1. Health and Work Service Dr Bill Gunnyeon Chief Medical Adviser DWP Health and Wellbeing

2. Fitness for Work: the Government response to “Health at Work – an independent review of sickness absence”
Cost of sickness absence:
Economy - £15bn
Employers - £9bn
Individuals - £4bn
Government - £2bn
A state-funded health and work assessment and advisory service from 2014 [now Health and Work Service]
Funded through abolition of the Percentage Threshold Scheme
Access to Universal Jobmatch for those requiring job change
Retention of tax relief on Employee Assistance Programmes
Budget and Autumn Statement 2013: tax exemption on medical treatments recommended by the Health and Work Service or employer-arranged occupational health services

3. Source: Annual Population Survey (APS) – Office for National Statistics February 2014

4. Sickness absence in Scotland
Estimated annual long-term sickness absences by GB country
Scotland
95,000
Great Britain
960,000
Share of long-term sickness absentees accounted for by different employer sizes 
Scotland
Great Britain
Micro (1-10 employees)
16%
15%
Small (11-49 employees)
33%
27%
Medium ( employees)
24%
Large (250+ employees)
26%
31%
49% of long term absentees in Scotland (4 weeks+) are over-50 compared with 28% of employee population overall
51% of long term absentees in Scotland are disabled
£9 billion annual cost of sickness absence to employers UK-wide
Source: DWP analysis of Labour Force Survey Oct 2010-Sept 2013 and data relating to Young V. and Bhaumik, C (2011), Health and Well-being at Work: a survey of employees. DWP Research Report No. 751; Black, C. and Frost, D (2011). Healtha t work – an independent review of sickness absence. DWP.

5. What is the Health and Work Service?
Purpose
Make independent expert health and work advice more widely available to employees, employers and GPs
Help employees to return to work, support employers to better manage sickness absence and give GPs access to work-related health support for their patients
Complement and work with existing in-house occupational health provision
Health and Work Service
All employers, employees and GPs in GB
Advice:
Health and Work advice to enable return to, or retention of, work
Website and telephone line
Occupational health advisers or other appropriate professionals
Employees on, or expected to reach, four weeks’ sickness absence
Assessment
Referral through GP and employer
Occupational health assessment
Identifies issues preventing a return to work, culminating in a Return to Work Plan
Signpost to appropriate interventions
Telephone or face to face where appropriate 5

6. Health and Work Service – Critical Success Factors
Early intervention that is prompt and rapid
Independent and objective advice
Quality of advice, assessment and return to work plan
Ease of use
Nationally available with consistent standards
Innovative and flexible

7. Health and Work Service – assessment model
Discharge
Follow Up
Case management
Outcomes
Return to work OR
Continue on sickness absence
Biopsychosocial
Assessment
Case manager
contact
Return to work plan
Customer Contact
Delivery of a more intensive service including additional assessment(s) and specialist advice
RtWP/
revised RtWP
Case manager
contact
Employer contact as necessary
Recommended work-focused interventions are progressed

8. Employee on sickness absence
Stylised sickness absence journey for an employee receiving SSP and/or contractual sick pay (For illustrative purposes only)
Evidence of sickness absence
7 day self-certification period
GP fit note
Return to Work Plan
Employee on sickness absence
Referral by GP
HWS
Assessment
Return to
Work
HWS
action
Referral by employer
Case Management
Discharge
Follow up
4 weeks absence
6 weeks absence
Employer contacted as necessary
Employer OH contacted as necessary
Employer/ Employer OH oversees recommended interventions
Tax exemption on medical treatments up to £500
Employer
action/ involvement

9. Delivery of the Health and Work Service
England and Wales
External procurement
Invitation to tender issued 13 February 2014
Scotland
Agency agreement with Scottish Government to be put in place to deliver on behalf of DWP
Overall
Same service and outputs across Great Britain
Implementation late 2014
Phased introduction

10. Benefits of the Health and Work Service
A new approach to and focus on sickness absence
A further step change in culture, perceptions and behaviour
For individuals earlier return to work and reduced risk of job loss and benefit dependency
Financial savings (GB):
£65m - £80m for employers
£105m - £225m for Government
£450m - £900m for the economy

11. “Mental Health and Work – United Kingdom” OECD – February 2014
“The new (Health and Work) Service has the potential and provides opportunities to render a holistic approach by bringing GPs, employers, employees and occupational health professionals together to limit the number of people drifting into labour market exclusion and improve individuals’ health so they can lead healthy and productive lives.”
“Mental Health and Work – United Kingdom”
OECD – February 2014

12. Questions?