Plans announced to encourage more employers to support the health of their workforce

The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) have published a consultation on plans to help boost access to health support at work.

Proposals aim to encourage employers to take up Occupational Health offers and do more to support the mental and physical health of their workforce, particularly within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Options being considered include a national ‘health at work’ standard, additional government support services and the opportunity to businesses to pursue accreditation. The government will also explore the case for providing additional tax relief to businesses on their Occupational Health costs.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mel Stride MP, explained:

“Healthy businesses need healthy workers – employers will benefit from higher retention rates, more productive workers, and fewer work days lost due to sickness. Improving health in the workplace is a vital piece of the puzzle in our drive to increase employment.”

Long-term sickness is currently the main reason people of working-age give for being economically inactive, but just under half of workers have access to Occupational Health services. Over 90% of large employers offer Occupational Health support, compared to under a fifth of small ones.

Occupational Health provision can help employers provide work-based support to manage their employees’ health conditions, leading to better retention and return-to-work prospects, and improving business productivity, which can be adversely impacted by sickness absence.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay said:

“High quality Occupational Health support in more workplaces would not only help to reduce economic inactivity, but it can lead to a healthier, happier workforce.

“The individual health benefits are clear and by focusing on preventative measures, we can reduce the burden on the NHS and help to bring waiting lists down, which is one of the government’s top priorities.

Angela Rowntree, Occupational Health Physician for the John Lewis Partnership, said:

“At John Lewis Partnership we are moving away from reactively managing sickness to proactively supporting our Partners’ health and wellbeing at work.

“Our founder, Spedan Lewis understood this when he launched an in-house health service for all Partners in 1929 – nearly 20 years before the NHS was established – and we’re proud to be part of his legacy today, providing advice and support to help our Partners achieve their potential in the workplace.

“We welcome this new focus on ensuring other businesses and their employees are able to access better workplace health.”

The consultation on plans opened today (20th July) and closes on Thursday 12th October.