How Corporate Physiotherapy Helps People, Businesses and the Economy
Corporate physiotherapy continues to play a huge role within occupational health, with the Health and Work Service citing physiotherapists’ involvement as a key aspect in the prevention of absence and the continuation of chronic conditions. Here, we take a closer look at how corporate physiotherapy can help your business and the economy.
The Physio Facts
The collaboration between occupational health doctors and physiotherapists has always been a fruitful one and due to its continued success and return for employers, there have been discussions on to how best to accredit corporate physiotherapy under the Safe Effective Quality Occupational Health Service. The benefits of corporate physiotherapy to businesses include:
• The assessment of work environments in order to create a safe and comfortable workplace,
• The use of preventative measures (such as exercise regimes, stretching activities and posture assessment) to stop conditions before they interfere with work,
• The diagnosis and treatment of physical conditions, reducing absence time and allowing employees to return to work more quickly,
• The identification of underlying issues that may contribute to further illness, such as bad posture or workstations causing discomfort.
Physio and Your Business
Reducing company sick time benefits not just the individual and the company but also the economy itself. Keeping taxpayers healthy and in full-time work makes a huge difference to the amount of money being put back into the system reports Personnel Today. The Health and Work Service has observed the benefits this can have to both individuals and the economy and, as such, has introduced a scheme in which those who have been off sick for more than four weeks are assessed by an occupational physiotherapist to help identify underlying, and often treatable, chronic condtions. This works by:
• Using knowledge of movement and function to assess and diagnose conditions which may need further medical help,
• Adapting the workspace and work patterns to suit the physical needs of the employee, in order to help them perform their job in maximum comfort to the highest level of productivity,
• Using knowledge of body posture to make changes and adjustments; this reduces stress on the musculoskeletal system,
• Identifying regular patterns of movement that could potentially lead to chronic musculoskeletal conditions.
Some Interesting Facts
With so much to be gained from introducing corporate physiotherapy to your workers, it is surprising that many businesses still do not have these kind of resources available to staff. Some interesting facts regarding occupational physiotherapy include:
• 30% of sickness absence is due to a musculoskeletal condition which could have been treated by a physiotherapist,
• Staffordshire County Council’s recently introduced rapid-access physiotherapy service has resulted in 9,000 fewer sick days per year, a reduction of 12% in musculoskeletal conditions and a 300% return on investment,
• Evidence suggests a return of £4 for every £1 spent on occupational corporate physiotherapy.
The results speak for themselves, both financially and health-wise, and it is now more important than ever to make sure that underlying physical conditions are not stopping your employees and your business from reaching their full potential.
Kenny Butler find me on Google+.
15th August, 2014
