Issue - meetings

This report outlines a number of health and wellbeing initiatives being introduced in Neighbourhood Services (NS) to tackle absence proactively. 

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised to welcome the proposed improvements to staff care and well-being and support the varying projects

Decision of the Executive Member:

RESOLVED:             That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:                  To inform Members of initiatives being taken in Neighbourhood Services to further reduce staff absence levels.

Members received a report outlining a number of health and wellbeing initiatives being introduced in Neighbourhood Services to tackle absence proactively. The initiatives had been developed with colleagues in Occupational Health and Human Resources and focussed on the directorate’s Civil Engineering department, although a number of the initiatives would potentially benefit all staff across the directorate.

The Performance Manager reported that although sickness absences had been reducing steadily across the directorate, absence levels in Neighbourhood Services were still higher than in other directorates. It was  acknowledged that this was in part due to the nature of the work which lead to a number of Musculo-Skeletal Disorder (MSD) absences, especially across the Civil Engineering Department. He reported that a Safer Lifting Coordinator worked in those departments where there was an issue and all staff received training in lifting. Furthermore new lifting technology such as flag lifters meant that there was less chance of injury through manual lifting of heavy and awkward objects.

Members welcomed the report and congratulated the directorate on the positive direction they were taking to reduce sickness.

Members asked if the initiative to refer members of staff to an Osteopath/Physiotherapist who call in sick with a MSD absence had commenced and if so whether it was possible to obtain figures on the number of referrals to date. Officers advised that the initiative had only started at the beginning of October but that they would provide Members with these figures.¹

 Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised to welcome the proposed improvements to staff care and well-being and support the varying projects

Decision of the Executive Member:

RESOLVED:             That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:                  To inform Members of initiatives being taken in Neighbourhood Services to further reduce staff absence levels.