Medical Independent’s Post

The UK faces a significant economic inactivity issue, with 2.8 million people unable to work due to long-term health conditions. My publication linked below provides some high-level insights on how to tackle the problem. My key takeaways and additions: - The background: We know that getting people back to work is beneficial to patients and the economy. Social factors, as well as health factors, can keep people away from work; and evidence suggests the longer people are off work, the less likely they are to return. To tackle this problem, a holistic approach and timely intervention is key, with support being made available in a variety of settings, to give patients a choice. - The pilot: To address this, since 2021 I have been running a pilot program, which integrates non-clinical staff (e.g. Job Centre Work Coaches) into primary care (e.g. GP surgeries). This model enables early intervention and timely triage to appropriate care pathways, including Occupational Health assessments. For majority of patients, non-medical interventions are successful in supporting people to remain in work. - The results: only 5% of patients with a health condition required clinical Occupational Health support, thanks to early intervention; GPs reported reduced sick note issuance and better patient redirection to appropriate non-clinical support, freeing up time for clinical tasks. - Next steps: Given its success in primary care, the model is now expanding into other sectors. This approach could, and should, be a universal solution for providing holistic health and work advice to all working-age individuals, and will hopefully contribute to solving our economic inactivity problem in the UK. https://lnkd.in/eQ4BCeKj #occupationalhealth #primarycare #economicinactivity #workcoach #publichealth #gp #whitepaper

The UK faces a significant economic inactivity issue, with 2.8 million people unable to work due to long-term health conditions. My publication linked below provides some high-level insights on how to tackle the problem. My key takeaways and additions: - The background: We know that getting people back to work is beneficial to patients and the economy. Social factors, as well as health factors, can keep people away from work; and evidence suggests the longer people are off work, the less likely they are to return. To tackle this problem, a holistic approach and timely intervention is key, with support being made available in a variety of settings, to give patients a choice. - The pilot: To address this, since 2021 I have been running a pilot program, which integrates non-clinical staff (e.g. Job Centre Work Coaches) into primary care (e.g. GP surgeries). This model enables early intervention and timely triage to appropriate care pathways, including Occupational Health assessments. For majority of patients, non-medical interventions are successful in supporting people to remain in work. - The results: only 5% of patients with a health condition required clinical Occupational Health support, thanks to early intervention; GPs reported reduced sick note issuance and better patient redirection to appropriate non-clinical support, freeing up time for clinical tasks. - Next steps: Given its success in primary care, the model is now expanding into other sectors. This approach could, and should, be a universal solution for providing holistic health and work advice to all working-age individuals, and will hopefully contribute to solving our economic inactivity problem in the UK. https://lnkd.in/eQ4BCeKj #occupationalhealth #primarycare #economicinactivity #workcoach #publichealth #gp #whitepaper

The UK faces a significant economic inactivity issue, with 2.8 million people unable to work due to long-term health conditions. My publication linked below provides some high-level insights on how to tackle the problem. My key takeaways and additions: - The background: We know that getting people back to work is beneficial to patients and the economy. Social factors, as well as health factors, can keep people away from work; and evidence suggests the longer people are off work, the less likely they are to return. To tackle this problem, a holistic approach and timely intervention is key, with support being made available in a variety of settings, to give patients a choice. - The pilot: To address this, since 2021 I have been running a pilot program, which integrates non-clinical staff (e.g. Job Centre Work Coaches) into primary care (e.g. GP surgeries). This model enables early intervention and timely triage to appropriate care pathways, including Occupational Health assessments. For majority of patients, non-medical interventions are successful in supporting people to remain in work. - The results: only 5% of patients with a health condition required clinical Occupational Health support, thanks to early intervention; GPs reported reduced sick note issuance and better patient redirection to appropriate non-clinical support, freeing up time for clinical tasks. - Next steps: Given its success in primary care, the model is now expanding into other sectors. This approach could, and should, be a universal solution for providing holistic health and work advice to all working-age individuals, and will hopefully contribute to solving our economic inactivity problem in the UK. https://lnkd.in/eQ4BCeKj #occupationalhealth #primarycare #economicinactivity #workcoach #publichealth #gp #whitepaper

🏥 Our health service is only as strong as its workforce. Investing in workers' well-being, providing adequate support, and fostering a culture of collaboration can help fix what’s broken in the NHS. 🙌 ✨ Find out how empowering health workers can lead to better patient outcomes and a stronger NHS. https://lnkd.in/ep4JhF9H #NHSEmployees #WorkforceWellbeing #HealthcareInnovation #SupportOurStaff #HealthReform #HealthcareCrisis #NHSRecovery National Guardian's Office Jayne Chidgey-Clark