Healthy Working Wales October 6th 2010 Presenter: Sally Venn

Aims To engage businesses, health professionals and individuals to: improve health at work reduce the incidence and impact of ill health at work provide access to appropriate advice and support on health and work issues Sally Venn

Sally Venn

GP engagement The problem 2/3rds sickness absence from work: The need Common mental health problems Musculoskeletal disorders Cardio respiratory problems The need Amongst health professionals to ensure: Consistent messages on health and work Raised awareness of the health benefits of work Sally Venn

Goals That an individual’s employment situation will become an integral part of assessment and management of all clinical encounters That all health professionals give appropriate advice in relation to health and work – both directly and in terms of appropriate signposting Sally Venn

Building on previous success Welsh Backs Change in GP behaviour Significant increase in number of GPs giving the stay active message Decrease in number of GPs advising rest Change in population health beliefs Staying active with back pain Not resting with back pain Sally Venn

Strategic approach Develop consistent, clear and concise messages Plan an effective dissemination strategy Work with key stakeholders to deliver the strategy Monitor, evaluate, feed back Sally Venn

Clear messages Work is usually good for people’s health Early intervention is important to prevent long term worklessness For people with back pain ‘staying active’ usually means staying in work Sally Venn

Supporting GPs Healthy Working Wales website E-learning Desk aids Downloadable leaflets / publications ‘Ask the expert’ e-mail advice Health and Work Advice Line The Back Book National Education Programme RCGP half-day accredited training Sally Venn

Effective dissemination RCGP Events 350 GPs Mailing of information to signpost to resources (such as Back Book, signposting documents, WAMH in PC, online resources, CPD session and RCGP events) 2000 GPs Online resources (Deanery learning modules; WeMeReC modules, HWW website) 600 GPs CPD Sessions (350 GPs) & practice visits (400 GPs) 750 GPs Sally Venn

Collaborative working Welsh Assembly Government Cardiff University Postgraduate Deanery Welsh Medicines Resource Centre Royal College of General Practitioners Institute of Rural Health Health Boards Sally Venn

Progress to date Questionnaire to all GP principals 28% (521/1891) response rate GPs from 53.5% (261/488) of practices DSU back pain pathway agreed Focuses on ‘stay active’ message Includes advice on fitness to work Back pain educational tool completed Produced and promoted by the Deanery WeMeReC module on management of depression Practice visits ongoing CPD and RCGP accredited events arranged Sally Venn

Questionnaire Aims Obtain baseline data of awareness of Health and Work resources Raise awareness of these resources Offer the opportunity to order Back Books Identify those interested in attending RCGP accredited events Offer a practice visit Sally Venn

Findings Back Book Healthy Working Wales website 86% of respondents; 24% of all GPs (449/1891) had seen it 51% of respondents; 14% of all GPs (268/1891) ordered more Healthy Working Wales website 23% of respondents; 6% of all GPs (118/1891) had heard of it 6% of respondents; 2% of all GPs (32) had used it Health at Work Advice line 18% of respondents; 5% of all GPs (91) had heard of it 1% of respondents; 0.3% of all GPs (5) had used it RCGP event 64% of respondents; 17.5% of all GPs (331) expressed interest in attending Practice visits 44% of respondents; 12% of all GPs (231) expressed interest in a practice visit Sally Venn

Ongoing work Practice visits CPD events RCGP accredited events 52 completed, 29 planned (81/488) CPD events Information stands Presentations RCGP accredited events 9 events planned Other health professionals Deanery projects Sally Venn

Can we make a difference? Sally Venn

Public Health in primary care Primary care does do public health – the question is ‘does it do it well or does it do it badly’? Sally Venn

With special thanks to Suzanne Burrows Gavin Jones Carol Tunnah Wendy Bowler Matt Downton Alexia Saunders Sally Venn

Any questions? Sally Venn