Labour announces partnership with Nuffield Health to get thousands of NHS staff suffering joint pain back to work
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Labour has today announced a new partnership with Nuffield
Health to put NHS staff suffering joint pain issues back
to work on cutting waiting lists. Back problems and other
musculoskeletal problems are the second most common reason for
sickness absence in the NHS, after mental health. A record
198,000 days were missed by NHS workers with problems including
arthritis and knee, hip and neck aches in December 2023,
up 13 per cent on the 174,000...Request free trial
Labour has today announced a new partnership with Nuffield Health to put NHS staff suffering joint pain issues back to work on cutting waiting lists. Back problems and other musculoskeletal problems are the second most common reason for sickness absence in the NHS, after mental health. A record 198,000 days were missed by NHS workers with problems including arthritis and knee, hip and neck aches in December 2023, up 13 per cent on the 174,000 recorded in the same month in 2019. Nurses and health visitors were forced to take 52,000 days off with the problems in the same month, up 11 per cent on 47,000 before the Covid pandemic. It comes as the health service is desperately short-staffed, with 35,000 nursing vacancies. In addition, 3,500 days were also taken off by doctors because of back and joint issues during December, up 9 per cent on 2019. Fourteen years of Tory neglect has seen NHS waiting lists surge to record levels, with patients waiting an average 18 weeks for a musculoskeletal appointment at some trusts. Now those waiting lists are hitting NHS staff, forcing them out of work, and making the crisis in the NHS worse. In a brand-new initiative, Labour has today announced it will open up to 4,000 extra places for NHS staff in Nuffield Health's Joint Pain Programme free of charge, in partnership with the healthcare charity. This will allow those suffering with joint pain to stay in, or return to work, and help beat the backlog. The announcement follows another partnership between Labour and Virgin/o2, to help equip children with type-1 diabetes with the latest tech to help monitor blood sugar levels. Labour also recently announced they would get high street opticians delivering NHS eye tests and scans to cut waiting lists, a policy welcomed by Specsavers whose Clinical Services Director, Giles Edmonds said they “stand ready to partner with NHS hospital eye services.” Wes Streeting MP, Labour's Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary, said: “Record long NHS waits are forcing huge numbers of people out of work, including doctors and nurses. NHS staff can't treat patients if they are in debilitating pain themselves. “Keir Starmer's mission-driven government will get NHS staff treated and back to work to help clear the backlog. We will care for carers, so they can care for us. “Labour will harness all the talents of our country's public sector, business, and civil society to make our NHS fit for the future.” Jill Pritchard, Nuffield Health's Hospitals Commercial Director, said: "Long-term health conditions often have a profound impact on people that suffer, compromising their physical, mental, and financial wellbeing. “Low-impact, supported exercise can be transformative and accessible, yet its benefits are not widely understood, leaving many people without the support they need. “At Nuffield Health, our community rehabilitation programmes are leading the charge with 10,000 people benefiting each year. “We welcome the opportunity to work with Labour to extend this vital resource, opening a new pathway to support our incredible NHS staff free of charge - helping them to stay fit and well, as they look after us.” Ishmael Beckford, chair of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, said: “Long waits for NHS services lead to more complex problems and we know that the greater the amount of time someone is off work, the less likely they are ever to return. “It becomes a double blow when the person waiting is an NHS clinician who patients desperately need to be well enough to work and providing crucial services, especially during a workforce crisis. “So we applaud this initiative, which recognises the crucial role physiotherapy staff and other rehab professionals play in enabling people to stay in work, or to return as soon as possible following an absence. “This is good for the health and wellbeing of NHS staff and will help cut waiting times by keeping more professionals fit for work and delivering the services patients need.” Ends Notes: 1. NHS Sickness Absence Rates data show 198,000 sickness days were taken for other musculoskeletal problems in December 2023, the latest month for which data is available https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-sickness-absence-rates 2. The Nuffield Joint Pain Programme (JPP) is 6-month programme, which begins with 12 weeks of lifestyle advice and exercise sessions led by a Rehabilitation Specialist. For the financial year 2024/2025, places on the JPP are capped at 10,000. The programme is available to the public free of charge, following self-referral. Labour's partnership will see Nuffield Health expand the programme by 4,000 places, which will be reserved exclusively for NHS staff. Nuffield Health has identified 103 NHS Trusts in England that are within a 45-minute drive from their gyms, representing nearly 48 per cent of NHS Trusts, where NPP places will be offered to NHS staff. It will introduce a new referral pathway from NHS occupational health teams, as well as staff still being allowed to self refer via normal route. 3. There are 35,000 full time equivalent nursing vacancies in the NHS according to the latest figures 4. Average waits for MSK physiotherapy appointments are 18 weeks at Whittington Health NHS Trust
5. Labour announced that it would partner with Virgin/o2 and the
charity Supporting Children with Diabetes, to provide kids with
type-1 diabetes the latest technology to monitor glucose
levels
6. Labour will get high street opticians like Specsavers
delivering NHS eye tests and scans to cut waiting lists |