Transcript Health, work and wellbeing - HSE: Information about health

Health Work Wellbeing
HSE Small Business Trade Association Forum,
9th October 2007
Prof Dame Carol Black: National Director for Health and Work
Health, Work and Well-being:
• Strategy aims to:
– improve the health and productivity of the working age population
– help people with health problems to enter, remain in and return to
work
– prevent people from falling out of work onto benefits
• We know that:
– work is the best route out of poverty for individuals and their
families
– work is generally good for health and well-being *
– the benefits of work outweigh the risks of work *
– we need more people in work and working better to ensure a
competitive economy and meet the challenges of an ageing
population
* Is work good for your health and well-being? Waddell and Burton, 2006
We’ve made a good start
since 2005
• Unprecedented cross-government working
• Strong stakeholder interest and buy-in
• National Stakeholder Council established - focused on priority
areas
• Coordinated range of initiatives, including:
– Evidence review showing links
between health and work
– Initiatives to engage healthcare
professionals
– CSSB leadership on civil
service sickness absence
– Improving Access to
Psychological Therapies
– NHS Plus initiative to
improve occupational health
services
– Workplace Health Connect
– Management standards for
work-related stress
– Business awards
• Need stronger focus on SMEs in these initiatives
The challenge
Worker
?
Trade Unions
Would be
workless
Health promotion
at the workplace
employers
GP
Health and work
occupational
physicians,
occupational nurses
?relations with
GPs
?relations with
specialist
?Access to OH
expertise
Colleague with
expertise
available in PCT
Sick
note
Musculoskeletal
services
Rehabilitation
services
Mental health
services
Worklessness
Numerous adverse
consequences
Diagnostics
Early Consultant
referral
?
What do we need
• Prevention and early intervention are
important
• It is clear that the longer the issue that puts
someone at risk of leaving the workforce is
left:
– More difficult and more expensive the intervention
– Les likelihood of return to work
– Increased chance of additional health issues
developing (esp. mental health)
The Importance of the health of
the working age population
When will the attention to
and speed of treatment
resemble that of heart
disease or cancer?
Importance of early Intervention:
Analogy…
Breast Cancer
Diagnosis
Sick Note
Risk of leaving work
Secondary
Liver Cancer
Incapacity
Benefit
BT’s approach to stress and
mental well-being
Strategy components:
• Primary: reducing stress at source and making
adjustments
• Secondary: identifying early signs of distress
and supporting individuals
• Tertiary: assisting established cases cope and
recover
(Dr Paul Litchfield, CMO, BT)
BT’s approach to stress and
mental well-being - results
On individuals (who completed survey):
• 68% learned something new about their MH
• 56% tried recommendations and were continuing to
practice them 3 months after initiative started
• Of those who made changes, 51% noticed
improvements in their mental well-being
On company:
• MH sickness absence down 30%
• 75% of long-term sickness absentees return to own
job
• Stress claims dramatically reduced
• Enhanced reputation with key customers
(Dr Paul Litchfield, CMO, BT)
The challenge - SMEs
• Don’t have same resource levels as larger
companies
• Often more difficult to communicate with,
either individually or as a group
• More information on the business case to
invest in health is essential
But…
• Small, low cost changes can make a big
difference
• Keeping staff ‘happy, healthy and at work’ is
important
Incentives
• Reducing sickness absence will have
benefits for:
– Turnover
– Business productivity
– Continuity
• What are the biggest incentives for
SMEs to invest?
• Interested to hear your views
Health, Work and Well-being in
action – a Case Study (1)
Based in Alderley Edge in Cheshire,
Chess plc is one of the North West’s
fastest growing businesses delivering
business telecom solutions. They were
established in 1993 and now employ
107 people
The aim
• Improve costly absence from work, leading to
increased productivity
• Help to create a healthy and happy workforce
Health, Work and Well-being in
action – a Case Study (2)
Measures taken
• The HR team are assessed on their management of
sickness absence as part of their Key Performance
Indicators. The team manage sickness absence through
back to work interviews, self-certification forms and
referring people to the company doctor
• Free bananas, apples, oranges and grapes to
encourage healthy eating
• Staff are also provided with mineral water and the
option of a bi-monthly massage
• Free flu jabs for all employees
• The Government Bike Scheme was implemented to
help staff purchase a bike and encourage people cycle to
work
Health, Work and Well-being in
action – a Case Study (3)
Success
• The average number of sick days per
person is now 1.73 in a year,
significantly less than the National
Average of 3 days
• Since the introduction of free flu jabs the
amount of sick leave taken for flu related
illness has dropped from 0.97 days off to
0.44 days
• An innovative environment has lead to
alternative health benefits within the
workplace such as bi-monthly massages
• In a recent company survey, 87% of
respondents rated their working
environment as good
The Review
• Terms of reference for the review:
To conduct a review of health related factors
that influence working life in Great Britain
and make recommendations
Interested in looking at SMEs and those
who work in them - what are the factors
that make a difference to them?
How can SMEs help?
• Make the business case compelling
• Help develop the business case for investment in health
• Business benefits (efficiency and profitability)
• Spread best practice case studies – amongst SMEs
and with HWWB
• Contribute to the Review – we want to hear your
views. The Review will set the direction of HWWB for
the next few years
• And let us know how we can help SMEs