18.03.13
‘Some clinicians do not view employment as a priority’ – Work Foundation
Return-to-work support services must more effectively sustain the employment of people with long-term conditions such as cancer, The Work Foundation has argued.
A new paper, published in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support, considers vocational rehabilitation and calls for Government to improve the availability and accessibility to services and the need for a cross-government approach to helping people back to work.
The NHS must be incentivised to promote work as a positive health outcome, the paper suggests. Over 700,000 people living with cancer are of working age and they could contribute £16bn to the economy each year if in work.
The Health and Work Assessment and Advisory Service (HWAAS) should also focus on those with long-term conditions. Assessment of support must be specific to each individual, The Work Foundation states, and designed with awareness of other services.
Dr Tyna Taskila, lead author and senior researcher at The Work Foundation, said: “Some clinicians do not view employment as a priority, yet we know that work is beneficial to people recovering from long-term conditions like cancer. This is especially important as more cancers are now manageable.
“Often the consequences of cancer treatment include long-term fatigue and depression and so require employers to make adjustments in the workplace.
“If the vocational rehabilitation services were designed alongside the Health and Work Assessment Advisory Service we are likely to see more people in recovery return to normal working lives.”
Ciaran Devane, chief executive, Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “Supporting people with cancer to stay in, or return to work after treatment, not only helps them to regain normality, social contact and an income, it also has wider economic and social benefits.
“While the Government’s response to the Sickness Absence Review is promising, it fails to consider the role of secondary healthcare, including NHS rehabilitation services, in helping people back to work. The NHS must be encouraged to recognise returning to work as an integral part of patients’ overall recovery as well as curing the disease.”
Tell us what you think – have your say below, or email us directly at [email protected]