fit for work europe

About Fit for Work Europe

Fit for Work is an initiative based on groundbreaking studies, conducted across more than 30 countries in Europe and beyond, which examined the impact of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) on an individuals ability to work and, therefore, the impact on economies and society as a whole.

In 2007, The Work Foundation published UK research which demonstrated that improvements in early intervention, treatment and return to work practices could help people of working age, with even severe MSDs, stay in work. It found that there were often real health benefits associated with staying in, or returning to, work but that many employers, clinicians and even employees felt that temporary or permanent withdrawal from employment was the only option. In the UK, lost working time attributable to MSDs cost the economy £7 billion in 2007. The UK report, Fit for Work? Musculoskeletal Disorders and Labour Market Participation, gained the attention of policymakers and the media, and informed the evolution of Government thinking on the issue of early intervention, prompted a debate in the UK parliament and contributed to the initiation of a Government review of the costs and benefits of treatment and care for rheumatoid arthritis patients in the UK.

In order to extend the Fit for Work initiative, The Work Foundation received a research grant from Abbvie to extend the project into 30 countries in the EU and beyond. Using secondary data sources, interviews with national experts, and findings from the most recent clinical and economic literature, the Fit for Work studies strive to:

1. Examine early intervention practices across the European Union and beyond with respect to a number of MSDs (chronic low back pain, work-related upper limb disorders, rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthropathies).

2. Estimate the economic and social costs and benefits of early intervention and condition management, with specific reference to improvements in labour market participation.

3. Focus on, in more detail, early intervention, condition management and rehabilitation practices highlighting – and attempting to account for – international differences in both practice and outcome.

4. Produce an accessible report of findings which can be used to positively contribute to both policy and practice in the EU and national level, which can be disseminated through conference presentations and papers.

The Work Foundation’s research is presented in an ongoing series of individual country reports, together with the overview report for a European audience launched in Brussels.

The Fit for Work Coalition aims to impress upon relevant stakeholders - such as policy makers, healthcare profesionals and patients - the importance of early detection, preventation and management of MSDs in the workplace, to place MSDs on the priority list of policy makers, and to improve the clinical, employer and related approaches for managing MSDs.

On 30 September 2010, the Fit for Work Europe Coalition was launched in Brussels. The European Coalition is a multi-stakeholder pan-European platform that brings together diverse mix of stakeholders, aiming to impress upon policymakers and relevant stakeholders the importance of early detection, prevention and management of MSDs in the workplace, to place MSDs on the priority list of policy makers at EU and national level, and to improve the clinical, employer and related approaches for managing MSDs.

National governments have the most influence over health, labour and related social policies, and the European Coalition helps to facilitate National Coalition efforts to secure real and lasting improvements in public policy and healthcare practice. The ultimate aim of the EU level advocacy campaign is to build political pressure on countries from top down to move towards policies and guidelines that embrace early detection and appropriate intervention. Part of the strategy is therefore to develop and strengthen the links between National Coalitions and the EU-level Coalition, and to create reference points in EU official documents that can help the National level advocate more forcefully and, hopefully, to help create a favourable policy environment at National level. A favourable policy environment shaped at National level through the National Coalitions, in turn, helps to consolidate support at EU level.