Public Health and Employers: The
Hertfordshire Public Health Offer
Tom May
Health Improvement Specialist
14th November 2013
www.hertsdirect.org
www.hertsdirect.org
The Problem
•
Increasing non-communicable disease
– Smoking, obesity
• Increasing mental ill health
• Increasing sickness absence and sick pay
• Increasing loss to business productivity and
•
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performance
Aging workforce
Avoidable cost of managing and replacing sick and
absent staff
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Where’s the evidence?
Established relationship between lifestyle related
risk factors (smoking, inactivity, obesity) and
productivity absenteeism and health claims.
•
(Buron et al,2005, Wellsource, 2006 & University of Michigan, 2006)
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What does this mean for you?
• High prevalence of major modifiable health risks contributes to the
epidemic of chronic disease.
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–
–
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Overweight &Obesity
Inactivity
Stress
Elevated cholesterol
Alcohol
- Smoking
- Elevated blood pressure
- High blood sugar
• Places an increasing burden on employers: decreased productivity,
increased absenteeism, increased health and worker’s
compensation claims.
• Unless we do something is that 2/3 of people will be in chronic ill
health or disability before age 68, the new retirement age
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Why should you care?
•
You’re paying for it
•
The do-nothing strategy of waiting for sickness and then
paying for treatment isn’t cost neutral – it costs you
•
Lifestyle related risk factors and behaviours of
employees as well as unhealthy work environments and
practices drive costs up.
•
High risk employees incur high costs whatever the
outcome measure: pharmaceutical, absenteeism,
compensation costs or productivity.
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Productivity Decreases with Number of Health Risks
Excess
Productivity
Loss
Productivity
Loss (%)
Base Cost
Number of Health Risks
(Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2005;47:769-77 (n = 28,375))
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Smoking
• Hertfordshire Stop Smoking Service
• Free phone: 0800 389 3 998
• Website: www.smokefreehertfordshire.nhs.uk
• Tobacco Control Advice
• Community Stop Smoking Support
• Information and Resources
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Physical Activity
• Business Travel Plan Support
• Health Walks
• Exercise Referral
• Walks and More
• Local Leisure Providers
• Community Exercise Opportunities
• Sports Club Signposting
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Healthy Eating / Weight Management
• Healthy Eating Resources
• Healthy Eating Toolkit
• NHS advice
• Commercial Weight Management Companies
• Buy in employee support
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Mental Health
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Signposting to policies on managing stress in the
workplace
Resources: Information and leaflets
Self care information
Support organisations
MIND
Guidepost Trust
Access to psychological support for people with mild
to moderate depression and anxiety disorders
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Next Steps
• Have an ongoing dialogue with employers
• Health MOT’s
• Workplace Health Champions
- Accredited RSPH course for employees
• Mental Health training course
• Help share best practice
• ‘Toolbox’ approach
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Contact Details: Tom May
E: tom.may@hertfordshire.gov.uk
T: 07771 840275
www.hertsdirect.org