Fit for work service for Greater Manchester - MHIP

Fit for Work service for Greater Manchester

This week Mental Health News is running a series of stories on mental health and employment...........

A partnership between the NHS North West Health and Work and Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) teams, the Commission for the New Economy and Pathways Community Interest Companies (CIC) has been successful in securing £450K for the coming financial year to deliver case management to support individuals to return to work who are employed but on sickness absence.

The partnership worked to identify a suitable model to provide a service in all of the 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester. Pathways CIC currently offer case management support through IAPT and the successful bid allows this is to be expanded to include a broad range of referral routes, including physiotherapy and GPs. Along with mental health all physical conditions will be within the remit of the service to provide help to all those that may be a risk of loosing their job. Many individuals who suffer from long term illness and musculoskeletal disorders may also develop a secondary mental health condition whilst they are not working and this collaboration will allow a holistic approach to help manage and reduce the barriers of returning to work.

The partnership recognised that ability to return to work reduces significantly the longer a person is on sickness absence and timely case management will increase the likelihood of an individual returning to work. The Greater Manchester service will be able to provide 1500 return to work interventions through 2010/11, and will be evaluated alongside other pilots throughout the country.

Further information can be found on the Fit for Work Service pilots at http://www.workingforhealth.gov.uk
For further information on the Greater Manchester Fit For Work Service please
contact: yvonne.clarke@pathwayscic.co.uk