EndocrinologyPlans To Improve Access To Occupational Health Services In Wales Announced
Plans to improve access to occupational health services in Wales to help tackle absenteeism and ill-health in the workplace will be announced today [Tuesday, 14 July] by Health Minister Edwina Hart.
The economic cost of sickness and absenteeism among the working age population is over ÷£100 billion a year in the UK, while work-related ill health costs the Welsh economy more than ÷£500 million per year.
Occupational health services play a key role in preventing ill health at work and providing support to retain people in employment, but relatively few employees in Wales currently have access to comprehensive services.
The One Wales programme included a commitment to explore proposals to place occupational health services on a statutory basis.
Mrs Hart will today publish a report from a group, led by Professor Mansel Aylward, chair of the Wales Centre for Health, which was set up to consider the commitment.
The report includes a recommendation that a national occupational health service should be provided by the NHS and made viable by contributions from employers.
Accepting the report, Edwina Hart said:
"Ill-health and absenteeism not only affects employees in terms of creating barriers to employment, loss of financial independence and self-esteem, but also costs employers in terms of sickness absence and replacement of staff.
"This report looks at the possibility of introducing a national occupational health service that employees and employers can tap into to help bring about improvements in health and reduce the physical and financial loss caused by work-related ill health, injury and sickness absence."
Professor Aylward said:
"We considered occupational health in its widest context and the group recommended taking an integrated approach to developing contemporary occupational health services that build on the current direction of travel in Wales.
"Occupational health aims to maximise the health gains of being in work, ensures a safe environment for work and removes barriers to allow people to realise their potential at work.
"There is no one solution that will meet the occupational health support needs of everyone, flexibility is the key to delivery."
Prof Aylward will now convene an expert group, including employee and employer representatives, to develop the recommendations into a more detailed proposal for consideration by Ministers.
Notes
1. Professor Aylward will be speaking at the National Employment and Health Innovation Network at the Marriot Hotel, Cardiff, on Tuesday 14 July, where he will outline the report"s recommendations. He will be available for interviews at 1200hrs.
You are invited to send a reporter to this event.
2. Facts and figures
- In 2006 the Welsh Assembly Government identified that the majority of public sector organisations in Wales provided access to occupational health services compared with only 17 per cent in the private sector.
- Figures published by the Health and Safety Executive show that two thirds of sickness absences in the working age population are caused by common mental illness, musculoskeletal disorders and cardio respiratory conditions.
- In Wales, over 140,000 people are categorised as economically inactive, citing long-term sickness as the reason and around 200,000 people are in receipt of incapacity benefit.
3. Task and finish group recommendations
- Changes to the current risk and evidenced based legislation are not an effective way of improving health and reducing ill health.
- The integrated approach to Occupational Health which the Minister outlined in the Welsh Assembly Government"s response to Dame Carol Black"s report should be further developed.
- As part of the integrated approach, a national occupational health service, provided by the NHS and made viable by contributions from employers, should be established.
4. Welsh Backs
Welsh Backs launched in November 2006 (http://www.welshbacks.com) and has been successful in changing awareness around the management of, and recovery from, back pain.
The ongoing evaluation of this work area demonstrates that there has been a clear and consistent change in attitudes from November 2005 to March 2008 on two health beliefs:
- staying active if you have back (44% agreed in November 2005 which increased to 74% in March 2008)
- resting if you have back pain (50% agreed in November 2005 which decreased to 24% in March 2009)
There was a consistent reduction in the number of people that sought medical help from 45% in November 2005 to 25% in March 2008 for their back pain.
5. Workboost Wales
Workboost Wales (http://www.workboostwales.com) was launched by the Welsh Assembly Government on 1 March 2008 in partnership with the Health & Safety Executive. The service offers free and impartial occupational health, safety and return to work advice for businesses with between 5 and 250 employees in the private and third sectors in Wales.
Workboost is on target to achieve the expectation of 530 initial visits and 422 follow up visits impacting on around 9000 workers in SMEs in Wales in 2008-09.
6. Healthy Working Wales
Healthy Working Wales was launched, along with a new branding for the workplace health programme on July 3rd 2008 (http://www.healthyworkingwales.com). Healthy Working Wales provides a portal to access services provided as part of the workplace health programme and a new online centre for GPs providing them with access to advice and information on work and health issues and with online access to advice from occupational health advisers.
Welsh Backs