Launch
Crawford Healthcare has joined forces with injury management specialist IPRS to launch an absence management firm.
The joint initiative offers a new range of services to help employers manage the growing issue of sickness and injury absence in the workplace and ensure a speedy return of staff after a period of absence.
The services include full absence case management, rehabilitation assessments, career counselling and return to work programmes. It also provides independent examinations and delivery of treatment plans and related medical services.
"On any one day, 2% to 3% of the working-age population is off sick, and a quarter of all GP consultations relate to work-related sickness," said Nancy Hempstead, UK healthcare manager at Crawford Healthcare's parent firm, Crawford & Company.
"This pioneering range of services will offer companies a complete package to tackle the growing issue of sickness and injury absence," she added.
Crawford Healthcare said there is increasing evidence that early intervention could help combat long-term work absence.
Each week, one million people are off work due to sickness or injury. After a six-month absence, only one in two employees are likely to return to work, dropping to one in four after a 12-month absence.
