Statutory Sick Pay roundtable

Policy Connect and the All-Party Parliamentary Health Group hosted a parliamentary roundtable discussion with The Centre for Progressive Change on Statutory Sick Pay.

Chaired by Lord Bethell on 17 October, the roundtable considered the impact of the current Statutory Sick Pay regime, highlighting the lack of financial and practical support the system provides and the knock-on impact on health, wellbeing, and chances of returning to work.

Participants also examined potential barriers and opportunities to creating a sick pay system that is better for workers, employers, and Britain’s public health.

Whilst reviewing the shortcomings of present sick pay legislation, the discussion covered themes such as current health system pressures, stagnant productivity rates, and the importance to both of expanding sick pay and boosting employment security and wellbeing. 

The event expanded on the work conducted by the Safe Sick Pay campaign, a group that advocates for sick pay reform by bringing together a cross-party collection of MPs and Peers, trade union representatives, and health organisations.

The roundtable featured contributions from:

• Matthew Oakley – Director, WPI Economics
• Conleth Burns – Senior Associate, More in Common
• Zoe Carre – Senior Policy and Campaigns Officer, Mind
• Alex Collinson – Research and Analysis Officer, TUC
• Sharon Brennan – Director of Policy and External Affairs, National Voices

The key recommendations included:

• Ensuring that SSP is more widely available by increasing the lower earnings threshold.
• Increasing SSP rates up to the minimum living wage.
• Introducing flexible models of SSP so that people can gradually return to work after illness.
• Extending Sick pay from 20 weeks to 52 weeks to align with current NHS waiting lists. As the NHS backlog and waiting times continue to increase, people are out of work for longer.
• Ensuring SSP is paid from the first day of sickness.

For more information, please contact jasmin.adebisi [at] policyconnect.org.uk