APPENDIX C
Ministerial Task Force for Health, Safety
and Productivity
BACKGROUND
Following the publication of the Government/HSC
"Revitalising" initiative in 2000 the HSC recognised
that the public sector (which accounts for 20% of the workforce)
needed to make a contribution, especially for days lost through
work related ill health. The programme aimed to achieve a 30%
reduction in the number of days lost to work related injury and
ill health in the public sector by 2010.
Recognising that top level commitment was a
key to success, in 2004, the then Minister For Work (Des Browne)
asked HSE to establish the Ministerial Task Force (MTF) to provide
the impetus to deliver reduced sickness absence. Membership includes
ministers from:
— HM Treasury, as a large employer
and given its interest in the efficiency and delivery agendas;
— The Cabinet Office, given its interest
civil service employment and delivery issues;
— The Home Office, ODPM and Department
of Health in view of their sponsorship of large public sector
operations such as the Police, local authorities and the NHS;
— Ministers from the Welsh Assembly
and the Scottish Parliament.
In the Spending Review 2004 announcement the
Chancellor asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
to undertake a review of the public sector's management of long
term sickness absence, and the Minister for the Cabinet Office
to "consult on, and negotiate changes to, the current arrangements
for self certification".
The MTF took this work forward and produced
a joint review of "Managing Sickness Absence in the Public
Sector" in November 2004 (accessible at http://www.hse.gov.uk/gse/sickness.pdf).
The review was well received by stakeholders as being balanced
and well thought through. It concluded that further action was
needed to:
— secure sustained commitment from
managers at the top level;
— deliver the right data and systems
to support better attendance management; and
— provide leadership and support for
line managers.
It proposed a series of pilots to explore innovative
approaches to some long standing issues, and actions to address
working practices and long term absence issues.
HSE provides the Ministerial Task Force secretariat,
and continues to follow up the implementation of the recommendations
of the review.
Lord Hunt, chairman of the MTF, regards stakeholder
engagement as a priority and the MTF agreed to a strategy for
stakeholder engagement across the public sector. One element of
this was a summit on sickness absence management in November 2005.
At the summit, The new Secretary of State for Work and Pensions,
John Hutton expressed his personal interest in, and support for,
the work of the MTF. He also stressed the important links between
this work and the Health, Work and Wellbeing agenda. Des Browne,
Chief Secretary to the Treasury, emphasised the Treasury's support
for the work of the MTF and welcomed its contribution to public
sector efficiency and productivity.
At the summit the MTF "One Year On"
report was launched (accessible at http://www.hse.gov.uk/gse/oneyearon.pdf),
the "One Year On" report refers to a number of initiatives
and, where possible, their direct impact on sickness absence.
It enables experiences to be shared across the public sector,
and demonstrates the improvements that can be made through partnership
working with HSE.
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