Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will include musculoskeletal disorders in the long-term plan for the NHS to reduce loss of working days; and if he will make a statement.

In 2017, there was a historic low of working days lost due to musculoskeletal disorders (MSK) related sickness absence. However, MSK disorders remain the second largest reason for working days lost due to sickness absence – second only to minor illnesses (like colds and flu)¹.

This is why in ‘Improving Lives, the Future of Work, Health and Disability’² this Government committed itself to ensuring that individuals suffering from MSK disorders get higher-quality, more joined up support - in the workplace and across the health and welfare systems.

The Government’s own strategy, includes research to build our understanding of existing MSK provision and piloting new models of service provision. The intention is to build our understanding of ‘what works’ to improve employment outcomes for individuals with MSK disorders, in order to inform future action.

The Government expects National Health Service leaders, clinicians and experts to develop the long-term plan to ensure that the NHS can cope with the serious demand and cost pressures it faces in the future. The plan should be published later this year.

Notes:

¹Labour Force Survey person datasets, ONS. 2018.

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/labourproductivity/articles/sicknessabsenceinthelabourmarket/2016

²Improving lives: the future of work, health and disability November 2017

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/improving-lives-the-future-of-work-health-and-disability