Musculoskeletal health of NHS healthcare workers
We offered health checks to currently-working NHS staff members to describe the uptake of these services, and to measure the occurrence of self-reported lower back pain
The health and wellbeing of NHS staff was brought into sharp focus by the 2009 Boorman report (NHS Health and Well-being). The NHS is one of Europe’s largest employers with over 1 million staff and yet their health has been found to be poorer than that expected causing high rates of sickness absence and diminished productivity at the cost of poorer patient care.
Background to this research
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust successfully bid for monies from the NHS Chief Medical Officer’s funds for staff healthcare. Amongst a range of other initiatives, an enhanced health check was offered on-site for all staff members.
Aims
We wanted to offer these health checks in order to be able to describe attendance at health checks by NHS employees, and to measure self-reported low back pain in currently-working NHS staff.
What has the study found so far?
10% of hospital staff (over 1100 people) took up the option to attend an on-site NHS health check.
Those attending were 80% female, with a mean age of over 50 years and represented the whole spectrum of hospital staff including nurses, doctors and support staff (clinical and non-clinical).
In total, over half (53.8%) of staff who attended health checks reported low back pain, amongst whom 18% reported pain lasting for more than 6 weeks where they had received treatment for this, and 19.3% reported pain lasting more than 6 weeks where they had not received any treatment.
Reporting of a lack of leisure time physical activity was found to be the major risk factor in those reporting low back pain.
Study team
Chief investigator
Professor Karen Walker-Bone (Monash University)
Co-investigators
Dr Julia Smedley (University of Southampton)
Stefania D’Angelo (University of Southampton)
Georgia Ntani (University of Southampton)
Associated research staff
Professor Lisa Roberts (University of Southampton)
Centre institutions
Further information
For any queries related to this work, please contact kwb@mrc.soton.ac.uk