Reducing Musculoskeletal issues in the workplace Judith Hutchings, Senior HR Officer Hannah Sherwood, HR Officer Jackie Parker, Occupational Health

Overview Introduction The issue What we did Progress to date Next steps Simple things you could do Any questions?

Hertfordshire County Council Largest employer in Hertfordshire 32,000 employees Public services to a population of 1 million including: - Schools - Fire & Rescue - Highways - Adult and children’s services - Libraries - Registration: births, deaths, marriages Public Health Annual gross budget of £1.7b

Hertfordshire employees Female – 84% Part time – 60% % Average Sickness Days – 6.8 (compared to 8.3 in April 2011) Musculoskeletal currently makes up 12% Change to Terms and Conditions in April 2012

Health and Community Services Largest department - 2,100 employees Responsible for Hertfordshire’s vulnerable adults Roles involve manual handling, personal care and transport Range of services across multiple sites Highest sickness absence across depts – 10.1 days

The issue Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) is one of highest reason for absence Health and Community Services (HCS) highest figures Cost of absence in year prior to pilot starting was nearly £300k

What we did Phase one: RehabWorks Phase two: Internal Initial budget agreed Change culture and up-skill managers Identified approved physiotherapists Candidates identified Monitored regularly

MSD sickness absence = 4349 days MSD sickness absence = 3108 days MSD sickness absence cost = £317.5k MSD sickness absence cost = £199k Cumulative cost saving = £118.5k Cost to run scheme = £10k

Feedback “Without this intervention it would have taken longer to heal” “Following physio there has been no further absence and condition has improved” “Employee has gone from being absence from work to now working on full duties”

Next steps Continue to support the scheme Extended pilot to Hertfordshire Catering Ltd Further up-skilling of managers

Simple things you could do Contact Occupational Health (if have one) Check internet for free resources Work with local leisure providers On-site pilates, yoga or massage Ask your staff

Any Questions?

thank you