Major conditions call for evidence an opportunity to highlight value of OH

Occupational health professionals have an opportunity to highlight to the government the value of return to work as a health outcome, the importance of workplace health, and the role that OH can play in helping to manage key health conditions.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is running a call for evidence until 27 June on the best ways to prevent diagnose, treat and manage six major health conditions: cancer, cardiovascular diseases (including stroke and diabetes), chronic respiratory diseases, dementia, mental ill health, and musculoskeletal disorders.

The aim is that this feedback will help to inform a ‘landmark’ major conditions strategy for England set to be published later this year.

The DHSC said it is particularly keen for people suffering from one or more of the conditions to come forward with insight into their experiences of managing their health needs.

But it has added that contributions will be encouraged from those working in NHS bodies, local government, the voluntary and community sector, “and wider industry”, on how best to tackle suffering from one or more of these major conditions.

“Particularly, it is seeking perspectives on how government and the NHS can work better together with different organisations and sectors to improve the nation’s health,” the DHSC has said.

The major conditions strategy will focus on improving care and outcomes for those living with multiple conditions, our ageing workforce, and those who have an increasing complexity of need.

For example, the DHSC has highlighted that nine in 10 dementia patients have another long-term condition, and half of people with a heart or lung condition have musculoskeletal disorders such as back pain.

The strategy will, “seek to reduce care and treatment that are too narrowly focused on specific diseases or organs in the body and consider how to treat people as a whole.”

While workplace-based health hasn’t been spelt out specifically in the latest document, the value of return to work as a health outcome and the role OH can play in keeping people in work for longer are becoming increasingly recognised by the government. They have, for example, been a core tenet of the government’s, separate, plans for reform of occupational health provision.

The call for evidence can be found here. It will run until 11.59pm on 27 June.

Health secretary Steve Barclay said: “Patients often live with more than one major condition, so it’s vital that we do all we can to understand how best to manage their care.

“I encourage patients, carers and healthcare professionals to contribute to our call for evidence so we can ensure our major conditions strategy is as targeted and patient-focused as possible.”

The latest move follows previous calls for evidence around cancer and mental health and wellbeing, which are both also expected to feed into the development of the strategy.