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• There is no NHS system so you have to pay to see the GP, for medicines etc at significant cost unless you have private health insurance to claim it back on.
• secondary treatments like counselling and physiotherapy are on a self -referral basis usually again at the cost to the individual.
• The culture is still very "sick role" orientated and advice to see another practitioner e.g. physio is not routinely given. Medication is prescribed first!
• Inpatient admission for depression is common!
• You can go to any GP you want so if your GP won't sign you off then the individual can take his business elsewhere (and does frequently!)
• Most employer's liability policies are tied into GP certification making "fit notes" in the worst sense a reality.
• Occupational Health is not recognised and most GPs are not au fait with it. Where it does exist it is usually a GP who does OH out of his surgery. In one place I worked he wanted to be both GP and "company doctor" to employees and i had to make him choose one role or the other.
• The GP will rarely speak to you. We tried to leaflet, invite to site etc with minimal success.
• The Access to Medical Reports Act does not apply over here.
• Industrial/employment law is very different and only recognises the GP. 

OCC-HEALTH ARCHIVES: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/occ-health.html

CONFERENCES AND STUDY DAYS: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/filearea.cgi?LMGT1=OCC-HEALTH

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH NURSING EDUCATION http://www.aohne.org.uk