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An occupational health and wellbeing initiative has claimed success with a reported 120% increase in the number of people getting back to work after illness or injuries, compared to previous years.
This is said to have saved the States between £11,000 and £20,000 per week in benefit payments as claimants are able to earn money instead.
The Supporting Occupational Health and Wellbeing (SOHWELL) programme is a Government Workplan initiative aimed at offering early intervention and support to people who have an illness, injury or disability.
It's intended to help people stay in work or get back to work more quickly which in turn helps to maximise the island's workforce.
It was launched in 2015, by the Committee for Employment and Social Security, in response to a rising trend in long-term incapacity benefit claims.
This week Deputy Peter Roffey gave an update on its work and said he is "particularly happy to report on the success of our Supporting Occupational Health and Wellbeing (SOHWELL) initiative".
"This has transformed the way we approach work rehabilitation by focussing on occupational health and early intervention to help sickness benefit claimants identify pathways back into work," he said.
"The SOHWELL team has reported a 120% increase in the number of people undertaking a gradual return to work after illness or injury when comparing calendar years 2022 and 2023. In addition, numbers of new long-term sickness benefit claims have reduced by 40% during the first 30 weeks of 2024.
"This represents a cost avoidance, in terms of benefit expenditure, of between £11,000 and £20,000 per week."
Alongside the SOHWELL initiative, Deputy Roffey also confirmed that an Occupational Health Strategy for the Bailiwick is being developed to further support employees in managing health conditions within the workplace.
He said it will also support employers with return to work plans and reasonable adjustments to ensure an active and healthy workforce.
"I’d like to thank the officers and health professionals involved for their continued support which has been key to the programme’s success,” he added.
SOHWELL and what it means for you
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