduction. Ann Arbor, Mi Available Via World Wide Web.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates the historical development, cultural perception, and political evolution of the medical certificate—commonly known as the sick note—within the British welfare state. Author Gareth Millward, a historian of modern Britain and health policy, utilizes extensive archival research and government documentation to argue that the sick note has served as a critical, yet often misunderstood, mechanism for managing labor capacity and social welfare eligibility from the postwar era to the present day.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of the transition from the traditional sick note to the modern fit note system.
- Examination of absenteeism trends in major industries including coal mining and policing.
- Historical context regarding the introduction of Statutory Sick Pay during the 1980s.
- Evaluation of how media narratives have shaped public perception of sickness and welfare dependency.
Scope Limits
- The text focuses primarily on the British administrative and political context rather than comparative international welfare systems.
- It does not provide a clinical guide for medical practitioners regarding current diagnostic standards.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts recognize this work as a rigorous contribution to the history of social policy and the administrative state. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which provides a comprehensive look at how bureaucratic tools influence societal definitions of health and labor.
Page Count:
0
Publication Date:
1900-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press,
ISBN-10:
019195649X
ISBN-13:
9780191956492
History
British History
Labor Studies
Public Health
Welfare state
Social policy