Explore in more detail the benefits our Occupational Physiotherapy service can provide.
Explore in more detail the benefits our Occupational Physiotherapy service can provide.
With 3,000 employees across their UK sites, Polypipe Group is one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of piping systems, water and climate management systems. As is becoming commonplace amongst most workplaces, there is an ageing workforce who can carry out a wide range of manual handling and physical tasks. Therefore this can mean a higher incidence of MSD’s in the workplace, which Polypipe acknowledged needed support.
In August 2020, Back in Action UK were commissioned to conduct a 6-month on-site physiotherapy pilot at Polypipe’s Doncaster site, focusing on:
While the impact of absenteeism is relatively easy to quantify, presenteeism (or the phenomenon of staff working while ‘ill’ and therefore having decreased productivity) is a little trickier. Presenteeism is an issue that has an impact on colleagues who are forced to make up for lost productivity and is a burden on key stakeholders such as direct colleagues, HR, operations, and finance. Implementing a service that is designed from the ground-up to tackle this was key to Polypipe and is an essential part of Back in Action UK’s offering.
The pilot consisted of a weekly on-site clinic conducted by one of Back in Action UK’s Senior Occupational Health Physiotherapists. Polypipe were given customer-specific access to Back in Action UK’s bespoke practice and diary management system, which allowed their Occupational Health team to refer and book employees directly into their on-site clinic diaries.
Having access to a secure management system ensures direct endpoint communications and eliminates unnecessary proliferation of personal data. Another fantastic feature of using the practice management system is that it allows us to record specific data regarding each employee’s injury, department, shift pattern and other customer-specific information, which guarantees pertinent information is included in management reporting. This data allows us to see trends and the potential need for proactive action.
Over the course of the 6-month pilot, 99.1% of all available appointments were utilised, demonstrating high engagement and that the service had the confidence of managers and employees.
Of all employees referred, 54% were treated and discharged after completing their course of physio and returning to sufficient recovery levels. 85% of all employees returned to full duties at work and reported at least a 75% minimum improvement in their physical symptoms.
This has numerous benefits to not only the employee themselves but to the whole business.
Based on the discharged employees alone, Back in Action UK were able to demonstrate a 279-day reduction in MSD related sick days. To quantify this, we use ‘predicted days of disability’. This is an evidence-based tool that relates to the prognosis for specific injuries, a prediction of the number of days of disability due to MSD, and if the condition should be treated at all.
Watch Leanne Sims, Assembly Manager, talk about her experience of working with us.
Saving 279 sick days over a 6-month period is going to have a big financial benefit to any business. As we are unable to publish specific financial data for Polypipe, we have demonstrated below the representative financial savings associated with the pilot, using National Minimum Wage.
Assuming all employees’ earnings align with national minimum wage and they do not receive an enhancement on statutory sick pay, we can show a saving of £21,472 in just 6 months, which demonstrates at least a 2.5-fold return on investment for Polypipe.
Following a successful 6-month pilot that delivered benefits for all facets of the business, Polypipe has confirmed a wider, multi-site roll-out of Back in Action UK’s services across the group and Back in Action UK are looking forward to benefitting more of their employees on a wider scale. We now offer Occupational Physiotherapy services at 5 different Polypipe sites around the UK and are continuing to expand.
The benefits of having this was measured in a demonstrable reduction in MSK absence and an increase in engagement. I could not recommend the service highly enough for any business looking to invest in such a service, well worth any money spent!
Suzanne Bishop
Group Occupational Health and Wellbeing | Polypipe
