Health & Employability

A Training Pack for

Health Professionals

Employment & Health

Employment could arguably be the most important public health issue in the UK and the largest determinant of ill health in the workless population.

Policy Context • Healthy Working Lives a plan for action

Scottish Government 2004

• Workforce PlusScottish Government 2006

• Better Health Better CareScottish Government 2007

• Health works Scottish Government 2009

Background

Scottish Government Lifelong Learning Directorate Employability Team

• Identified need for training for health staff

• Existing resources- varying contents approaches & materials

• Duplication of effort

• Non-standardised

Development

• Expert group formed

• Wide representation• Drawing from good practice

– cross sector approaches

• Focus on health staff

Employability for Health Professionals…...

or

……Health & Employability

Health & EmployabilityAIM

To raise awareness of the links between health and employability and explore with healthcare staff ways to consider incorporating this into practice for the benefit of their patients / clients

– Promotes concept– Half day– Participatory learning– KSF

Employability“Employability encompasses all the things that enable people to increase their chances of getting a job, staying in, and progressing further, in work”.

. . . “for each individual, there will be different reasons why they are not achieving what they would like in employment – perhaps their confidence and motivation, their skills, their health, or where they live compared to where the jobs are available”.

(Workforce Plus: Scottish Government Employability Framework 2006)

. . . for each individual, there will be different reasons why they are not achieving good health – perhaps their confidence and motivation, their skills, their job, or where they live compared to where healthcare is available.

Fit for Work?

Consider your overall health today on a scale of 1-10, with 10 the absolute best and 1 the worst it could be

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

The Evidence

Is work good for your health and well-being? (Waddell G, Burton AK.2006)

In a nutshell:– work is good for health– long-term unemployment is bad for health

But….

What does this mean (real world)

Barriers & Support• Barriers

– impact on health

• NHS Role – positive & negative

• Employability Pathway– insight not experts

• Health Improvement– change perspective

Role of Health Professionals

When and how should health staff discuss employability with their patients?

• Addressing similar barriers

• Not fixing everything

• Influencing perception

• Skills and rapport

….. What Next?

• Pack with NES

• Flying start programme

• Online resource

• Train the trainers

• Roll out……

http://www.employabilityinscotland.com/