The framework used to help OH meet Securing Health Together (SH2) targets
needs to be outcome-based, Elizabeth Gyngell of the HSE told the conference.
She explained that attention needed to switch from how the profession is
complying with the guidance, to how it manages sickness absence.
Speaking about the criteria for success in getting people back to work, she
said, "We will know we’ve got there when employers see the advantage in
rehabilitation. At the moment most managers see it as an absolute pain, it is
much easier to give ill-health retirement."
Another problem that needs to be solved, said Gyngell, is ensuring employees
trust the process of rehabilitation. "A lot of employees see it as a way
of forcing people back to work before they are well."
Employers need more guidance in developing return-to-work policies, she
suggested, and there is a need to work on sharing best practice. OH nurses
should join working groups to get advice on the decision-making process, she
advised.
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