Ref: PR2875
Date: 19/01/2011

Dame Carol Black, National Director for Health and Work, visited Wakefield Council to promote the pilot programme, Fit for Work, which was launched in the district in April last year.

Dame Carol, who came to Wakefield last Friday (14th January), recently wrote a report on how to improve the health of those in work and reduce the number of people taking time off sick.

The Fit for Work programme is a part of the national Health Work and Wellbeing Programme announced by the Government in response to Dame Carol Black’s report. It aims to support people who are off work sick and help them get healthy and back to work as quickly as possible.

One of the report’s recommendations was the new fit note system which replaces sick notes and allows doctors to refer their patients to Fit for Work services.

The programme is co-ordinated by Wakefield’s Together Partnership which includes Wakefield Council, NHS Wakefield District, Wakefield District Housing and Job Centre Plus.

Dame Carol Black was introduced to those involved in delivering the project and met with local GPs to discuss the benefits of the programme and encourage them to refer individuals to Fit for Work services when issuing fit notes.

Cllr Maureen Cummings, Wakefield Council’s cabinet member for health, said: “Dame Carol Black’s visit has been great in reinforcing the importance of Fit for Work.

“This is a great programme which will benefit a lot of people through helping employers offer more support to sick employees and encouraging doctors to refer patients to the available help services.

“These are tough times and it is more important than ever that people are supported in staying at work and that doctors and employers do all they can to help sick people.”

NHS Wakefield District’s Director of Corporate Services, Gill Galdins said: “We were pleased to welcome Dame Carol Black to the district. It was an opportunity to show her how the Fit for Work programme is supporting individuals to either stay in employment or return to work despite their health problems and how that in turn is helping to support good health, raise aspirations and improve prospects.

“In the long term this will help us to reduce health inequalities in the district. In this tough economic climate this is more important than ever.” important than ever.”

Fit for Work is free to anyone in employment who is registered with a GP surgery in the Wakefield district. Further information and advice is available by calling the Fit for Work helpline on 0800 023 4665.

ENDS