Trusts can access £450m to cut MSK staff sickness

As reported in Frontline:

New guidance from NHS England could help trusts access £450 million fund designed to provide staff with health and well-being services, including physiotherapy.

The Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) payment fund was announced last autumn by NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens.

The latest guidance says that trusts could apply for CQUIN funding so staff can access physiotherapy. It wants them to address sickness absence due to musculoskeletal (MSK) problems, the main cause of sickness absence in the health service

Across the NHS in England 40% of long-term sickness absence can be attributed to an MSK condition, the document says.

The 2015 NHS staff survey reported that, an average, 25% of NHS staff had experienced MSK issues due to work related activities in teh last 12 months. This amounts to a total of some 325,000 staff.

Early and reliable access to a physiotherapist has been shown to be one of the most effective forms of intervention to deal with MSK conditions within the workplace, the document says.

In addition to improving access to physiotherapy, NHS organisations could use funding to implement initiatives such as pain management workshops, back care workshops and workplace ergonomics.

Jenny Nissler, CSP professional adviser, urged members to take a look at teh guidance and discuss with their managers.

Author: Gill Hitchcock

For more information and guidance follow the link below

Guidance

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/HWB-CQUIN-Guidance.pdf