Fusion are proud to support over 400 different schools, academies, and educational establishments directly. Through this partnership, we support them in increasing employee engagement, reducing incidents and length of absences, providing earlier return to work or remaining in work during ill health.
In addition, we strengthen our service by providing data and trends among the workforce, which help managers in proactive interventions.
In our experience, we find that the most common reasons for management referrals and time off work are:
- Musculoskeletal disorders
- Stress
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Mental and behavioural disorders
These findings are in congruence with the report from HSE, Education statistics in GB, 2023.
Our client was looking for a partner to provide their vastly-spread
workforce with Occupational Health Support. They needed help in the
following areas:
- Support for managing attendance more effectively
- Reducing the incidence and length of sickness absence
- Reducing the levels of employer liability claims
- Ensuring employees are assisted in returning to work after serious or long term illness
- Generating policies and procedures that actively manage risk areas such as stress and mental health, and musculoskeletal conditions
- Increasing employee awareness of health issues
- Encouraging employees to make informed choices about their lifestyle and work practices
- Assisting them to improve their physical and mental wellbeing and self-esteem, leading to better work performance
- Emphasising that the organisation cares about its employees’ health and welfare at work
At Fusion, we specialise in the delivery of a proactive nurse-led case management service. This supports individuals and delivers a sustainable reduction in sickness absence. It also offers financial savings by returning employees to work as soon as possible.
Our philosophy in managing sickness absence is focussed on early intervention and early return-to-work strategies. We use a combination of independent medical opinion, case management and GP/Specialist reports.
With our client’s large disparate property portfolio throughout the UK and low numbers of employees at each site, it was not effective to provide on-site face-to-face Occupational Health Assessments. The fastest and most cost-effective solution was the introduction of a remote case management occupational health service. Employees were contacted within 24 hours of receipt of the referral to arrange a telephone consultation date and time.
The key to effective and efficient case management is providing the most appropriately qualified clinician for each individual consultation. Our Occupational Health Clinicians concentrate on obtaining the clinical detail required to give an objective opinion on whether an individual is fit to return to work. When appropriate, recommendations are made to make an early return to work possible. For each case, a report will be provided detailing the principal issues affecting the employee, including the prognosis, agreed return-to-work plan and target return-to-work date.
Normally consultations are undertaken within 48 hours, with reports being uploaded for viewing within 24 hours of the consultation (dependent on consent process). Our processes allow for pre- and post-consultation with line
managers/HR to provide support and advice relating to employees returning to work or otherwise.
Working closely with Human Resources and the case management teams, we have provided insightful management information to improve absence management across the organisation.
Embedding ourselves within the organisations, we have gained a great understanding of their culture, ethos, procedures, and processes. Aligning these with our own, we have been able to add value to the contract, creating a true partnership with the HR, case management and health & wellbeing teams.
Our clients with the educational sector have been able to embed a truly bespoke Occupational Health Service, which supports their employees and provides clear actionable advice on complex sickness absence cases. This further demonstrates their commitment to improving the health and safety of employees across an organisation.
Along with the employee engagement benefits, there is a return on investment that has been realised in getting individuals back to work earlier or staying in work during sickness absence.
Building relationships with key stakeholders has been vital to the success of the service. Contract managers being appointed by both sides has also had a fundamental impact on the success. These managers meet monthly to discuss day-to-day activity, prioritising activity going forward.
Our totally proactive service provides bespoke management information, allowing us to identify trends and give suggestions on how to resolve any potential issues.
*Estimated savings for an organisation with 1000 employees (using 5% referral rate per annum).
