From 'sick note' to 'fit note'
Getting time off work for medical reasons just got harder following the introduction of the 'fit note'. Instead of giving patients a sick note saying they are too ill to work, GP's will have to decide which jobs a person can perform and what employers can do to help them return to work. Under the new scheme doctors could recommend reduced hours, altered duties or a phased return.
More than 2.6 million Britons are on incapacity benefit and sick leave now costs the economy £100 billion and around 172 million working days each year. It is believed that the fit notes could save the British economy about £250 million over 10 years, and help stop people ending up on incapacity benefit.
What does it mean for employers?
The fit note is one of the biggest changes in the area of employee absence in many years. The onus will be on employers to help staff return to work in some capacity. However, the British Medical Association (BMA) says more needs to be done so businesses understand their responsibilities as the onus will be on the employers to act and be flexible when accommodating employees who are not 100 percent fit.
Dr Laurence Buckman, chairman of the BMA's GPs committee commented “Employers have a responsibility to provide adequate occupational health services and the government must encourage them to provide that if the overall plan to help more people back to work is to be truly effective. But unfortunately, only one worker in eight has access to an occupational health doctor.”
PHP's thoughts....
Our initial experience is that GP's are unsure of how to approach the new system and feel ill-equipped to make the judgements of what the employee is capable of at work, or what their job involves. |
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| So far they seem to be asking the patients how they feel about returning to work and writing down the patient's views. This is helpful to an employer when an employee is keen to return to work, but is unlikely to put a dent in sickness figures if an employee is more reluctant. |
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Dental Insurance - the employee benefit with extra bite
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Dentistry is an important, but increasingly expensive part of everyone's healthcare. As access to NHS dentistry continues to diminish and dentists convert to private practice, it is no surprise that dental insurance is one of the top benefits employers have introduced in the last 12 months¹.
At The Private Health Partnership we understand the importance of providing benefits that meet and exceed employee expectations. That is why we have searched the market on your behalf and identified a solution from a quality provider that will help meet your employee dental benefit needs. We are delighted to announce that we have joined forces with CIGNA HealthCare to provide a range of dental plans at affordable prices with benefits unique to our SME and corporate business customers. CIGNA HealthCare is one of the UK's leading providers of dental plans and has been providing dental solutions worldwide for over 40 years.
For you, investing in the oral health of your employees brings potential for a high rate of return. Those without access to a dentist can face a long and painful wait for treatment – and absences from work or reduced productivity may result from this. Today there is strong evidence to suggest a connection between good oral health and good overall health. Studies² have highlighted a correlation between gum disease and ailments such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Having a dental plan may encourage employees to go to the dentist more regularly and as such may lead to the earlier diagnosis of serious medical conditions, not to mention oral cancer.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of dental care over other healthcare benefits however, is that for a relatively low financial investment the plans can be regularly used by every employee. Choosing an employee benefit that staff truly value can only have a positive influence on attracting and retaining the top talent, while helping you to stay ahead of the competition.
¹ Employee Benefits – Benefits Book 2010
² American Academy of Periodontology
For further details about dental insurance, or any health-related products or services offered by PHP visit www.php.co.uk or contact us on 01274 588862 or info@php.co.uk |
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| PHP Kicks-Off fundraising for its Charity of the Year |
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PHP has this year asked staff to nominate a charity of the year for the business to support and partner with for the next 12 months. It is hoped that choosing one charity, rather than supporting a raft of differing charities as the business has done in the past, will allow us to make a significant difference.
The staff wanted a link to 'health' with whoever we supported and ideally a local connection. With this in mind, the business has opted to support Leeds Children's Hospital, a charity that meets both sets of criteria. However whilst it is based locally, children from all over the country use the hospital, so the money raised by PHP will help children and and families in Yorkshire and beyond.
All money raised will help benefit the patients by providing 'put-up' beds to allow parents and guardians to stay with the children in comfort and a box of toys for each bed to help fill the hours. They are also aiming to make the wards, theatres, patient waiting-rooms and day-case sections child and family-friendly – banishing plain walls and putting up art and pictures to bring cheer and pleasure to the patients and their families.
As part of our 21st year celebration the business has agreed to double any contributions made by the staff over the coming months. Following the opening event, which coincided with the World Cup and saw a table football tournament accompanied by a pie and peas lunch, a guess the goals competition and sweepstake, the staff and business collectively have already raised £800.
Over the coming year the staff will take part in a number of activities set to test their knowledge, cooking skills and dress sense, in a bid to reach a £7000 target.
We are hoping our targets are a little more realistic and hold more longevity than that of the England team. |
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Images from one of the Children's wardss |
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