P14

P14

THE CO-MANAGE PROJECT: SUPPORTING INDIVIDUALS WITH LONG-TERM CONDITIONS AND DISABILITIES TO SELF-MANAGE THEIR HEALTH AT WORK

D. W. Maidment¹, J. Ballard², H. Barrow³, S. Bartys⁴, K. Burton⁴, C. Edwardson⁵, S. Hemming⁶, S. Marwaha⁷, F. Munir¹, K. Nielsen⁸, L. Shemtob⁹, J. Yarker¹⁰

¹Loughborough University, UK

²At Work Partnership, London, UK

³Lipreading.me.uk, Nottingham, UK

⁴University of Huddersfield, UK

⁵University of Leicester, UK

⁶Ernst & Young, London, UK

⁷University of Birmingham, UK

⁸University of Sheffield, UK

⁹Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK

¹⁰Affinity Health at Work, London, UK

Background

In the UK, it is estimated that 12.8 million people of working age have at least one long-term condition or disability [1], which can limit people’s ability to work and costs the economy around £100bn per year [2]. Existing research shows that workers with long-term conditions and disabilities can struggle to self-manage their symptoms at work [3-5]. Poor self-management can lead to increased job stress, dissatisfaction, turnover, and long-term work disability.

Methods

Co-Manage, funded by the NIHR, is a 10-month project that commenced in October 2023 and involves collaborating with employers, health professionals, and workers to understand the potential obstacles and solutions to self-managing a long-term condition or disability at work.

Results

Preliminary results from several workshops involving over 60 stakeholders have identified potential workplace-based solutions that could be implemented to support people with long-term conditions and disabilities to effectively self-manage their health at work. These include addressing stigma, work demands, and lack of knowledge from employers. In addition, we are currently completing a rapid review of the effectiveness of existing research assessing the effectiveness of workplace self-management interventions, as well as a Delphi review to gather expert consensus on how best to support self-management in the workplace.

 

Implications for policy or practice

The findings from the Co-Manage project will inform the development of new interventions/solutions to support workers with long-term conditions and disabilities to actively self-manage their health. This is integral to the NHS’s Long-term Plan, outlined in Government policy for employers, and advocated by professional bodies.

References:

1. Public Health England. Health matters: health and work. Accessed 21 April 2023, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-matters-health-and-work.
2. Department for Work and Pensions & Department of Health. Improving lives: the future of work, health and disability. 2017. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/improving-lives-the-future-of-work-health-and-disability.
3. Hemming S. Do workers with long-term health conditions need self-management support at work? Loughborough University; 2020. https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/thesis/Do_workers_with_long-term_health_conditions_need_self-management_support_at_work_/13325912.
4. Hemming S, McDermott H, Munir F, Burton K. Employer perspectives concerning the self-management support needs of workers with long-term health conditions. International Journal of Workplace Health Management. 2021;14(4):440-458. doi:10.1108/IJWHM-02-2021-0030.
5. Hemming S, Munir F. Using the patient activation measure to examine the self-management support needs of a population of UK workers with long-term health conditions. Chronic Illness. 2022;18(3):702-707. doi:10.1177/17423953211043492.