10.02.14
Health and Work Service to cut sickness absence
The new Health and Work Service will help get people with long-term sickness back into work, the government has announced.
Employees who have been off sick for more than four weeks in England, Scotland or Wales will be offered non-compulsory medical assessments and treatment plans to help them return to work more quickly.
The existing Statutory Sick Pay Percentage Threshold Scheme (PTS), which gives employers some compensation for high levels of sickness absence, will be scrapped.
Instead employers or GPs can refer employees for a work-focused assessment, which will identify issues preventing them from returning to work and draw up a treatment plan to help overcome these.
The reduction in lost working days, as well as the increased output created by the new service would be of more benefit to employers, minister for disabled people Mike Penning said.
Penning added: “As part of the government's long-term economic plan, we are taking action to get people back into work. This is a triple-win. It will mean more people with a job, reduced cost for business, and a more financially secure future for Britain.”
But the TUC's head of health and safety, Hugh Robertson, cautioned: “The focus of this service should be about getting them [workers] better as opposed to just back to work and the two are not necessarily the same.”
Tell us what you think – have your say below, or email us directly at [email protected]