Writing Fit

We continue to take the ‘Fit for Work’ messages to National Governments wherever we can. Already, since the launch of the Irish report, we have briefed two prominent Irish Government Ministers. We have, among other things, called for a National Clinical Director for MSDs together with the formulation of a National Service Framework on MSDs in order to cement the clinical and labour market priority which Ireland should be given to MSDs in Ireland.

Last week I was a ‘witness’ – together with John Church, CEO of Arthritis Ireland - at a session of the Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment in the Irish Parliament – the rough equivalent of a Select Committee here in the UK. I presented the Irish ‘Fit for Work’ report and John and I were questioned for an hour by several Deputies and Senators, who were very interested in the implications of our research for Irish labour market policy.

Earlier in the day Jim Higgins MEP hosted a lunch session in conjunction with Arthritis Ireland for TDs and other opinion-leaders which also focused on the findings and implications of the Irish ‘Fit for Work’ report. Chaired by John Church, the audience heard presentations from Mr Higgins who focused on the growing awareness of the MSD issue in Brussels and Geraldine McCarthy, and eminent Rheumatologist. I also presented the main Fit for Work report findings and talked the audience through our main recommendations. A good debate followed which, among other things, covered the wider labour market status of people with disabilities, the potential for a UK-style ‘Fit Note’ in Ireland and the impact of Health Technology Assessment on access to drug therapies for Rheumatoid Arthritis.

There is a real sense of momentum in Ireland and clear evidence that many of the ‘Fit for Work’ messages are having an impact on the way policy-makers are thinking.

The launch today of the Spanish Fit for Work report coincided with the announcement of the latest Spanish unemployment figures. They make grim reading, as predicted in our report, they passed the 20 per cent threshold which now means Spain has a level of joblessness exactly twice the EU average. What is worse, youth unemployment is close to 40 per cent, again the worst in Europe. On of the core Fit for Work messages has been that we need to avoid people with long-term or chronic health conditions becoming the first victims of a depressed labour, yet that is what seems to be happening both in Spain and elsewhere.
(more…)

The launch today of the Spanish Fit for Work report coincided with the announcement of the latest Spanish unemployment figures. They make grim reading, as predicted in our report, they passed the 20 per cent threshold which now means Spain has a level of joblessness exactly twice the EU average. What is worse, youth unemployment is close to 40 per cent, again the worst in Europe. On of the core Fit for Work messages has been that we need to avoid people with long-term or chronic health conditions becoming the first victims of a depressed labour, yet that is what seems to be happening both in Spain and elsewhere. (more…)