Case Study: Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust reduces sickness absence with NHS Employers

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust - Customer Case Study

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust faced high sickness absence rates, costing approximately £10 million annually and impacting patient care, with 80% of absences related to musculoskeletal and psychological issues. NHS Employers supported the trust in implementing a revised health and wellbeing strategy, which included a new case management approach to better coordinate existing support services and reduce absenteeism.

The solution focused on appointing a dedicated case manager to coach managers and centrally coordinate support, alongside introducing fast-track access to counseling and physiotherapy. As a result, with NHS Employers' framework, the trust saw measurable reductions in sickness absence across divisions from April 2010 to January 2012, such as in the Women’s & Children’s division where rates fell from 5.36% to 3.64%, alongside a 30% increase in enquiries to the Occupational Health and Wellbeing team.

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust