People off sick for more than four weeks are to be offered advice to get them back to work more quickly under a scheme being set up by the government.
The Health and Work Service, which will cover England, Wales and Scotland, will offer non-compulsory medical assessments and treatment plans.
It will be run by the private sector and paid for by scrapping compensation to employers for statutory sick pay.
Ministers say employers will save money overall by having fewer staff off sick.
They said it may save companies up to £70m a year in reduced sickness pay and related costs.
Labour’s shadow work and pensions minister, Kate Green, said: “Any help to cut number of days lost to sickness is welcome, but with the government’s Work Programme helping just 5% of people on sickness and disability benefits into jobs, it is clear much more needs to done to help people get back to work.”
No law change
The new scheme will not entail any change to existing laws.
At present, staff who are off work for more than four weeks are considered to be long-term sick and entitled to Statutory Sick Pay of almost £90 per week from their employers.
That will not change under the new arrangements – but the government wants the Health and Work Service to cut the number of people on long-term sick leave.
Under the scheme, employers or GPs will be able to refer employees for a work-focused occupational health assessment.
Mike Penning MP: “We are investing to help businesses and individuals have a better future”
This is intended to identify the issues preventing an employee from returning to work and draw up a plan for them, their GP and their employer, recommending how the employee can be helped back to work more quickly.
This may include fitness for work advice, medical care, working from home or retraining.
The scheme is not compulsory. Workers will be allowed to refuse to be assessed or to follow any course of action or treatment recommended.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) says it is intended that the service will start operating this year.
It will be run by the private sector, with the firms managing it decided by a tendering process.
‘Outdated’
The service will be paid for by scrapping the Statutory Sick Pay Percentage Threshold Scheme (PTS), which gives some compensation to employers faced with high levels of sickness absence.
The government says PTS is “an outdated system which does nothing to promote or support active management of sickness absences by either the employer or employee”.
Minister for Disabled People Mike Penning rejected suggestions that ending PTS was about the government saving money.
-Article taken from the BBC NEWS WEBSITE. 9 February 2014-
