MSD support needed

MSDs are the leading cause of sickness absence in the UK. A recent survey by the Work Foundation suggests that the clinical support available to individuals with MSDs is often insufficient to keep them in work. The research found that it took an average of more than four years to diagnose an MSD. Even after diagnosis, one in 10 had to wait more than a year to receive treatment. And only half of respondents had discussed their employment with a GP.

The survey also suggests that having an MSD can compromise job quality. Over one in three respondents said that their condition had affected their access to training and development and just under 60% felt that it prevented them from reaching their full potential at work.

The foundation says that as a particularly vulnerable group in an insecure labour market, individuals with MSDs face being trapped in low quality jobs that do not match their level of skills.

The findings also raise concerns about employers making reasonable adjustments to accommodate the needs of employees with MSDs. One in three respondents had received no form of adjustment to their working time, work environment, or work duties when they required it.

The report argues that on-going government reforms aimed at supporting people with long-term conditions back into work must be matched by incentives targeting employers and health care professionals to support people with MSDs to retain and get the most out of employment. It makes a series of recommendations for policy makers, healthcare professionals, commissioners, employers, line managers and individuals.

The policy think tank Work Foundation has warned that a lack of positive support for people with MSDs in work is leaving hundreds of thousands at risk of lost earnings, reduced productive working time and early retirement, with an accompanying strain on both household incomes and the UK welfare system.

Its report, Taking the strain: the impact of musculoskeletal disorders on work and home life, says that MSDs are the leading cause of people going onto the welfare benefit Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and that government reform must not stop at helping people back into work. It says that healthcare professionals, employers and policymakers must also make keeping individuals in employment a top priority.

The report was launched as part of the Fit for Work Coalition UK, and draws on a survey of more than 800 people living with MSDs. It shows that:

• just over half of employed respondents reported a loss of earnings due to the condition;

• three quarters of retired respondents said their condition had influenced their decision to retire, with the majority having left the labour market before reaching the age of fifty-five;

• of those not in work, 57% had been the primary earner for their household before leaving a paid job and two-thirds of these households now rely on welfare support;

• one in four reported concerns about remaining in work due to their condition; and

• on average, respondents experienced 44% productivity loss at work.

The report was published in December 2012 and is available on the Work Foundation website at: www.theworkfoundation.com/DownloadPublication/Report/326_FFW%20UK%20survey%20FINAL.pdf