Health and work
This section provides information about the relationship between health and work and how this relates to you and your patients.
Role of healthcare professionals
Only a minority of people with health problems have severe disability that will result in a complete inability to work. The majority of people have less severe disability and with the right support should be able to undertake appropriate work.
Healthcare professionals are in a unique position to provide advice about work, which is an important part of clinical management.
- Advising patients about work (185KB)
The evidence that work is good for health
Working for a healthier tomorrow
There is good evidence that work is good for physical and mental health and financial well being and that being out of work is harmful to physical and mental health and financial wellbeing.
“Working for a healthier tomorrow” is the first ever review into the health of Britain's working population, undertaken by the National Director for Health and Work, Dame Carol Black. “Working for a healthier tomorrow” outlines the benefits that work has on both people's health and family life and makes recommendations that include:
- more support in the early stages of sickness
- the development of a “fit for work” service
- Improving the occupational health support offered by smaller companies to their staff
- development of a new “fit note” looking at what people can do.
Improving health and work: changing lives
- Government response to Dame Carol Black's review (1.5MB)
Improving health and work: changing lives, published on 25 November 2008, is the Government’s response to Working for a Healthier Tomorrow, Dame Carol Black’s Review of the health of Britain’s working age population.
Other evidence
- Is work good for your health and well being? (1.4MB)
An evidence review. The Stationery Office, London 2006 - Concepts of rehabilitation for the management of common health problems (1.16MB)
An evidence review. The Stationery Office, London 2004. - Workplace interventions for people with common mental health problems (1.67MB) (BOHRF website)
An evidence review. British Occupational Health Research Foundation, London 2005. - The Health and Work Handbook – a partnership guide for primary care and occupational health teams (143KB) (Faculty of Occupational Medicine website)
