“The feeling of being accepted and contributing means so much. I don’t want handouts, I want to work. I accept I have what is classed as a hidden disability and know I have limitations, but I want to be appreciated for what I can do rather than what I cannot.” Aimee Wrate*, from the County Council’s Occupational Therapy Children’s Service.

The Director of Public Health highlights opportunities to support people into work and improve the health and wellbeing of the workforce in Nottinghamshire in his latest Public Health Annual Report approved by the Council’s Policy Committee.

The environments in which we grow, live, and work exert the greatest influence on how many of us get to enjoy good health and for how long. Good health is a resource for people, and is essential for a thriving society and economy. Research shows that there is a strong association between good work and good health. This begins with children and young people by supporting the best start in life as one of the strongest influences on life chances, including employment. For people who have been out of work, securing employment is linked to improved physical and mental health and improved self-esteem.

Recent data shows that 77.4% of all working age adults in Nottinghamshire were employed. However, the reality for people with disabilities and long-term conditions is significantly different. Employment for those with a long-term condition is estimated at 66.5% and only 2.8% of adults with a learning disability who are in contact with social care were in employment.
Another big focus of the report is around improving the health and wellbeing of staff across the county.

Figures show that each year absenteeism due to smoking-related illness alone results in about 139,800 days of lost productivity in Nottinghamshire and smoking breaks cost businesses £44.5m. Mental health is also significant, with figures showing that around 16% of the adult population of Nottinghamshire have experienced a Common Mental Disorder.

Nottinghamshire County Council is relaunching its Wellbeing at Work Scheme this year. This free accreditation scheme supports organisations of any size to promote information and advice about healthy living, such as stop smoking services, healthy eating and mental health support. Not only are healthy workplaces good for employees but evidence also shows that companies are more productive as a result. Jonathan Gribbin, Director of Public Health at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “We want to support businesses to promote health and wellbeing to their staff and one of the ways we are showing our commitment to this is through our free Wellbeing at Work Scheme which will be relaunched this year.

“We also want to work with partners to drive forward the changes we need to help employers to be more inclusive. This will build on the unanimous support for the recent Full Council motion to consider what more the County Council can do to transform employment prospects for people with disabilities and health conditions. “Being in work can have a strong positive influence on health.

People are less likely to be isolated and will also benefit from having an income, a core role, an identity and purpose. It can also lead to better productivity and economic growth which can benefit everyone in Nottinghamshire.” The Annual Report sets out a partnership approach to tackle issues around access to employment and maintaining a healthy workforce such as:

• Improving the work readiness, ambition and aspiration of young people by engaging with businesses and further and higher education via Enterprise Coordinators in schools.

• Working with employers to develop traineeships for care leavers.

• Re-launching the County Council’s Wellbeing at Work Scheme to improve the health and wellbeing and productivity of the local workforce.

• More analysis work to identify which groups face specific health-related barriers to employment and would benefit from support.

• Setting up a partnership group to prioritise future investment based on need amongst key groups, the evidence of what works and gaps in current delivery across the whole life course and for people who are furthest from the workforce.

• Nottinghamshire County Council, as part of their work towards Disability Confident Leader status, collating and sharing best practice on inclusive employment and health for Nottinghamshire employers.

Producing a report about the local population’s health is one of the Director of Public Health’s annual duties. It offers an opportunity to look at how organisations can work together to improve health in communities.

The report can be accessed on the Nottinghamshire County Council Website here at https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/care/health-and-wellbeing/health-and-wellbeing-board/report. *Aimee Wrate has a serious genetic condition called Galactoscemia which affects her speech and learning abilities.