Improvements made to high-quality healthcare for people in the workplace

Today (20 July) UK Ministers are urging employers to prioritise their workers with long-term health issues by reducing work hours and increasing medical checks.

The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) are encouraging leaders of small and medium-sized organisations to take up Occupational Health offers. The Occupational Health provisions set out to improve access to mental and physical health support at work.

Occupational Health workers, who work alongside the NHS, focus on the relationship between health and the demanding workplace. Occupational Health services consist of regular medical assessments and mental health support.

The baseline for care quality, which is emphasised in the Occupational Health provisions, includes guidance, an option to pursue accreditation, and encouraged access to additional government support services.

The Occupational Health provision also urges NHS leavers or those considering a career change, to focus on specialising in Occupational Health services.

The DWP and the DHSC are also working towards developing a longer-term and multi-disciplinary workforce, which will provide employees with improved Occupational Health services.

Due to long-term sickness issues contributing to economic inactivity, through the tax system, the government have invested over £1 billion into Occupational Health services.

Over 90 per cent of employers at large organisations offer Occupational Health support. Generating a smaller income, however, less than one-fifth of smaller businesses are able to provide employees with Occupational Health support.

Mel Stride MP, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said: "Healthy businesses need healthy workers – employers will benefit from higher retention rates, more productive workers, and fewer workdays lost due to sickness. Improving health in the workplace is a vital piece of the puzzle in our drive to increase employment."

The pledge of more than £1 billion into improved health services in the workplace, aims to reduce the pressure on the NHS.

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay recognised the benefits, saying: "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."

During the coronavirus pandemic, the government called on the public to commemorate the overworked NHS and other key workers, by issuing a 'clap for careers' event. At 8 pm on Thursday evenings during the national lockdown, residents took to their doorsteps to praise their life-saving efforts.

Since working long hours and caring for a massive influx of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, more than 300,000 NHS workers have been on strike across the UK. As a result of the repeated strike actions, more than 600,000 NHS appointments across the UK have been impacted.

NHS staff are pressing for a pay increase of five per cent above inflation – which currently stands at 13.4 per cent. The strike action also calls for fewer work hours.

Sanctuary Personnel, the UK's leading health and social care recruitment agency, reported that 60 per cent of nurses and midwives work 12-hour shifts. There have also been reports of NHS staff working more than 48 hours a week while being entitled to a minimum break of 20 minutes.

In June 2023, the government responded to the strike action with a "one-off NHS backlog bonus" payment worth at least £1,250 per person. The backlog payment recognises their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

After the UK government failed to meet their demands, thousands of NHS workers across the county have continued to strike. NHS consultant workers have issued a strike in July 2023 that will last 96 hours, after the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Steve Barclay ruled out an improved pay offer of more than 6 per cent.