Improving work health for a healthy economy

New initiative launched to support small businesses in improving work health

Illness among working age people costs the UK economy £100 billion a year. About 330,000 every year become unemployed because of health-related issues.

However, workplace health and wellbeing programmes such as exercise, healthy eating and stop smoking support have been shown to make a real difference. Successful programmes such as these have been found to return £2 to £10 for every £1 spent, benefiting staff wellbeing and economic productivity.

Most big employers already have some plans in place that help to improve and protect their staff’s health but many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) do not currently benefit from such programmes.

PHE and Healthy Working Futures, a workplace health provider, has set out advice for SMEs, which account for 60% of private sector employment.

PHE has also created a series of guidance for employers on important issues, such as musculoskeletal (MSK) and mental health, impacting on employees with Business in the Community. Further advice is being developed covering issues including:

• physical activity
• diet and weight
• drugs
• alcohol
• tobacco

Full press release at Public Health England

Plans announced to fast-track NHS digital technology

New technology designed to improve patient access, won’t solve the GP workforce problem, lead doctors have said today | OnMedica

Image source: opensource.com – Flickr // CC BY-SA 2.0

Dr Richard Vautrey, chair of the British Medical Association’s GP Committee, has responded to health secretary Jeremy Hunt’s promise that every patient should be able to access medical records and book an appointment via an integrated app in 2018.

The health secretary is to outline the measures at today’s Health and Care Innovation Expo in Manchester.

The digital expansion plans include:

• The expansion of the existing NHS 111 non-emergency phone line service to include a new online ‘triage’ service for less serious health problems.
• An NHS-approved health apps to guide patient choice – NHS England will launch a library of NHS-assessed apps, as well as advising on other wearable devices, to ensure people can select reputable and effective products to monitor and improve their health.
• A relaunch of the NHS Choices website to improve the range of services – it will be relaunched as NHS.UK with a fuller range of online patient services, including the ability to register with a GP, see and book appointments, and order and track prescriptions.
• Instant access to personal health records online – inspired by the ‘blue button’ app in the US, the new NHS.UK site will also enable patients to securely download their personal health records.
• More interactive, local information about the performance of health services.

Read the full overview here