For me, the break was a huge relief and helped me get through one of the worst periods of anxiety I’d experienced, a time when I couldn’t exercise, socialise or take proper care of myself. But in a new policy announced last week, Rishi Sunak, the prime minister, states his intention to strip GPs of their ability to provide fit notes in an effort to tackle what he calls the country’s “sick note culture”.

In a speech on welfare reform, Sunak claimed that the country is in danger of “over-medicalising the everyday challenges and worries of life”, a situation he says puts “unsustainable” pressure on the welfare budget.

“‘We don’t just need to change the sick note, we need to change the sick note culture so the default becomes what work you can do – not what you can’t,” he continued, adding that for people who are “feeling anxious or depressed… that shouldn’t mean we should assume you can’t engage in work”.

“Rishi Sunak’s sick note clampdown blocks vital support for people like me”