The announcement reflects a success for EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation which has campaigned hard for the introduction of such a scheme and has been closely involved in discussions with government Departments on the health, work and wellbeing strategy.
Commenting, Professor Sayeed Khan, EEF’s Chief Medical Adviser, said:
“We need a culture change so that people recognise that work is actually good for you. Too often there is an emphasis on what the employee cannot do rather than what they can do and this system should help us tackle sickness absence in a positive manner by enabling employees to return in a role that suits both the employer and employee.
“The burden felt by many doctors relating to sicknotes may also be improved with a drive to use a new more user-friendly system as a means of better communication between employer, employee and GP.”
According to EEF’s 2007 Sickness Absence survey, the main barriers to rehabilitation were employee resistance, the role of GPs in the sickness absence process, limited access to fast NHS services and, waiting for a sicknote to expire. Companies were also asked about the possibility of changes being made to the current one-week rule for GP certification of absence with 98.8% of employers against self-certification for absence exceeding one week.
To help address these issues Professor Khan has worked with the Royal College of General Practitioners to pilot a national education programme for GPs in Occupational Health and is a member of the National stakeholders council of the government's Health, Work and Well-being strategy.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Sayeed Khan qualified and practised as a GP before specialising in occupational medicine. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners and a Fellow of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine (FOM) of the Royal College of Physicians. In 2005 he was appointed to the Health and Safety Commission, as Commissioner representing professional bodies and was the first Special Professor in Occupational Health at the University of Nottingham. EEF's tookit to manage sickness absence recently won the Capita Health Solutions Award for Absence.