19 October 2005 - Ambitious strategy unveiled to improve health and wellbeing of nation
Two government departments and the Health and Safety Executive joined forces today in a ground-breaking partnership committed to going further than ever before to improve the health and wellbeing of working age people.
David Blunkett and Patricia Hewitt launched the first stage of an ambitious strategy placing real responsibility not just in the hands of Government, but also with employers, individuals, the healthcare profession and stakeholders.
The strategy, Health, Work and Wellbeing - Caring for our Future, pulls together all the different strands of work going on in this area within government.
It lays out a blueprint for change, so that work related illness and accidents can be avoided in the first place, but if not ensures people get fast treatment and that they can access occupational health when it is needed. It also puts the emphasis on creating healthy working environments.
It has a number of aims including making sure the topic gets the attention it deserves, that work is recognised by all as important and beneficial, that healthcare services meet the needs of working age people and that employers look at supporting people in work.
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Mr Blunkett said: “We have one of the best health and safety records in the world and we have managed to reduce injuries at work by ten per cent since 1997.
“But 40 million working days are still lost every year to occupational ill health and injury. This first stage in the strategy now being developed by my department, Department of Health and the Health and Safety Executive, will enable us to break the link between ill health and inactivity.
“It will encourage good management of occupational health and transform opportunities for people to recover from illness at work while maintaining their independence and sense of worth.
“We can build a world that rehabilitates rather than rejects people when they experience illness or disability. We can support individuals to fulfill their potential in contributing to society, enable employers and the economy as a whole to gain from the huge potential that people have to offer and as a society we can ensure equal rights and opportunity for all.”
Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt said: "We know that people in work have better health than those out of work and the Choosing Health White Paper made clear that work matters - it can improve your mental and physical health, reduce health inequalities and improve life chances for people and their families.
“This strategy is a crucial part of delivering on the Government’s commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of the working age population, and will play a significant role in ensuring delivery of the workplace health commitments outlined in Choosing Health. It will help break the cycle of deprivation, where poor health leads to unemployment and wasted lives as people fail to reach their full potential.
"Employers and the NHS share the burden of ill health, with millions of working days lost to ill health every year. Achieving business goals at the same time as improving health leads to improved staff morale, recruitment and retention, and this strategy demonstrates the significant government commitment to work together and across communities to make it easier for working age people to choose health."
Bill Callaghan, Chair of the Health and Safety Commission, said: "I welcome this new strategy. Ill health at work is the highest cause of working days lost in the UK – not only does it harm people; it is bad for business too. This strategy is about working in partnership, both across government and with all our stakeholders. This will allow a joined-up approach, preventing ill health in the first place and through early contact enabling people to obtain help and treatment, and allowing people to return to work quicker."
The strategy will be led by the new National Director of Occupational Health. Its main themes are engaging stakeholders, improving working lives and healthcare for working age people.
Examples of the type of good practice that the strategy is encouraging include:
- HMP Belmarsh - sickness rates were as high as 25 days per member of staff in July 2002. The prison radically overhauled the management of absence and introduced a number of measures, including improving the occupational health services available on site. Rates in July 2004 were down by almost half, to 12.85 per staff member
- Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS trust - the trust has developed a staff charter which aims to embed its Dignity at Work ethos. It has set up a staff counselling service and confidential medication service, and the occupational health service works closely with staff and HR to offer support in the management of sickness absence and develop flexible working policies in the trust
- Port of London Authority - the company introduced a sickness absence management policy which resulted in a 70% drop in absence rates from 11-12% to 3-3.4% in 2003
- Royal Mail – has reviewed its trigger points for referrals to occupational health advisers. Anyone absent for 14 days gets an automatic referral, but for stress and musculoskeletal disorders they operate a one day referral. The Royal Mail estimates this has improved management of sickness absence and led to equivalent of 2,000 extra staff being at work each day
Workplace Health Connect, a new service launched by the HSE for small and medium sized enterprises, will also help deliver the strategy’s aims. It offers free and impartial advice on occupational health, safety and return to work issues.
To this end a timetable has been drawn up which will see the new director
appointed as soon as possible and a stakeholder summit held early next year.
The next step will be to publish a charter next spring, which will include
an action plan.
Notes for editors
- The Department for Work and Pensions; Department of Health; and the Health and Safety Executive; are working in collaboration with the Health Departments of the Devolved Administrations to develop the strategy.
- Workplace Health Connect will consist of an adviceline covering England and Wales, and five regional Pathfinders delivering free workplace visits. The pathfinders will initially run in the North East, North West, West Midlands, South Wales and Greater London. Workplace Health Connect will be delivered in partnership with HSE.
- For media enquiries contact either DWP Press office Sam Harris 020 7238 0756 (Out of hours 07659 108883, public enquiries 020 7712 2171) or Health press office Victoria MacCallum 020 7210 5724 (public enquiries 020 7210 4850).
- The Strategy can be found at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/dwp/2005/health_and_wellbeing.pdf
- Photos of David Blunkett and Patricia Hewitt launching the strategy at the Royal Mail Sorting Office, Nine Elms Lane, London, will be available from the DWP and Health press offices listed above.