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Welsh businesses ‘wasteful’ with ineffective workplace health initiatives

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NEW poll finds 73% adults in Wales think occupational health is important but just 12% believe some current workplace health & wellbeing services important

Ill health cost £10.6 billion to UK businesses in 2018-19, with 1.7 million suffering work-related health conditions in 2020-21

Business leaders urged to be more strategic and seek occupational health expertise

Businesses must urgently shift away from a reactive “DIY” culture when it comes to workplace health and seek expert occupational health guidance to avoid wasting time and resources, according to a new survey.

A YouGov survey launched during Occupational Health Awareness Week (19-24 June 2022) found only a fraction of adults in Wales believe the health and wellness measures many businesses currently choose for employees are important, which experts believe is likely due to employers mismatching health and wellbeing services to employee needs and not sourcing relevant or appropriate service providers.

73% of survey respondents said that occupational health is important and 73% also reported that they do or would find occupational health services in the workplace useful, but only a fraction thought that specific interventions were important. Access to health and wellbeing advice (13%) and counselling services (11%) rated low in importance for employee health among those surveyed, suggesting that businesses urgently need professional occupational health guidance to better meet employee needs and to source specialist service providers.

Throughout the UK, including Wales, companies often source their own health and wellbeing programmes without an occupational health strategy or the input of an occupational health practitioner. In April, CIPD’s Health and Wellbeing at Work report found that 87% of organisations offer employee health and wellbeing services but only 50% have a strategy, with 46% declaring that they do not have a formal plan and act on an ad-hoc basis.

Launching the YouGov survey, experts at the Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM) and Commercial Occupational Health Providers Association (COHPA) warned that companies who provide occupational health programmes without professional advice may be wasting time and resources.

Dr Jayne Moore, President, Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM) said:

“From reducing absences to improving business performance, we have clear evidence that occupational health services make a significant difference. Looking at the survey results, it’s clear that employers are not making the most of occupational health expertise and are failing to provide what employees actually want and need.

“A reactive DIY approach to occupational health, which we know is prevalent among businesses in the UK, is wasteful and ineffective. Companies of all sizes should use professional occupational health guidance to develop a clear workplace health strategy in the boardroom and steer how they invest in employee health services.”

According to HSE statistics from 2020-21, 1.7 million workers were suffering from new or long-standing work-related health conditions, with 800,000 of these being work-related mental health issues and 500,000 being musculoskeletal disorders.

Pre-Covid-19 (2018-19) HSE statistics showed that workplace-related illnesses cost £10.6 billion to the UK, while injury cost £5.6 billion in the same period. In April 2022, Deloitte found that poor mental health costs UK employers up to £56 billion a year.

Alan Ballard, Chair of the Commercial Occupational Health Providers Association (COHPA) said:

“From mental health to menopause, occupational health doctors and nurses have a wealth of experience and specialist knowledge that is currently underutilised by much of the private sector.

“Many business leaders feel like they are fire-fighting health issues as they arise, so bringing in an occupational health expert to assist with a more strategic, proactive approach will take that constant pressure out of their hands.

“Companies that take on a bespoke health and wellbeing strategy in collaboration with an occupational health provider will see improved employee health and a better bottom line.”

The YouGov survey also demonstrated that employees want workplace health to be led from the top. Key factors for employee health were work-life balance (71%), good management and leadership (62%), and good workplace culture (55%).

Lord David Blunkett, Patron of the Society of Occupational Medicine, remarked:

“It is encouraging that an increasing number of companies are investing in workplace health and wellbeing services, but employers need to ensure that their occupational health offering is effective and meaningful.

“By seeking professional guidance from an occupational health expert, business leaders can adopt a more strategic and impactful approach to improving employee health, and maintain reliability and ability to stay in the job.”

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Consultation launched on paediatric services at Withybush and Glangwili hospitals

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BETWEEN May 26 and August 24, 2023, Hywel Dda University Health Board (HDUHB) will be inviting members of the public, staff and partner organisations, to share their views about urgent and emergency children and young people’s (paediatric) services at Withybush and Glangwili hospitals. We are seeking your views on how best to provide these services following a series of temporary changes made since 2016. This is part of the health board’s wider strategy to improve health and care in the region.

Maria Battle, HDUHB Chair, explains: “Following the temporary changes to paediatric services made since 2016, we now need to implement a longer-term solution that will be in place until the proposed new urgent and planned care hospital is developed. We have worked with our clinical and paediatric teams to identify the options for the services in the future and have three options that we would like your views on. At this stage, we do not have a preferred option for how urgent and emergency paediatric services at Withybush Hospital and Glangwili Hospital will be delivered.”

Professor Phil Kloer – Executive Medical Director and Deputy Chief Executive Officer added: “For all three options, it is important to note that access to children’s emergency care will be retained at Glangwili Hospital’s emergency department, and minor injuries for children will continue to be treated at both Withybush and Glangwili hospitals. Also, systems are already in place to ensure that any child or young person with critical conditions arriving at Withybush Hospital has the best care available and in the most appropriate place. This will continue as part of the new service.

“Before making any final decisions, the Board will consider all your feedback at the Board meeting towards the end of 2023 alongside all other evidence and relevant information collated during the process so far.”

Lee Davies, HDUHB Executive Director of Strategy and Planning, said: “During the consultation, the health board will be seeking feedback from everyone in our communities – particularly current and future users of our paediatric services. This is an opportunity to get involved and share your thoughts about the three options we are considering.

“Your views, along with other evidence and considerations, will help Hywel Dda University Health Board choose the most appropriate option for the future of urgent and emergency children and young people’s services at Withybush and Glangwili hospitals. We look forward to meeting with members of our communities during the coming weeks.”

The public drop-in events will be held between 1pm-6pm on:

  • 20 June, Carmarthen Athletics Club, Cillefwr Industrial Estate, Carmarthen
  • 23 June, Phoenix Centre, Goodwick, Fishguard
  • 27 June, Cardigan Leisure Centre, College of Further Education Road, Cardigan
  • 29 June, Pill Social Club, Cellar Hill, Milford Haven
  • 3 July, Haverfordwest Rugby Club, Haverfordwest

In addition to the drop-in events, three online sessions are planned for:

  • 19 June, 10am
  • 22 June, 6.30pm
  • 26 June, 1pm

Details of the consultation, including information on how to register for the online sessions, copies of the consultation documents in a range of formats, and details of how to share your views, will be available on the health board’s website from 26 May: Future Children Services – Hywel Dda University Health Board (nhs.wales)

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NHS staff must get Welsh government pay offer without delay, says UNISON

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NHS workers Wales must receive a newly approved wage rise in their pay pockets as soon as possible, UNISON said this week (Wednesday, May 24)

Leaders at UNISON, the largest health union in Wales, have welcomed the Welsh government decision to sign off the new pay offer but say the money must reach workers without delay.

The offer consists of a 5% wage increase (payable from 1 April 2023) and an additional one-off payment for 2022/23 – worth between £900 and £1,190.

Earlier this month UNISON consulted with staff on Agenda for Change contracts (those directly employed by the NHS) over the Welsh government’s pay offer for 2023/24 and an additional one-off ‘recovery payment’ for the previous financial year.

A significant majority (78%) voted to accept the offer, with just 22% voting to reject.

All NHS unions then met on Monday (May 22) declaring the majority of health unions in favour of the deal and a final decision to implement the offer was made by Welsh government today (Wednesday).

UNISON Cymru/Wales head of bargaining and campaigns Jess Turner said: “We’re pleased the new pay offer will now be rolled out but it’s vital that it reaches pockets of NHS staff in Wales without delay.

“The NHS is one team. Every job and every worker make an essential contribution to patient care.

“Thanks to this deal, NHS staff will receive their pay rise much sooner than in previous years. This sets an expectation for the way NHS pay is approached in future in Wales.”

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Alarm as ambulance response times continue to fall short

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PLAID CYMRU politicians have expressed grave concerns as waiting times for ambulances in west Wales continue to fall short of Welsh Government targets.
Data released this week (May 18) by the Welsh Government showed that during April 2023 only 46.8% of immediately life-threatening incidents within the Hywel Dda Health Board area were attended within 8 minutes. There is currently a target for 65% of such severe ‘red’ calls to have a response within 8 minutes.
Figures for west Wales fell below national average – with just over half (53%) of ‘red’ calls across Wales responded to within 8 minutes. In the neighbouring Powys Teaching Health Board, 42.6% of such emergency calls were attended to within the target 8 minutes.
The latest NHS figures also showed that at the end of March 2023, 31,700 patients’ pathways were waiting more than two years for treatment – falling around 5,000 from the previous month.
The Welsh Government had previously set a target that no-one would be waiting for more than 2 years for treatment as at the end of March 2023.
Earlier this year, Plaid Cymru published its five-point plan to help tackle the crisis in the NHS, but this was voted down by Labour.
Responding to the figures, Cefin Campbell, Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd for Mid & West Wales said: “These latest ambulance response times continue to be alarming. Now we’re into spring, it’s clear that we’re no longer talking about seasonal pressures – but rather a deep-rooted inability to get to grips with the grid-lock in our NHS.
“The figures sadly reflect a growing trend I’m regularly seeing in my inbox and on the doorstep, with constituents across west Wales citing lengthy delays for an ambulance – often with devastating consequences. Whilst I am aware of the unprecedented pressures the pandemic has placed on our hardworking NHS staff and services, clearly urgent action needs to be undertaken to overcome these problems.”
Rhun ap Iorwerth MS, Plaid Cymru’s Health spokesperson added: “Welsh Government’s inability to improve waiting times sufficiently for patients – missing their own targets in the process, and even showing apparent denial that they weren’t on course to meet them – raises serious questions about Labour’s credibility in terms of running the health service. I don’t think it’s impossible for us to put together a vision and to deliver on that vision in a way that delivers better healthcare than we currently see being delivered here in Wales today. But when Labour can’t manage to reach their own targets, it’s hard to have any confidence in their ability to fix these issues.”

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