Review leader says “new era of workplace health” must solve long-term sick crisis

8.7 million people in the UK currently have a health issue that affects the amount or type of work they can do, up by 2.5 million (41 per cent) since the last decade, figures released today in the Keep Britain Working review confirm.

Nearly 1 in 4 people out of work due to ill health are under 35, while young people (16 to 34-year-olds) with mental health conditions are 4.7 times more likely to be economically inactive than their cohort.

There is also continuing, rapid increase in musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among older people, which have shot up by 32 per cent among 50-64 year olds compared to ten years ago.

This means that there are now 530,000 more younger people with a mental health condition, and 140,000 more older workers who suffer from MSDs today compared to 2015.

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) have shot up by 32 per cent among older workers (50-64 year olds) compared to ten years ago. Photograph: iStock

Writing for the Times newspaper, leader of the review, and former John Lewis boss Sir Charlie Mayfield, said we are in a “new era of health in the workplace”. He urged for a new approach which supports workers with ill health to stay in work and for employers to help prevent conditions from deteriorating.

“Health conditions, mental or physical, are invariably better addressed early. Opportunities to do that are much greater within the workplace than they are within the welfare system,” he said.

He praised the “many impressive and inspirational initiatives being taken” by employers. But said: “300,000 people still leave the workplace for reasons of ill health and disability each year. We have to do better.”

Sick notes can be a “firewall” blocking dialogue between staff and their employer, Mayfield said on Radio 4’s Today programme. They also focus too much on “what people can’t do” rather than how they can stay in work with workplace adjustments.

“Our strong sense is that prevention, retention, early intervention and rapid rehabilitation . . . are likely to be more effective remedies over time,” the report said.

The review, which has been commissioned by the department for Work and Pensions, is the first “discovery” phase of work, which sets out the picture and drivers of rising levels of inactivity and ill health in the UK. It also shows where there is the greatest potential for employers and government to make a difference.

The next phase will see the review engage with stakeholders around three areas of ‘Prevention’: incentives, interventions and case management of those off sick. The final phase, due in Autumn, will be recommendations to solve the problem.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Liz Kendall, today commented: “We must do far more to help people stay in work and get back quickly if they fall out.

“We want to help more employers to offer opportunities for disabled people, including through measures such as reasonable adjustments, and we are consulting on reforming Access to Work so it is fit for the future.”

She thanked Mayfield for the report, adding: “It shows the potential for what government and employers can do together to create healthier, more inclusive workplaces, so we build on the great work some businesses are already doing.”

Commenting on the first report from Keep Britain Working, Mike Robinson, Chief Executive of British Safety Council said: "Sir Charlie Mayfield’s initial findings show that nearly one in four people, under the age of 35, are economically inactive due to ill health. Should this trend continue, without intervention, it will have profound impacts on the future of the national workforce and wider implications on national levels of productivity and economic growth.

"Sir Charlie has identified the need for the Government to partner with employers to keep people in work and support them to remain there. This confirms what we’ve long known to be true, that good work is good for people. When done right work can offer a sense of purpose, support employees through life’s challenges and contribute to increased productivity and profitability. Viewed in the round, good work can have real and long-term benefits for individuals, who in turn, will drive the prosperous economies of the future.

"Hand in glove with the wider welfare reforms that were announced by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions earlier this week, it’s clear that only decisive action will change the trajectory of this worrying trend and create a future workforce that is fit to meet the changes and challenges that the future, inevitably, holds."

Keep Britain Working review here