Writing Fit

Since 2007, the Fit for Work programme has looked at the impact of MSDs on individuals’ ability to work in 30 European and beyond. Now that we have collected data from all over Europe, we are beginning to understand why some countries perform better at tackling the impact of MSDs on the economy and the society. We see strong evidence for the connection between prevalence of long-term illness, labour market indicators and the country’s economic performance.
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On Friday I was proud to launch the latest Fit for Work report at the X annual Forum of Reumaliit patient group in Estonia. The Reumafoorum heard on the importance of early intervention in reducing the impact of MSDs from a variety of renowned speakers, including Dr Tõnu Peets, Head of the Estonian Society for Rheumatology, David Magnusson from The Swedish Rheumatism Association and Ain Aaviksoo from Praxis Centre of Policy Studies, who is leading on a study of the socioeconomic costs  of rheumatic disease in Estonia.
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FfW Europe Co-President, Stephen Bevan, and independent health economist, Leela Barham, discuss pros and cons of taking a wider societal perspective in healthcare decision-making, and possible reasons why work and labour market participation are rarely included in the remit of Health Technology Assessment.

The Place of Work in Healthcare Decision Making

Steve Bevan, Founding President, Fit for Work Europe Coalition, publishes new briefing paper – ‘Fit for Work? Maximising Employment and Social Inclusion in the EU.’ The paper examines the case of workers with MSDs.

Fit for Work_ Maximising Employment and Social Inclusion in the EU

FfW Conference 2011 Reminder

Fit for Work Europe – Annual Conference – 19 October 2011 Event Agenda

On Thursday my colleague Ksenia Zheltoukhova and I were proud to launch the latest Fit for Work report at the Economic Forum in Krynica-Zdrój in southern Poland. We hope that the findings and recommendations of our research will increase awareness and provide a foundation for action at a national level. Now that Poland has assumed the Presidency of the European Union (EU), it has a unique opportunity to lead positive changes in the way the societal burden of chronic disease and work-related health conditions are managed. The Polish Presidency will also see the publication of a new EU Directive on Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) at work, which provides another opportunity to put these issues under the spotlight.

So what is the impact of MSDs in Poland and what can be done to improve the situation?
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A huge highlight of our visit to Poland this week was the opportunity to meet former President of Poland Lech Wałęsa. The President very kindly wrote a Foreword to our report and has endorsed its findings. He said of our report:

‘Fit for Work is an initiative to improve the quality of life of active workers. I am glad to learn that in times of economic crisis there are people who are willing to promote new ideas, ready to and capable of fighting for a better future.’
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Sunday (10 October 2010) was World Mental Health Day, and the theme is: ‘Mental Health and Chronic Physical Illnesses: The Need for Continued and Integrated Care.’ Along these lines, our new report, Body and Soul, examines the relationship between mental and physical health, including musculoskeletal disorders, and the impact of these conditions on productivity and work participation.

Having both a physical and mental health condition is common, and the prevalence of mental health conditions is higher among those with a chronic physical health conditions, and vice versa. The relationship between mental and physical health conditions is bi-directional – meaning the physical health impacts mental health and mental health impacts physical health. Often, when individuals have both mental and physical health conditions, their health and work outcomes are worse. For example, around 25% of people with arthritis report a co-morbid mental health condition, which can increase psychological barriers to functioning and the number of days out of role.

In addition to examining the relationship between mental and physical health conditions, Body and Soul explores interventions that seek to reduce the impact these conditions have on individuals and society. This year’s World Mental Health Day calls for continued and integrated care, which Body and Soul also recommends. More effort needs to be directed to integrating care for physical and mental health.

The report also provides recommendations for employers. We know that work, particularly good work, is good for health and can aid in recovery. Therefore, providing good quality jobs that offer flexibility, autonomy and control, can mitigate the effects of health conditions – mental and physical – on individuals, employers and society. Work provides a sense of normalcy, which is illustrated by the following quote highlighted in the report:

‘I felt that one thing that would really help was if I could keep on doing the stuff I did before as much as possible so my life wouldn’t be limited by the condition.’

Our report calls for stakeholders to improve recognition between physical and mental health and to identify, design and provide effective interventions that address both physical and mental health in the health care setting, as well as the workplace setting. In the coming years, the prevalence of mental and chronic physical health conditions is set to increase, which means that employers and health professionals will have to do more to reduce the impact of these conditions on the working age population. Already in the UK, one in six working-age individuals have a common mental health condition, and the costs of mental health conditions in England exceed £105 billion. Mental health and associated co-morbid physical health conditions remain an important issue for individuals, families, colleagues, line managers, health professionals and policy makers.

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.
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