The government has published a consultation paper ‘Health is everyone’s business: proposals to reduce ill health-related job loss’.

The consultation is at www.gov.uk/government/consultations/health-is-everyones-business-proposals-to-reduce-ill-health-related-job-loss and closes on 7th October 2019.

Proposals include among other things:

• reform of statutory sick pay (SSP), so as to allow for phased returns to work following sickness absence, and wider eligibility to include those on the lowest incomes;
• a ‘right to request’ work/workplace modifications even if not disabled, say after at least 4 weeks sickness absence. Enforcement rights would be somewhat limited, like the right to request flexible working rather than the EqA right to reasonable adjustments;
• OH reforms such as the government perhaps co-funding purchase of OH services by SMEs, and measures to encourage an increase in the numbers of doctors and nurses working in OH.

The August/September 2019 issue of Occupational Health [at Work] journal has an editorial on the consultation.