Ministerial Task Force for Health, Safety and Productivity

Objective

The objective of the Task Force is to ensure that ministerial and management effort is devoted to securing culture change in the management of sickness absence in the civil service and wider public sector.

Terms of Reference

• to ensure that the government's departments and agencies have in place plans to reduce sickness absence rates;
• to inform and deliver the 'Review of the Public Sectors management of long-term sickness absence';
• to develop new approaches to managing health and safety issues in ways that deliver sustainable improvements by focusing on the prevention of work related sickness absence and getting people back to work sooner;
• to ensure that best practice in managing health and safety and sickness absence is shared across all departments and the wider public sector;
• to monitor progress and ensure that improvements are achieved, sustained and disseminated.

Short Term Purpose

To deliver the Chancellor's review of the public sector's management of long-term sickness absence and to report to the Chancellor in the autumn. The scope of the wide-ranging review will include, but not be limited to:

• the relative cost to the public sector of long-term absences;
• trends in the level and causes of long-term absence;
• good practice from across the public and private sectors, including contact with line managers, HR and occupational health professionals and management of the return to work; and,
• the scope for piloting innovative approaches across the public sector, including incentives for good attendance.

Long Term Role of the Task Force

• agree the overall target for reductions in sickness absence rates for the public sector and the contribution individual departments will make;
• make recommendations to ensure that targets are achieved and that improvements are sustained;
• agree arrangements for sharing best practice;
• consider what more can be done on prevention and getting absent employees back into work.

The Task Force should will also consider how to use the Government's 'exemplary performance' and purchasing power to influence private sector employers to contribute to the Revitalising targets and thus improve productivity and competitiveness in the UK.