Summary
The NHS and the 'sick note': Laurie Taylor talks to Gareth Millward, Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) in Odense, and author of a new study which explores the history of the British welfare state via the story of the ‘sick note’. It turns out that the question of ‘who is really sick? was never straightforward. At various times, it was understood that a signed note from a doctor was not enough to 'prove' whether someone was really sick, yet with no better alternative on offer, the sick note survived in practice and in the popular imagination - just like the welfare state itself.
They’re joined by Sally Sheard, Professor of History at the University of Liverpool, who charts the cultural history and changing understandings of healthcare and the NHS in Britain.
Producer: Jayne Egerton
Transcript
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| 0:47.5 | Hello, I've always relished the story of the man who claimed to have a serious limb and was therefore quite unable to work. |
| 0:55.0 | Well, a medical professional became so convinced of the man's duplicity |
| 0:59.0 | that he took to following him around so as to check that he was always limping. |
| 1:04.0 | He even initiated a court case to prove his point. |
| 1:07.0 | Its failure hardly dampened his ardor. |
| 1:10.0 | Look, you may think you've won, he told the man, but I will now follow you around for the rest of your life to ensure that you will forever be forced to limp. |
| 1:20.0 | Where, for example, are you off to now? |
| 1:23.0 | Lewards, replied the man. |
| 1:25.0 | Well, I think I remember that story so well because of the number of occasions when as a university |
| 1:30.1 | teacher I was so often frustrated by the non-appearance of a student who was due to lead the seminar. |
| 1:36.4 | There was always the same alibi. |
| 1:38.4 | Oh, I think she's been to Medical Center, sir, was the invariable excuse offered by the other students. |
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