Category Archives: News

PROMOTING, PROTECTING AND SUPPORTING HEALTH IN WORK

Health and work update at 4 March 2024

  1. National initiatives to promote health and work

 

Last Autumn the UK Government consulted on proposals aimed at increasing employers’ use of occupational health services[1], and by HM Treasury and HMRC to explore the role of tax incentives to boost occupational health provision by employers[2].  This could make a difference, for example if HMRC rules change such that employers might fund some assessment and treatment to enable a return to work, without the employee being liable for tax where this is currently seen as a benefit in kind.

The Government have now appointed a new Occupational Health Taskforce to improve in-work sickness and reduce numbers of people falling out of work due to ill health[3].  This group is led by Dame Carol Black, who has been advising Government on work and health over the last two decades, and comprises senior figures within Occupational Health, including Dr Steve Boorman CBE, who is Chair of the Council for Work and Health and also leading NHS England’s Growing Occupational Health and Wellbeing Together strategy[4].

With an estimated 1.8 million workers reporting work-related ill health in 2022/23, successive governments have long been concerned about long-term sickness.  The Task Force met for the first-time last week.  It is expected that outputs of the task force will be reported over the coming months.

As can be seen from the Government’s press release on the Occupational Health Taskforce, only 45% of workers in Britain currently have access to some form of Occupational Health service, and just 28% of employers in Britain provide some form of occupational health, with large employers (89%) nearly three times more likely than Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) (28%) to do so.

  1. Pilot occupational health provision to small & medium sized enterprises

Trials are underway to help SMEs with the costs of workplace health assessments for their employees, offering eligible SMEs an 80% discount on workplace health assessments for all their employees.  A private sector workplace health provider would do this assessment.  Safe Effective Quality Occupational Health Service (SEQOHS) is the industry standard for occupational health services in the UK, and on the SEQOHS website employers can find information on accredited providers[5].

  1. Carers’ leave

In our day-to-day work in occupational health, we speak with many employees who have caring responsibilities; sometime the “sandwich generation” with care for children and elderly parents. We have seen an impact of these responsibilities on some employees, and the need to balance these with work commitments.  Employment law changes from 6th April 2024 will include the right to unpaid carer’s leave; this would be for one week every 12 months[6].  The right to a reasonable amount of time off to deal with an emergency continues, as set out in Government guidance[7].

Dr Robin Cordell

MBA FRCP FFOM

Consultant Occupational Physician

Deputy Chair, Council for Work and Health

4 March 2024

[1] Government consultation on widening access to occupational health services at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/occupational-health-working-better

[2] Government consultation aimed at employers to explore the role of tax incentives to boost occupational health provision by employers at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/joint-hmt-hmrc-consultation-on-tax-incentives-for-occupational-health

[3] New occupational health taskforce to tackle in-work sickness and drive down inactivity at: New Occupational Health Taskforce to tackle in-work sickness and drive down inactivity – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

[4] NHS England growing occupational health and wellbeing together strategy at: https://www.nhshealthatwork.co.uk/growingoccupationalhealth.asp

[5] SEQOHS at: https://www.seqohs.org/default.aspx

[6] Government guidance on carer’s leave from 6 Apr 2024 at: https://www.gov.uk/carers-leave

[7] Time off for family and dependants at: https://www.gov.uk/time-off-for-dependants

 

Health & Wellbeing at Work conference – 12-13 March 2024

Health & Wellbeing at Work offers visitors a diverse and highly relevant conference agenda created entirely with workplace health and wellbeing professionals in mind.
With sessions available across multiple conference hubs, it’s important to plan your visit ahead of 12-13 March and decide which of our 150+ sessions will be most relevant to you and your role, and are most likely to provide answers to current issues you may be facing or help improve your workplace health and wellbeing strategies.
All 150+ sessions are included in your ticket price and you are able to attend as many or as little sessions as you choose when at the event. With sessions covering a wide range of subject areas, here’s some top picks to get your plan underway. Click the links below to find out more about the session, timings and speakers:
  • Health and Productivity in the Workplace – Future Trends and Where Next. View session.
  • Recognising and Understanding When Your Workplace Wellbeing Programme Needs to Evolve. View session.
  • Coaching Advice for Managers When Managing Employee Health and Wellbeing. View session.
  • Ensuring A Good Return to Work Process When Supporting Employee Mental Health. View session.
Early bird rates apply until the 23rd of January, don’t miss out! We’ve started your registration with details previously provided, click here to complete your registration today and save £10 compared to standard ticket prices!

ACPOHE:   Fit Note resources developed by ACPOHE

(October 2023)

NEW Fit note resources to help awareness of the importance of supporting patients back to work

ACPOHE is pleased to showcase our new set of resources, available to download from our Work & Health Learning and Development Hub –  (click Free Guest Access and go to Resource Library).

There is more information below, and all resources are on the ACPOHE website:  https://acpohe.csp.org.uk/content/new-fit-note-resources-help-awareness-importance-supporting-patients-back-work

 

Resources include:

  1. A 6-minute podcast to outline our new resources and why they are important
  2. A video (to play on screen in GP reception waiting rooms) to help manage patient expectations of ‘fit note’ certification.  This is 1 minute in length.
  3. A 2-minute video aimed at increasing awareness to GPs of the role of FCPs, particularly around work conversations and completion of the fit note. Please share this with the GPs you work alongside.
  4. An 8-minute training video, which is a reminder of the importance of keeping people at work to help health outcomes (aimed at GPs, FCPs, other healthcare workers in primary care.
  5. Infographics to patients on what is the fit note, and how to get the most out of your fit note (ideal for notice boards within GP practices).
  6. Infographics to healthcare professionals on completing the fit note (a quick easy reminder to all involved in completing the fit note).
  7. Completed fit notes, with audio presentation on a variety of case studies.

Question Time Webinar: 18 October 2023 from 1215-1315 – Video available now!

We held our latest panel webinar on 18th October and attached is the video for your information.


SEQOHS standards have been revised and launched in June 2023. With only weeks to go before they go live, we will be discussing with our panel, the relevance of SEQOHS standards in a multi-professional speciality, the drivers to become SEQOHS accredited, what the future holds for the quality scheme and is it the answer to elevating quality in the speciality. Join us live or register via the link below to get access to the recording afterwards.

Please do share this with your members and colleagues. 

 

Council4WH Panel Webinar (2)

Statement: Occupational Health Qualifications and Titles (FOHN / NSOH)

The Faculty of Occupational Health Nursing and the National School of Occupational Health have launched a statement on Occupational Health Qualification and Titles so as to clarify the various education pathways and qualifications for occupational nurses, as well as the commonly used titles and their significance.

View the statement on our website https://www.fohn.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Occupational-health-qualifications-and-titles.pdf

If you have any feedback then please contact either Christina Butterworth chair@fohn.org.uk or Janet O’Neill janet.oneill@hee.nhs.uk

http://www.fohn.org.uk/

27 September 2023

“Understanding Recent Trends in Ill-Health Driven Fallout from the UK Job Market” 25 September 2023

The Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM) today released the first in-depth study into the impact of ill-health on the UK’s working population, “Understanding Recent Trends in Ill-Health Driven Fallout from the UK Job Market”.

Launched following Occupational Health Awareness Week (18-24th September), the report analyses data trends – providing a comprehensive picture of the current health challenges experienced by the UK workforce.

 Key findings include:

  • Long-term sickness in women across all age groups has been rising since 2014, with women becoming economically inactive at a higher rate than men.
  • An increase in economic inactivity in young men, aged 16 to 24, with sharp increases in mental health issues.
  • Occupations with a low ability to work from home are more likely to see people leave the workforce due to long-term sickness.
  • Pressures in health and social care delivery, including the impact of COVID-19, has led to backlogs for treatment and worsening health outcomes.
  • The UK has an ageing population, high rates of excess weight, and alcohol consumption and a legacy of smoking, resulting in long-term physical and mental health problems.

Of the 41.6 million people in the UK of working age (age 16-64), 2.5 million (1 in 16 people) are inactive due to long term sickness. The historically high number of people off work, long-term sick, remains an immediate and pressing concern for the Government. More than 11 million people are living with long term conditions that can affect their ability to work.

Of the 4 million people living with mental health conditions only 2 million are employed. Nearly 60 percent of people who are economically inactive and left work in the last two to three years have a work limiting health condition.

The analysis demonstrates how occupation, gender, and disability affects getting back to work. Occupational health (OH) provision is a key solution to this issue. SOM is calling for comprehensive OH coverage, with only 50 percent of workers currently accessing OH.

Government steps have been taken, including in the Spring Budget, to support OH so those with health conditions can continue work, but more must be done to keep people healthy at work and reverse these trends. New Government consultations on OH and Tax incentives on occupational health (OH) are welcomed and are currently open.

SOM hopes that publishing this data will support policy conversations to achieve universal OH coverage.

SOM CEO Nick Pahl said: “The historically high number of people off work long-term sick remains an immediate and pressing concern for the Government. Without investment in occupational health, these figures will continue to get worse.

“This report helps us better understand the patterns and causes of ill-health driven fallout from the UK job market. It’s vital that we understand why the UK is seeing a rise in inactivity rates compared to other OECD countries.

“We need to understand what the catalysts are, the drivers of fallout, and what factors contribute to preventing people return to work.”

ENDS

 

Notes to Editors

 

For more information, contact:

 

Alan Grant (Account Manager, Orbit Communications) – alan.grant@orbit.scot / 0783 320 9171

 

Rachel Goddard (Account Director, Orbit Communications) – rachel.goddard@orbit.scot / 0770 216 9485

 

About SOM

The Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM) is the organisation for healthcare professionals working in or with an interest in occupational health. It is concerned with:

  • the protection of the health of people in the workplace
  • the prevention of occupational injuries and disease
  • related environmental issues.

SOM stimulates research and works with the government, the healthcare community, health charities and other bodies to promote a healthier workforce. It also acts as the voice of occupational health (OH), responding to consultative documents and media enquiries. A national leader in providing continued professional development and education for all healthcare professionals working in OH, it is a forum for the exchange of ideas, best practice, and networking opportunities.

 

Visit www.som.org.uk for more information.

 

SOM: Occupational Health Awareness Week: 18-24 September 2023

SOM:  Occupational Health Awareness Week – Monday 18  – Friday 24 September 2023
 
The focus of the week is to provide resources for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), who are five times less likely to use occupational health (OH) than large businesses – to better inform SMEs of the role and value of OH.
SOM has produced a 15-minute and 2-minute film that introduces OH to SMEs at https://www.som.org.uk/small-and-medium-sized-enterprises-smes, while COHPA is publishing a new Guide to OH for SMEs.
Please put this on your website and do share!
These free resources are available for all to use, distribute and share, to promote on social media or to your clients. For information and free resources (such as posters) for council for work and health members, visit here and here

Occupational Health Awareness Week 2023 (18-24 September)

SOM and COHPA are once again joining forces to promote occupational health to a broader audience through Occupational Health Awareness Week 2023, which will run from 18-24th September.

The focus of this year’s OHAW will be providing resources for the OH sector to better engage small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), who are 5 times less likely to have OH support than large businesses. Our aim is to support the OH sector to better inform SMEs of the role and value of occupational health.

SOM and COHPA will both be launching new pages on their websites for SME audiences. SOM is producing a 15-minute film that introduces OH to SMEs, while COHPA is publishing a new Guide to OH for SMEs. These resources will be available for all in the OH sector to use, distribute and share, and will be tailored to an audience of SME business owners, managers and HR leads. SOM and COHPA will also be launching a new short-film (2-mins) to promote OH to SMEs, which will be promoted on social media via a digital marketing campaign.

Another aspect of this year’s OHAW will be training and recruitment, with a 5-part blog series focused on driving the pipeline of human resources in occupational health.

Events and activities in and around OHAW include:

Last year there was a significant buzz on social media during OHAW and we would encourage all SOM and COHPA members to join the conversation again this year on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. The hashtags this year will be #ohaw2023 and #occupationalhealthawareness, and a suggested content calendar and graphics will be circulated in advance of OHAW.

Major Conditions Strategy Case for Change and Strategy Framework

We are pleased to share that the Case for Change and Strategic Framework (previously known as the interim report) has now been published, and can be accessed via the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/major-conditions-strategy-case-for-change-and-our-strategic-framework.

In January, we announced our plan to publish the Major Conditions Strategy. The strategy will explore how we can tackle the key drivers of ill-health in England, reduce pressure on the NHS and reduce ill-health related labour market inactivity. To deliver on these objectives, the strategy will focus on tackling the six major conditions groups – cancer, mental health, cardiovascular disease (including stroke and diabetes), dementia, chronic respiratory diseases, and musculoskeletal disorders – that account for around 60% of ill-health and early death in England.

The Case for Change and Strategic Framework sets out our approach towards the final report. It sets out the challenges of a modern health and care system in this country and how we are already addressing some of these through prevention, early diagnosis, early intervention, and quality of treatment and living with long term conditions. This strategic framework provides a lens for how we might tackle six major groups of conditions contributing to the highest burden of disease combined and separately, and what more needs to be done to support the ongoing transition to a health and care system in England that is both more preventative and more personalised.  We also look at cross cutting enablers including, digital technology and innovation, research and leadership.

On the 17th May we launched our Call for Evidence to inform the development of the Major Conditions Strategy by gathering views and ideas on how to prevent, diagnose, treat, and manage the groups of major conditions which contribute to ill-health and early death in England. We received over 4,000 responses and are currently analysing these. Our intention is to publish the Major Conditions Strategy in early 2024 informed by the responses.