The CSP has welcomed the inclusion of rehabilitation at the heart of the UK government’s plans to reduce sickness absence.
The Get Britain Working White Paper, published today, outlines initiatives it will pursue to help people return to work.
Among them is a plan to send teams to support 20 trusts in England that serve communities with the highest numbers of people off work sick.
These teams aim to launch an MSK Community Programme in collaboration with integrated care board leaders, with the goal of further reducing waiting times, enhancing data and metrics, and improving referral pathways to broader support services.
The goal is to collaborate with job centres and other partners to provide comprehensive support for individuals, covering everything from treatment and rehabilitation to securing stable employment and maintaining good health.
The white paper describes the goal of enabling ‘the end-to-end support people need: from treatment to rehabilitation to good work and health.’
Additionally, the document sets out that employers need to play a key role in fostering inclusive workplaces that protect health and support the retention and rehabilitation of employees with disabilities or health conditions.
Rob Yeldham, CSP director of strategy, policy and engagement, said:
‘We welcome the government’s ambition to support more people back to work.
Increasing NHS rehab posts in areas where there is greatest need is a sensible way to speed up access to NHS services for people on waiting lists.
'We will have to wait to see exactly what shape the MSK Community Programme takes but it is a promising acknowledgement of the vital role physiotherapy staff play in keeping people healthy and back to work.
'There are currently hundreds of thousands of people waiting for a musculoskeletal appointment in England alone. ONS statistics released earlier this year showed more than one million people are signed off from work long-term due to neck and back pain.
'There’s no doubt that we need more physios to see people in the right place and at the right time. It will require more physios and support workers to be employed in the NHS, but that is entirely possible if funding is made available for additional posts. Addressing rehab waiting lists may also require service transformation in areas which don’t currently have integrated community rehab services.'
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