Sick note : a history of the British welfare state / Gareth Millward.

"Sick Note Britain examines the sick note from the end of the Second World War through to the present day. It looks at how these notes were used, amended and regulated across a period of significant change in the British welfare state. But it also tries to uncover the deeper cultural understanding of what sickness certification represented to the British people and agents of the British state. Today, headlines about "Sick Note Britain" conjure images of a feckless, lazy workforce whose lack of productivity stifles national output in a difficult economic climate. Yet the lack of sickness protection for workers on zero-hours contracts and in the "gig economy" has also inspired campaign groups to question how sickness is determined and how individuals are provided for. This project emphasises that these concerns are not new and have a deep history."-- From author's website. https://www.garethmillward.com/sick-note-britain/