GPs in England wrote 6.9 million sick notes between April and December last year, official figures show.
Of these, 93.1% people were declared “not fit for work” and 6.9% “maybe fit for work”.
Of the total number of sick notes sent out in 2018, 3.9 million were issued to women (56.7%) and 3 million to men (43.3%), according to NHS Digital data.
Sick notes, now known as “fit notes”, are issued to people following a doctor’s assessment after their first seven days off work.
In the latest month’s figures – for December – mental health and behavioural disorders accounted for almost a third (32.9%) of the sick notes issued.
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Musculoskeletal issues involving muscles, bones, tendons, blood vessels, nerves and other soft tissues were the second most common reason to be signed-off from work.
Knowsley in Merseyside had the highest number of cases, with 3,125 per 100,000 population.
Areas with the most sick notes per 100,000 population
:: Knowsley (Merseyside) – 3,125
:: Halton (Cheshire) – 3,043
:: South Sefton (Merseyside) – 3,028
:: Sunderland (Tyne and Wear) – 2,992
:: Corby (Northamptonshire) – 2,963
Areas with the least sick notes per 100,000 population
:: Westminster (central London) – 688
:: Camden (north London) – 711
:: Milton Keynes (Buckinghamshire) – 800
:: Richmond (southwest London) – 802
:: Wandsworth (south London) – 918
