Debt solutions news: Resolving long-term sickness could reduce debt worries

07/01/2010

Helping employees on long-term sickness leave return to work could help them manage their debt.

Guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) suggested that employers make an extra effort to give employees the support needed to return to the workplace.

Recommendations include simple ideas, such as ensuring the person off sick remains in regular contact with staff.

More significant options were also discussed, including the use of specialists and a 'return-to-work' plan.

Professor Mike Kelly, public health excellence centre director at NICE, warned of the costs of long-term leave to the employee and Britain as a whole.

He said: "Long-term sickness absence and incapacity for work is a massive issue and around 175 million working days are lost in Britain each year due to sickness absence; the associated cost of this is reaching £100 billion - more than the annual NHS budget."

With more than 13.7 million working days lost to work-related mental health conditions alone, getting people back to work could be a big help in managing their debt.

Tags; Debt Management and Banking,

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