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Working for a Healthier Tomorrow March 17, 2008

Posted by western4uk in Grey Literature, Health Economics, Occupational Health.
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Working for a healthier tomorrow from Working for Health identifies ten key challenges:

  • The economic costs of sickness absence and worklessness associated with working age ill-health are over £100 billion a year
  • The evidence base supporting the business case for investment in the health and well-being of their employees is inadequately understood by employers
  • Lack of appropriate information and advice is the most common barrier to employers investing in the health and well-being of their employees.
  • The importance of the physical and mental health of working age people in relation to
    personal, family and social attainment is insufficiently recognised in our society.
  • GPs often feel ill-equipped to offer advice to their patients on remaining in or returning to work. Their training has to date not prepared them for this and, therefore, the work-related advice they do give, can be naturally cautious.
  • The current sickness certification process focuses on what people cannot do, thereby
    institutionalising the belief that it is inappropriate to be at work unless 100% fit.
  • There is insufficient access to support for patients in the early stages of sickness, including those with mental health conditions. GPs have inadequate options for referral and occupational health provision is disproportionately concentrated among a few large employers.
  • The scale of the numbers on incapacity benefits represents an historical failure of healthcare and employment support for the workless in Britain.
  • Detachment of occupational health from mainstream healthcare undermines holistic patient care.
  • Existing departmental structures prevent Government from fully playing its part in meeting the challenges set out in this Review.

It also makes 10 recommendations:

  • Government, healthcare professionals, employers, trades unions and all with an interest in the health of the working age population should adopt a new approach to health and work in Britain.
  • Government should work with employers and representative bodies to develop a robust model for measuring and reporting on the benefits of employer investment in health and well-being. Employers should use this to report on health and well-being in the board room and company accounts.
  • Government should initiate a business-led health and well-being consultancy service,
    offering tailored advice and support and access to occupational health support at a market rate, geared towards small business.
  • Government should launch a major drive to promote understanding of the positive
    relationship between health and work among employers, healthcare professionals and the general public.
  • GPs and other healthcare professionals should be supported to adapt the advice they provide, where appropriate doing all they can to help people enter, stay in or return to work.
  • The paper-based sick note should be replaced with an electronic fit note, switching
    the focus to what people can do and improving communication between employers,
    employees and GPs.
  • Government should pilot a new Fit for Work service based on case-managed,
    multidisciplinary support for patients in the early stages of sickness absence, with the aim of making access to work-related health support available to all – no longer the preserve of the few.
  • When appropriate models for the Fit for Work service are established, access to the service should be open to those on incapacity benefits and other out-of-work benefits. This should integrate with with employment and skills programmes and Pathways to Work should cover all on incapacity benefits as soon as resources allow.
  • An integrated approach to working-age health should be underpinned by: the inclusion of occupational health and vocational rehabilitation within mainstream healthcare.
  • The existing cross-Government structure should be strengthened to incorporate the
    relevant functions of those departments whose policies influence the health of Britain’s working age population.
  • The existing cross-Government structure should be strengthened to incorporate the
    relevant functions of those departments whose policies influence the health of Britain’s working age population.

Comments»

1. Using Easter as a springboard to moofing at moof.mobi - March 20, 2008

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