Early intervention is key to helping people back to work, says Canada Life

Canada Life has welcomed the latest findings from the Mayfield Review’s Keep Britain Working Discovery analysis, emphasising the importance of preventative healthcare and early intervention in keeping people in work.

Dan Crook, managing director of Group Protection at Canada Life, expressed strong support for the review’s focus on health and employment.

He said: “Sir Charlie Mayfield is right to suggest preventative healthcare and early intervention are good for helping people to stay in and get back to work after ill-health.

“That this is a key focus of the Keep Britain Working review is very welcome news.”

The review highlighted that 8.7 million people in the UK are living with work-limiting health conditions, equating to one in five working-age individuals.

Notably, 60% of those affected are aged 18 to 34 and 50 to 64, prompting a call for greater ambition in supporting workplace health and wellbeing.

“Fresh thinking is clearly needed if we’re to help people enjoy work for longer,” Crook added.

“That 60% of these people are aged 18 to 34 and 50 to 64, which is still very much the prime of life, suggests we need stronger ambitions for the health and wellbeing of employed people.”

Crook underscored the significant role that prevention initiatives and employer support play in maintaining workforce productivity.

Drawing from industry experience, he emphasised that timely intervention positively impacts employees’ recovery and engagement.

Crook added: “The group protection industry’s lived experience is that the sooner we intervene with insured employees who are absent through ill-health, the more the employee feels supported and engaged with their recovery.

“Sickness absence, presenteeism, and loss of productivity harms everyone in the long run.”

With the Mayfield Review estimating an annual £150bn loss in output due to working-age ill-health, Crook urged employers and industry experts to contribute their insights on workplace rehabilitation and wellbeing services.

He said: “It’s vital employers and experts share with the Mayfield Review what we know about the benefits of employer-based rehabilitation and the value of employer-provided wellbeing support services if we are to help reduce the £150bn a year in lost output through working-age ill-health that Mayfield says is shouldered by employers.”