Occupational health: ‘vital for economic growth’

UK businesses will have to improve occupational health performance in order to maintain economic growth, according to a report by the Council for Work and Health.

The council, which represents over 20 leading health organisations, says that better occupational health will be vital to ensure the UK’s economic stability over the next 20 years, in addition to improving the healthcare of the working population.

The report — ‘Planning the future, delivering a vision of good work and health in the UK for the next 5-20 years’ — aims to articulate a vision of how occupational health should be delivered, and the workforce planning that is needed to deliver that vision.

The report argues that the ageing population and changes in workplace practices requires occupational health services to play a pivotal role in improving health and wellbeing, preventing work-related illnesses and enabling those with long-term conditions to stay working. A series of case studies illustrate the role that occupational health can contribute.

The key findings of the report include:

• Occupational health has an opportunity in both helping with prevention and management of chronic conditions, but may have to decide the level at which it incorporates preventative wellbeing strategies into its arsenal. Workplace health and safety and health risk management could be part of a holistic approach to workplace health and wellbeing.
• With care being increasingly moved into the community, some occupational health services will need to follow. Occupational health will need to be effective in engaging with local health and wellbeing boards and clinical commissioning groups.
• Occupational health will need to consider the implications of seven day working for GPs and hospitals and potential demand from employers for 24/7 support.
• Occupational health will need to position itself as a major player to tackle obesity.
• More people are working from home, and this trend will continue. Teleconferencing will become ubiquitous and with smart phones, tablets and other communication devices becoming more advanced, coupled with the cost, efficiency and productivity pressures facing the NHS, occupational health will need to make best use of this emerging technology.
• There will also be a need to build capability for multi-disciplinary services that can adapt to technological and demographic changes and function to mitigate and prevent illness caused or made worse by work. Occupational health, in its broadest sense, must rise to the challenge posed by Dame Carol Black to move away from silo working and become a fully-fledged and integrated range of specialties.

Diana Kloss, a barrister specialising in occupational health law, who chairs the Council for Work and Health, said: “Occupational health can play a major part in sustaining economic growth by enabling people to continue to work despite health problems, supporting people back into work more quickly and effectively after ill-health, and reducing sickness absence. Good occupational health services need to be delivered by a multi professional team.”

The report is endorsed by over 20 of the leading healthcare organisations involved in improving workplace health. They include the Society and the Faculty of Occupational Medicine, the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of General Practitioners, TUC, NHS Employers and many others representing business groups and other associated healthcare professionals.

Professor John Harrison, lead author of the report, said: “As the UK’s population ages, Britain will need to keep people economically active for longer.  There will need to be a radical shift in how we deliver joined-up healthcare and we need to make sure that we have the right mix of health care professionals to deliver that care. Occupational health professionals have the ability to influence and improve the health of thousands of individuals by changing workplace practices and policies compared with General Practitioners who see patients on a one-to-one basis.

Workplaces are where most people spend most of their working age life and they are the ideal environment to support those with long-term conditions and tackle lifestyle factors such as obesity that place an enormous burden on the NHS.”

What makes us susceptible to burnout?

In this episode  of the Safety & Health Podcast, ‘Burnout, stress and being human’, Heather Beach is joined by Stacy Thomson to discuss burnout, perfectionism and how to deal with burnout as an individual, as management and as an organisation.

We provide an insight on how to tackle burnout and why mental health is such a taboo subject, particularly in the workplace.

Listen now!