Doctors say there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people being signed off sick for at least a week, according to research by Norwich Union Healthcare.

GPs are blaming employers for failing to ensure their staff stay healthy and warn that the problem is on the brink of an epidemic.

In a different survey more than 50% of companies said they had suffered widespread disruption because key staff had been ill.

owever, more than two thirds of the businesses that responded to the survey said they did not believe the health of their staff was their responsibility.