Case Study: York Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust cuts sickness absence and saves millions with NHS Employers

York Teaching Hospital Foundation Trust - Customer Case Study

The customer, York Teaching Hospital Foundation Trust, faced the significant challenge of needing to make substantial financial savings of £33 million over three years, with an immediate goal of saving £12.2 million in the first year. A major component of this challenge was the high cost of staff sickness absence, which was costing the trust approximately £8,800 per day. To address this, they partnered with NHS Employers to implement a comprehensive health and wellbeing initiative.

The solution from NHS Employers was a multi-faceted project involving a primary investment in new HR and occupational health posts to proactively manage sickness. This included dedicated advisers, increased counselling and physiotherapy capacity, and initiatives like the subsidized Global Corporate Challenge to improve staff fitness. The results were highly successful, with a 32% reduction in sickness absence over three years, equivalent to having 57 more full-time staff at work. This generated estimated savings of £5.58 million, far exceeding the initial investment and helping the trust meet its stringent efficiency targets.

York Teaching Hospital Foundation Trust

Alan Rose

Chairman