12 June 2007
On Friday 15 June Professor Mansel Aylward will be speaking to doctors and health care professionals about the positive effect of work on health and wellbeing. He will also be talking about the factors, other than strictly medical, which may cause a person to become workless.
Professor Aylward and his colleague Dr Roger Thomas have been advising the Social Security Department of ways of assessing disablement for the new Income Support system due to be implemented in January 2008, based on functional ability.
"Work is good for us", Professor Aylward advises, "Not only is it the best way out of poverty, but it has positive health and social consequences. Being out of work may be considered one of the major public health challenges in Western society; it carries the same health risk as a heavy smoker and is as dangerous as many high risk occupations".
He adds," 80% of people who have been out of work for six months or more will never return to work so early intervention is important: many common health problems can be then managed so that long term incapacity is not inevitable. I would encourage doctors to consider a return to work, whenever possible, as one of the main treatment goals’.
Senator Paul Routier, Social Security Minister, commented, "The States recently set out a Social Policy Framework for Jersey which includes the principle of promoting independence. Work has proved to be, not just the best way to help someone out of poverty, but important for the social structure of our lives.
Senator Routier continued, "Income Support will be a significant change to our benefit system, so where someone has an ongoing health problem or disability it is important that my Department, together with doctors, health care professionals and employers work closely together to help that individual remain in work or return to work at the earliest time possible".
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