Council for Work & Health

Keep Britain Working: Terms of Reference – GOV.UK

Keep Britain Working: Terms of Reference – GOV.UK

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and the Secretary of State for Business and Trade have commissioned an independent review into the role of UK employers and government in tackling health related inactivity and creating and maintaining healthy and inclusive workplaces.

The review will have a particular focus on working together to understand what employers and government can do to increase the recruitment, retention and return to work of disabled people and people with long-term health conditions, to ensure they have the skills to thrive in work and discover how that is best unlocked and supported.

The Terms of Reference for the Keep Britain Working Employer Review were published  on 23rd January 2025. Click the link below for more information.

If you have questions or contributions you would like to make to this piece of work, please do contact the secretariat at keepbritainworking.review@dwp.gov.uk.

Time for Change: Kevin Bampton’s Call to Reform Occupational Health

29th March 2025

Time for Change: Kevin Bampton’s Call to Reform Occupational Health

At this year’s Ruth Alston Memorial Lecture, our board director, Kevin Bampton delivered a thought-provoking speech on the state of modern-day Occupational Health and Hygiene. He argued that, despite advancements in medicine and workplace safety, the UK faces challenges in establishing a comprehensive occupational health system that effectively prevents illness and injury.

He started off his lecture with this reflection:

“There is a country where the state provides and mandates that you have a health care worker within work teams. They provide free medicine and free prescription. They have a generous system of time off from work if you’re feeling ill. And they also have a really, really effective record keeping system. So which country do you think this is?” It was Ancient Egypt, 2500 years ago.

Drawing on various historical comparisons, Bampton highlighted how ancient Egyptian workers benefited from structured health provisions and yet, as he says, “3000 years later we are still scratching our heads about these things”. In contrast, modern occupational health practices in the UK have evolved alongside economic shifts, the introduction of the NHS who will pick up the ill and injured and ‘fix it’, privatisation, and regulatory changes, leading to a more fragmented approach.

He described the relationship between public health and workplace safety regulations, noting that greater alignment could support better health outcomes for workers. He also discussed how access to health data and early detection of occupational illnesses play a key role in improving workplace well-being.

Bampton shared examples of workplace health risks and the importance of ensuring that protective measures are in place to safeguard workers. He suggested that adopting aspects of the Finnish model—where employers have a legal duty to prevent workplace illness and facilitate early detection—could help strengthen occupational health frameworks in the UK. He made an interesting point about the lack of empowerment individuals have over their own health data and the disconnect this has to manage their health when they visit a GP for example.

His speech provided valuable insights into the historical, ‘what once was an effective occupational health model’ and the future alignment of occupational health, emphasising the need for continued focus on prevention, accountability (government and regulators included), and worker well-being. he ended with this statement: “whether we look at three thousand years BC or current 21st Century, it doesn’t matter, it’s time for change”.

This synopsis is written by Mandy Murphy, Board Director at Council for Work and Health

Helping women thrive in work: making women’s and reproductive health a key priority

Briefing on Helping Women Thrive in Work

Helping women thrive in work: making women’s and reproductive health a key priority

The CIPD and SOM have created the open letter below to Alison McGovern, MP regarding Women’s Health at Work.    If you wish to sign the letter please contact Claire Mathys on claire.mathys@impactpolicy.co.uk;

Alison McGovern MP
Department for Work and Pensions Caxton House
Tothill Street
London SW1H 9NA

Dear Alison McGovern,

Women’s and reproductive health in the workplace

March 2025

We are writing to you about the need for Government action to help women thrive in the workplace through better support of their health or reproductive challenges, which not only affect their wellbeing but holds back economic growth.

Many women drop out of the workforce or are held back from career development due to health or reproductive issues, such as menopause transition, fertility challenges, pregnancy and baby loss, and musculoskeletal disorders and mental health issues which disproportionately affect women. Yet this is not inevitable and much can be done to improve support for women in the workplace, increasing economic participation as well as reducing gender inequality.

The NHS Confederation report, Women’s Health Economics: investing in the 51%, highlights the significant economic impact of neglecting women’s health. It highlights that inadequate support for conditions like menopause, endometriosis, and severe period pain costs the UK economy nearly £11 billion annually and unemployment due to menopause symptoms alone results in a £1.5 billion annual loss, with around 60,000 women affected.

However, with supportive employer policies, appropriate healthcare and better societal awareness many of the problems can be tackled, keeping more women in productive work in which they can thrive and progress.

We, the undersigned, are committed to playing our part in this mission and ask you to take action by:

  1. Launching a review of women’s and reproductive health in the workplace to identify the economic opportunities for strengthening support, guidance and enforcement of current regulations, followed by an action plan;
  2. Initiating a high-profile campaign to motivate and give confidence to employers to develop working environments that provide understanding, flexibility and occupational health support for women’s health issues across the life course; and
  3. Widening access to occupational health services for those in and out of work to support people to remain in, or return to, appropriate work in which they can manage their health conditions.

These actions would help to increase the economic participation of women and further the Government’s ambitious growth agenda and 80% employment target, opening up new opportunities for women so they can manage their work and health and thrive in the workplace.

We would be delighted to meet with you to discuss this further and look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,
[names of Parliamentarians, logos of organisations]

 

 

 

Shifting the dial on work as a health outcome for the benefit of Work, Health, and Skills (webinar – 19 November 2024)

Shifting the dial on work as a health outcome for the benefit of Work, Health, and Skills (webinar – 19 November 2024)

We held a webinar on 19 November 2024 to consider the above topic.

Chaired by Dr. Steve Boorman, the chair of the Council for Work and Health, the panel included Julie Denning PhD, Chartered Health Psychologist (VRA), Nicola Neath (BACP), and Janet O’Neill (NSOH) (NSOH).

It was a fascinating conversation and included the following subjects:

  • Rehabilitation and the work agenda
  • Improving Workplace Culture and Health
  • Improving Workplace Management and support
  • Addressing Mental Health and return to work practices
  • Breaking silos in healthcare support
  • Balancing work and health for successful return to work programmes
  • Benefits system and mental health.

The key question we all addressed here is “what’s needs to be different this time round, when work as a health outcome is back on the national agenda?”

I am pleased to provide you with a link to the recording and Comments and Links from Zoom Chat added to the chat box during our webinar. There are many links shared today which may also be of interest.

Recording is here.

As you can imagine, there will be a lot more conversation to be had in this space, particularly as the Joint Health and Work Unit launch their ‘Round Table’ event in early 2025, which we will be chairing and we look forward to continuing the conversation further, in this platform and on others. We will keep our council members informed of all events and dates as they are confirmed.

Please do share our webinar from today within your networks where you feel the conversation is relevant.

A personalised supportive approach with practical advice on reasonable adjustments in the workplace to  guide the employer can help individuals achieve a successful return to work and remain in work  

Alison Biggs Chair of Royal College of Occupational Therapists Specialist Section - Work