The trials at the WorkWell sites, which were recommended by the former John Lewis chairman Sir Charlie Mayfield in his Keep Britain Working Review, will seek to end the ‘tick-box exercise' with personalised ‘stay in work' and ‘return to work' plans for workers who fall ill. 

Work and pensions secretary, Pat McFadden, said: ‘Fit notes are too often a dead end - a piece of paper that tells people they can't work but does nothing to help them get better. 

‘We're changing that. By bringing employers, the NHS, and patients together we can help people recover faster, stay connected to their jobs, and get the economy firing on all cylinders. 

‘That's what these pilots are about, and that's what this Government is committed to – fixing what is broken.'

Under the trials patients will be offered either an initial fit note from a GP and then referred to community health workers or be supported by a separate service staffed by clinical and non-clinical practitioners to get back into the workplace.  

The launch comes as the Government publishes the Fit Note Call for Evidence which shows just three in 10 healthcare professionals in primary care think fit notes are a good use of GPs time, while six in 10 employers think the current process is ineffective at supporting their employees' work and health needs. 

The four WorkWell sites are: Birmingham and Solihull; Coventry and Warwickshire; Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly; and Lancashire and South Cumbria.