Evaluation of Workplace Health Connect

February 2010 - Final Report

HSE commissioned an independent evaluation of Workplace Health Connect (WHC) which aimed to measure the overall impact of the pilot, in terms of customer-related outcomes:

The change in the number of cases of ill-health caused, or made worse, by work
The change in the number of injuries in the workplace
Any other benefits of workplace health support for employers, such as improved risk control, reduced number of days lost, improved absence management, etc.
Any wider benefits of workplace health and safety support, such as the impact on government funded services, including the NHS and benefit system.

Other issues were to be considered as part of the pilot review. The pilot would provide:

improvements and interaction with the WHC team
An analysis of the marketing techniques used, to assess effectiveness,
Details of lessons learned about interacting with SMEs on this subject,
Recommendations on the appropriateness of rolling out the pilot

Findings of the report

There remains a major challenge in connecting with SMEs on the topic of workplace health. Their primary concerns are related to meeting the legal requirements in relation to health and safety and their uptake for a health only service appears to be low.
WHC met its targets for the visit service, but the adviceline received fewer calls than anticipated. Users preferred to take up the offer of face to face support. Overall, however, demand for support with health issues was low.
There is no evidence that taking part in WHC had a direct measurable effect on rates of sickness absence. There was, however, evidence that involvement with WHC did lead to improvements in a range of health and safety practices. These in turn were linked to a reduction in accident rates.
The costs of the service, when the costs incurred by employers are included in the calculation, outweighed the pilot's measurable benefits.
The advice and guidance provided was well received by a large number of SMEs.
The pilot demonstrated the importance of marketing in reaching SMEs, both in terms of messages and mode of delivery.
It demonstrated the benefits of using local and regional networks and partners to deliver the direct service.
The pilot established a commonality about the health and safety issues in SMEs, and that these are generally at a relatively basic level.
It also identified that existing sources of information and advice existed and benefit could be gained by helping employers navigate their own way towards a workable appropriate solution using these sources.

There are also some additional clear messages about engaging with SMEs. These include:

Internet-based advertising was a good way to connect with those actively looking for help.
A variety of marketing approaches are necessary to successfully target SMEs especially to attract employers who have not already identified any support needs.
There are a range of existing sources of information and advice which SMEs could be encouraged to more fully utilise (e.g. HSE website).
Most SMEs do not see themselves as having a sickness absence problem and do not engage simply because there are potential savings in this area.
Targeting should be based on topics which tap into their concerns, such as helping them find low cost, context specific approaches that directly meet their business needs and have other benefits (e.g. productivity, staff morale).