The NIHR Work and Health Research Programme has awarded £1.5 million in funding to 13 development award projects to support health in working people.
There are around 13.7 million working-age people in the UK with a long-term health condition. This includes 8.3 million disabled people whose condition reduces their ability to carry out day-to-day activities.
The funding marks the beginning of a substantial investment to boost work and health research within the UK. It will find better ways to support working age people to remain in, return to, and leave work healthier and happier.
The University of Aberdeen Epidemiology Group is involved in two of the projects receiving funding.
Musculoskeletal conditions like back pain or arthritis are amongst the most common causes in the UK of people being off work due to illness or stopping work altogether. Evidence exists which shows how people with these conditions can be better supported to stay in work, however, often this evidence is not effectively translated into policies and programmes which lead to real-world benefits.
Led by the University of Aberdeen, the Centre for Musculoskeletal Health and Work (CMHW) project will explore how recently completed research might lead to important changes in workplace and healthcare practice.
A research collaboration between eight universities across the UK, the CMHW is funded by the Medical Research Council and the charity Versus Arthritis.
Professor Gary Macfarlane, Head of the Epidemiology Group, said: “CMHW’s research programme is focused on supporting patients with musculoskeletal conditions, their employers and healthcare professionals to enable them to stay in work as long as they wish to do so.
“Our plan will bring together patients, policy makers, clinicians, charities and employers with experts in translating research into programmes, guidelines and policies, to decide which studies have the greatest potential to have the most impact.”
The group is also partnering with Keele University and King’s College London on research looking at developing a National Centre for Working Age Health.
Many more people are reporting long-term absence from work due to sickness, with the biggest rise in the younger age groups. Once people are on long-term sickness absence, they risk not being able to get back to work.
This research will examine the support to work that is needed throughout a person’s life.