0845 609 6006 workplacehealthconnect.co.uk

1. 0845 609 6006 www.workplacehealthconnect.co.uk

2. WORKPLACE HEALTH CONNECT SPEAKER: Jim Neilson Workplace Health Connect Project Manager Jim.neilson@hse.gsi.gov.uk

3. WHY I’M HERE • To help you to understand the principles • Summarise the service we are delivering • Highlight how we are getting on • Suggest the policy implications of what we have learnt

4. WHAT IS THE THINKING BEHIND WORKPLACE HEALTH CONNECT • Develop a service that is distant from enforcing authorities • Build on HSE’s good reputation • Provide free advice and support to SMEs • Focus on workplace health • Give priority to achieving knowledge and skills transfer • Evaluate to demonstrate that the approach works

5. TARGET CLIENTS SMEs who: • Do not have access to occupational health support • With more than 5 employees and less than 250

6. Workplace Health Connect in action: Advice and Information At Employer Request Specialist Support Audience Pathfinder Problem Solving Service Specific workplace advice Risk assessment Advice on ‘best practice’ solutions Absence management advice Signposting to specialist support Approved Specialist Support Physiotherapists, Ergonomists, Ventilation engineers, Occupational health physician, Occupational health nurse etc. Adviceline Employers Workers Adviceline

7. SUCCESSES TO DATE • Number of interventions on target • 2700 small firms visited, impacting on over 55,000 employees • High level of satisfaction exhibited by customers • Advisors are seen as professional and knowledgeable • Service is seen as seamless despite the large number of providers

8. High Level Policy Issues • Learning from Constructing Better health, Better health at Work (Kirklees) and other initiatives • Meshing with and learning from Healthy Working Lives (Scotland) • HSE clarifying its SME approach • Becoming more user focused (e.g. single point of entry into HSE’s services) • Consider options to use HSE infrastructure to cost effectively deliver other support to SMEs

9. Policy Implications • It is possible to use a range of contractors/partners to deliver a seamless regional service to SMEs • Use of the service is market driven. Regular messages are essential to engage smaller businesses • You can target the most vulnerable • Customers are those who want, and recognise the need for, help. Different approaches are needed for others • It may be possible to maximise the impact of an intervention by using incentives

10. Further Policy Implications • Most users are beginners, with no knowledge and skills, some are improvers • Quality tailored support, focused at the customers perceived needs, generates high satisfaction levels • Once you have engaged customers and address their needs, you can then focus on Government priorities • There is a need to get smaller businesses up to speed on the basics first before asking them to tackle challenging issues

11. Further Policy Implications • It appears that if you offer a range of support gateways, face-to-face is preferred • Cost effective face-to-face approaches, that have the potential to change the behaviour of smaller businesses, can be developed • It is possible to pass knowledge and skills onto smaller businesses so that they can do things for themselves