Transcript The Fit For Work Team

Usability and
Acceptability of
a Standardised
Letter to
Improve
Employer to GP
Communication
Why?
Aim: to support improved communication between primary care and employers
to support people in returning to work.
When: an employee has been signed-off work, but there is an agreement
between the employer and employee that some work may be possible, with work
adjustments to accommodate the condition.
Benefits: to get staff back to work sooner and improve their health and wellbeing.
• Using a sample of public, private, large, small/medium sized enterprises.
• Companies with a combined number of employees of >10,000
• Platform members were contacted and asked if they would like to participate.
Employee
signed off
work
Together- use the
discussion forms to
plan the return-towork phase
Togetherdraft Letter A
and sign
Review
TIME
Employee and
employer agree
that a phased return
is possible
Employer send
completed Letter A
to the GP
2 WEEKS
GP Response +ve
Deploy Return-towork plan
17 July 2015
GP Response -ve
Delay Return-towork plan
Discuss further
with GP
No GP Response
Deploy Return-towork plan
3
Partnership Working
Researchers:
Dr Zoe Rutherford – Nottingham Trent University, Senior Lecturer in Exercise &
Health.
Sport, Health and Performance Enhancement (SHAPE) Research Group
School of Science and Technology,
Dr Charlotte Hilton – Coventry University, Senior Lecturer: Psychology
Member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT)
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
School of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences
The Fit For Work Team
Dr Rob Hampton – Clinical Lead
Mandy Wardle – Associate Director – Public Health (Health, Work and Wellbeing)
Bethan Waite – Business Development Assistant
Difficulties
Objections to taking part in the study:
• Occupational Health
• Duplication of current process
• Time
• Size of Organisation
• Agreeing with management
• Involving GP would lengthen the process
• GP being on the side of the employee
• Resource availability
• Other business priorities
Methods
• The pilot evaluation is a clinical audit, exploring the feasibility, practicality
and acceptability of the Return to Work Letter A and Discussion Forms in
improving communication between employers and GPs and facilitating
employees back to work.
– The outcomes will inform a national roll-out of the Return to Work Letter A and
Discussion Forms and therefore, it will give your organisation the opportunity to
feedback and shape national policy.
• Conduct interviews with employers, employees and GPs to determine
– Feasibility
– Practicality
– Acceptability
• Use monitoring data to help interpret the qualitative data
– absence rates (how many, duration, job type etc.)
– number of times the use of the letter was discussed, used or declined by the
employee
– number and nature of GP responses
To Date
• We currently have 8 companies/organisations involved
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Retail
Healthcare
Manufacturing
Academic
Local Authority
• The size of the organisations are varied
− Number of employees ranging from 150 up to 22,000
• Some larger companies/organisations have concentrated the use of Letter A
with sub-sections of their workforce
• Some organisations have already used the letter a number of times
− One organisation has used it 3 times since January
• And others are still trying to incorporate it into their working practices.
− Some organisations are undergoing changes to their HR/OH processes
Next Stages… Data Collection
Monitoring data (On-going)
• Questionnaire
• Spread-sheet
Qualitative data (Late June 2013)
• Interviews will be conducted with
− Organisation leads/whoever implemented the use of Letter A (approx. 10
people)
•
take place at the work or via the telephone
•
last between 30-45mins approx.
− 10 employees who used Letter A
− 10 GPs who were contacted with the Letter A
• The final report is to be delivered to IOSH in July 2013.