Consultation opens on new GM business support service

Businesses are being invited to take part in a survey that will help Greater Manchester partners steer a new GM business support service.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care partnership are designing a new early intervention service aimed at small  and medium sized businesses. The service will be for people with mental and physical health conditions, who are at risk of falling out of employment, or are newly unemployed. We want to involve businesses, particularly small and medium sized employers, in the design of this.

Does staff absence due to sickness and ill health affect your business productivity?

GM new business support service

Would you like to reduce the number of days lost to staff sickness?

We are consulting  on a new service to support businesses by offering early help to staff who are off sick or have long term health conditions. Please take a few minutes to complete our short survey  by clicking on the link below:-

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/QGCRZNQ

Why is this needed?

Across Greater Manchester (GM) over half the working population (59%) have a long term health condition
There is currently no effective early intervention service to prevent people with health conditions falling out of work
99% of GM employers are either micro or small businesses with limited or no access to Occupational Health and  Employee Health and Wellbeing support

What is being planned?

The new service will primarily be designed for GM residents who work for small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) or who are self-employed, and have no access to occupational health or employee health support.

The proposed objectives for the new service are to:-

Reduce the number of days lost to sickness absence for those in employment
Prevent  GM residents with health conditions from leaving the labour market
Support businesses to retain employees and better manage health in the workplace
Reduce time spent by clinicians on non-clinical work in primary care
Support newly unemployed people with health conditions to access an enhanced health support offer to facilitate an early return to work

How will it be funded?

The new service will be funded through a mixed model of public service investment including NHS Transformation Fund and European Social Funds and will test the service for approximately three years.

How else can you get involved?

We need employers , particularly small business or start up employers to help us shape the new service. There is a cross GM  working group made up of Health professionals and other stakeholders who are working on developing a new model for Greater Manchester. Apart from completing the survey, there are two ways you can be involved:-    

• Taking part in a  workshop  or events about the new service in your local area;
• Joining a focus group of employers to review the design and development of the service

If you have any queries about the survey  please contact Nidi Etim at Trafford Council on 0161 912 4085 or email nidi.etim@trafford.gov.uk

Or if you would like more information about the new service please contact Michelle Atkinson in the Work and Health Programme Team by email michelle.atkinson3@nhs.net

 Many thanks for your support in the development of this exciting new service. We look forward to your response. Here is the link to the survey again:- https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/QGCRZNQ