Changes to fitnote rules and new mental health support should help practices manage the pressures they face, government ministers have said. Under new rules, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists will be able to certify and issue fit notes. The changes will come into force next month and were welcomed by GP leaders as freeing up GP time for the care of patients.

At the same time NHS England set out proposals for a big increase in the number of mental health practitioners working in practices. It says it will finance two practitioners for every primary care network, increasing the number of these workers by five times. The work is undertaken by community psychiatric nurses, clinical psychologists and mental health occupational therapists.

The government’s Minister for Patient Safety and Primary Care Maria Caulfield said: “Improving access to GP services and reducing unnecessary bureaucracy is vitally important as we tackle the Covid backlog. Extending powers to provide fit notes to other healthcare professions will relieve further pressures on GPs and is another step towards helping to deliver an extra 50 million appointments in general practice a year by 2024. This is just another way in which we’re supporting GPs in primary care, and we remain on track to deliver 26,000 more primary care staff by 2024 to help improve patient access to appointments.”

British Medical Association GP committee deputy chair Dr Kieran Sharrock said news was a “positive step.” He said: “The BMA has been clear for many years that it may not always be necessary or appropriate for a GP to issue a fit note, especially where a patient has seen a different member of the practice team for their condition, such as a nurse or physiotherapist. At a time when the entire NHS is under pressure, reducing unnecessary administration and bureaucracy, while taking a more flexible and pragmatic approach to patient services is absolutely vital.”

NHS England medical director for primary care Dr Nikki Kanani said: “As a GP, I have seen first-hand the significant impact of the pandemic on the nation’s mental health, with far more people coming forward for support. So, it is fantastic that up to 2,500 more mental health practitioners will be available to work with us, as part of joined up teams in primary care, to offer patients faster access to specialist mental health support through their local general practice team.”