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Written Question
Musculoskeletal Disorders
Thursday 12th May 2016

Asked by: David Amess (Conservative - Southend West)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support his Department provides to people with long-term musculoskeletal conditions in the workplace.

Answered by Jane Ellison

Data concerning the number of individuals who have been offered or who have attended patient education programmes is not collected. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) recommends that patients should be offered patient education programmes, if appropriate. The first annual report of the national clinical audit of rheumatoid and early inflammatory arthritis, published on 22 January 2016, identifies that most services offer prompt educational support.

Whilst the Department has no specific information in relation to early intervention in musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions reducing work related disability, earlier treatment of RA and OA can help reduce symptoms and improve mobility. The NICE RA Quality Standard specifically recommends that people with suspected RA are assessed in a rheumatology service within three weeks of referral. This is because once an RA diagnosis has been made, patients can be considered for anti-TNF drugs which can significantly reduce progression of disease. The OA Quality Standard states that core treatments for osteoarthritis should include physical activity and exercise, as well as weight loss advice, if appropriate.

Information concerning the cost to the United Kingdom economy of people with MSK conditions being out of work as a result of their conditions is not collected by the Department, though there are a number of studies that have sought to estimate such costs. The NICE guideline on RA and OA both contain such estimates, with the former stating that the total costs of RA in the UK, including indirect costs and work related disability, have been estimated at between £3.8 billion and £4.75 billion per year, and the latter stating that in 1999-2000, 36 million working days were lost due to OA alone, at an estimated cost of £3.2 billion in lost production. Both sets of NICE guidance can be found at the following links:

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg177/resources/osteoarthritis-care-and-management-35109757272517

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg79/resources/rheumatoid-arthritis-in-adults-management-975636823525

The Government is working to increase employment for people with long-term conditions, such as MSK conditions, in a number of ways. The Work and Health Unit, now located in the Department for Work and Pensions, has been established to lead the drive for improving work and health outcomes for people with health conditions and disabilities, as well as improving prevention and support for people absent from work through ill health and those at risk of leaving the workforce. The Unit will seek to do this by improving integration across healthcare and employment services as well as supporting employers to recruit and retain more disabled people and people with long term health conditions.

In 2015 the Government launched the Fit for Work scheme which is free and helps employees stay in or return to work. It provides an occupational health assessment and general health and work advice to employees, employers and general practitioners. Fit for Work complements existing occupational health services provided by employers. More information can be found at the following link:

www.gov.uk/government/collections/fit-for-work-guidance


Written Question
Musculoskeletal Disorders
Thursday 12th May 2016

Asked by: David Amess (Conservative - Southend West)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the UK economy is of people with musculoskeletal conditions being out of work as a result of their conditions.

Answered by Jane Ellison

Data concerning the number of individuals who have been offered or who have attended patient education programmes is not collected. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) recommends that patients should be offered patient education programmes, if appropriate. The first annual report of the national clinical audit of rheumatoid and early inflammatory arthritis, published on 22 January 2016, identifies that most services offer prompt educational support.

Whilst the Department has no specific information in relation to early intervention in musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions reducing work related disability, earlier treatment of RA and OA can help reduce symptoms and improve mobility. The NICE RA Quality Standard specifically recommends that people with suspected RA are assessed in a rheumatology service within three weeks of referral. This is because once an RA diagnosis has been made, patients can be considered for anti-TNF drugs which can significantly reduce progression of disease. The OA Quality Standard states that core treatments for osteoarthritis should include physical activity and exercise, as well as weight loss advice, if appropriate.

Information concerning the cost to the United Kingdom economy of people with MSK conditions being out of work as a result of their conditions is not collected by the Department, though there are a number of studies that have sought to estimate such costs. The NICE guideline on RA and OA both contain such estimates, with the former stating that the total costs of RA in the UK, including indirect costs and work related disability, have been estimated at between £3.8 billion and £4.75 billion per year, and the latter stating that in 1999-2000, 36 million working days were lost due to OA alone, at an estimated cost of £3.2 billion in lost production. Both sets of NICE guidance can be found at the following links:

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg177/resources/osteoarthritis-care-and-management-35109757272517

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg79/resources/rheumatoid-arthritis-in-adults-management-975636823525

The Government is working to increase employment for people with long-term conditions, such as MSK conditions, in a number of ways. The Work and Health Unit, now located in the Department for Work and Pensions, has been established to lead the drive for improving work and health outcomes for people with health conditions and disabilities, as well as improving prevention and support for people absent from work through ill health and those at risk of leaving the workforce. The Unit will seek to do this by improving integration across healthcare and employment services as well as supporting employers to recruit and retain more disabled people and people with long term health conditions.

In 2015 the Government launched the Fit for Work scheme which is free and helps employees stay in or return to work. It provides an occupational health assessment and general health and work advice to employees, employers and general practitioners. Fit for Work complements existing occupational health services provided by employers. More information can be found at the following link:

www.gov.uk/government/collections/fit-for-work-guidance


Written Question
Musculoskeletal Disorders
Thursday 12th May 2016

Asked by: David Amess (Conservative - Southend West)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of how the Government, as a public sector employer and commissioner, can increase employment for people with long-term musculoskeletal conditions.

Answered by Jane Ellison

Data concerning the number of individuals who have been offered or who have attended patient education programmes is not collected. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) recommends that patients should be offered patient education programmes, if appropriate. The first annual report of the national clinical audit of rheumatoid and early inflammatory arthritis, published on 22 January 2016, identifies that most services offer prompt educational support.

Whilst the Department has no specific information in relation to early intervention in musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions reducing work related disability, earlier treatment of RA and OA can help reduce symptoms and improve mobility. The NICE RA Quality Standard specifically recommends that people with suspected RA are assessed in a rheumatology service within three weeks of referral. This is because once an RA diagnosis has been made, patients can be considered for anti-TNF drugs which can significantly reduce progression of disease. The OA Quality Standard states that core treatments for osteoarthritis should include physical activity and exercise, as well as weight loss advice, if appropriate.

Information concerning the cost to the United Kingdom economy of people with MSK conditions being out of work as a result of their conditions is not collected by the Department, though there are a number of studies that have sought to estimate such costs. The NICE guideline on RA and OA both contain such estimates, with the former stating that the total costs of RA in the UK, including indirect costs and work related disability, have been estimated at between £3.8 billion and £4.75 billion per year, and the latter stating that in 1999-2000, 36 million working days were lost due to OA alone, at an estimated cost of £3.2 billion in lost production. Both sets of NICE guidance can be found at the following links:

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg177/resources/osteoarthritis-care-and-management-35109757272517

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg79/resources/rheumatoid-arthritis-in-adults-management-975636823525

The Government is working to increase employment for people with long-term conditions, such as MSK conditions, in a number of ways. The Work and Health Unit, now located in the Department for Work and Pensions, has been established to lead the drive for improving work and health outcomes for people with health conditions and disabilities, as well as improving prevention and support for people absent from work through ill health and those at risk of leaving the workforce. The Unit will seek to do this by improving integration across healthcare and employment services as well as supporting employers to recruit and retain more disabled people and people with long term health conditions.

In 2015 the Government launched the Fit for Work scheme which is free and helps employees stay in or return to work. It provides an occupational health assessment and general health and work advice to employees, employers and general practitioners. Fit for Work complements existing occupational health services provided by employers. More information can be found at the following link:

www.gov.uk/government/collections/fit-for-work-guidance


Written Question
Department for Work and Pensions: Sick Leave
Friday 4th March 2016

Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many officials of his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in each of the last five years; and what proportion of (a) his Department's staff and (b) total sick leave the sick leave of such officials represented in each such year.

Answered by Justin Tomlinson

DWP has succeeded in reducing sickness absence from an annual average of 11.1 days per employee in 2007 to 6.18 days per employee currently. This is one of the lowest rates across the public sector.

Our Attendance Management policy is supportive and we are committed to helping our people maintain good health. DWP is committed to improving mental ill health, including stress.

We support employees through access to comprehensive stress risk assessments, Occupational Health services, and our Employee Assistance Programme. DWP is currently introducing Mental Health First Aid to further add to the support available.

The number of employees with a sickness absence reason of ‘stress’ over the last 5 years is shown below:

Year

Number of employees with sickness absence recorded as ‘Stress’

Number of employees with sickness absence reason recorded as ‘stress’ as % of end of year headcount*

Number of working days lost recorded as ‘stress’ as % of all working days lost due to sickness absence

Jan-Dec 15

2,581

3.01%

10.57%

Jan-Dec 14

2,886

3.15%

11.06%

Jan-Dec 13

3,401

3.38%

11.15%

Jan-Dec 12

3,313

3.07%

9.63%

Jan-Dec 11

3,288

3.20%

9.26%


Written Question
Department for Work and Pensions: Sick Leave
Tuesday 20th October 2015

Asked by: Owen Smith (Labour - Pontypridd)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many days were lost to sickness in his Department in each of the last 10 years.

Answered by Justin Tomlinson

We have greatly reduced sickness absence in DWP from an average of 11.1 days per employee eight years ago to just 6.4 days per employee now. This is below the figure for the public sector of 7.9 days on average per employee, which was independently reported by the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development in its latest sickness absence report.


The number of working days lost to sickness within the Department for Work and Pensions in each of the last 10 years is recorded in the following table.



Period

Working Days Lost to Sickness Absence

Average Working Days Lost per Employee

2014/15

527,961

6.5

2013/14

620,122

6.9

2012/13

699,731

7.4

2011/12

671,412

7.3

2010/11

846,168

8.1

2009/10

911,809

8.5

2008/09

849,448

8.9

2007/08

1,053,768

10.1

2006/07

1,361,196

11.1

2005

1,233,162

10.1


Written Question
Occupational Health
Wednesday 10th December 2014

Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department has made on implementing the recommendations of Dame Carol Black's report, Working for a healthier tomorrow, presented to his Department in 2008.

Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport

Following Dame Carol Black’s review ‘Improving health and work: changing lives’, published on 25th November 2008, the recommendations were taken forward including the launching of a series of pilots and programmes to help tackle the costs of working-age ill-health and a National Education Programme for GPs from April 2009. In addition, in 2010 the fit note was also introduced to help GPs provide their patients with better fitness for work advice.

Building on the original report, in 2011 the Government asked Dame Carol Black and David Frost CBE to review the sickness absence system across Great Britain to help combat the 130 million days lost to sickness absence every year. Their review ‘Health at work – an independent review of sickness absence’ was published in 2011, with our response published in January 2013. In its response, the Government accepted the recommendation to establish the service now called ‘Fit for Work’ which will launch shortly. Fit for Work will provide an occupational health assessment to employees who have been off sick for four weeks and general health and work advice to GP’s, employers and employees across Great Britain for the first time.


Written Question
NHS: Contracts
Tuesday 6th May 2014

Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many days were lost due to illness among Jobcentre Plus staff in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) West Lothian local authority area and (d) Livingston constituency in each of the last five years.

Answered by Mike Penning

DWP has robust and effective measures in place for managing sickness absence and has succeeded in cutting sickness absence from an annual average of 11.1 days per employee in 2007 to 6.9 days per employee currently. To place this in context the Civil Service average is 7.6 days.

Jobcentre Plus was re-structured and absorbed into a revised Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Operations structure in October 2011. Since that point, it has no longer existed as a separate organisation. This means the information beyond September 2011 is not available.

In accordance with cross government arrangements; the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) reports sick leave expressed as average working days lost (AWDL) per employee, over a rolling 12 month period

The following table shows Jobcentre Plus AWDL for 2009/10 and 2010/11. Information was not available for the period April to September 2011 because this was less than a 12 month period.

2009/10

2010/11

UK

8.8

8.6

Scotland

8.2

7.3

West Lothian LA Area

9.6

7.4

Livingston Constituency*

10.9

6.1

*Information by Parliamentary Constituency is not held directly but information is available by office, therefore we have created a combined figure for the two offices in the Constituency – Livingstone Jobcentre and Broxburn Jobcentre.

To put these reductions into context, if Average Working Days Lost in DWP was still at the level it was in 2007, the Department would be paying over £27.5m more in sick pay than it is at present.