Nearly 30,000 staff are forced to leave work permanently due to illness or
injury every year because rehabilitation services in the UK are so poor, a
study claims.
The report by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and the TUC finds
that about 14.5 million working days are lost annually because of work-related
ill health, at a cost to the economy of more than £14bn a year.
Getting Back to Work blames a lack of early intervention, an inconsistent
approach to rehabilitation across the UK and no clear leadership on the issue.
The ABI’s director general, Mary Francis, said employees and employers are
suffering as a result of inadequate rehabilitation. "Britain’s rehabilitation
services are far from healthy. The current system is failing ill and injured
workers and their families. The longer someone is off work, the less chance
they have of returning," she said.
The report calls for greater awareness of the importance of effective
rehabilitation among employers and mandatory rehabilitation policies.
