The Scottish Government has priorities to address:
- our economic inactivity
- the cost of living crisis
- increasing health inequalities across our population
Public Health Scotland (PHS_ and our Directors of Public health, are keen to offer support by providing fairer and healthier work in areas where employees need the most help to access and stay in work and improve their health.
Local Health Boards offer support to employers in making the health and wellbeing of their workers a priority with a focus on:
- access to good quality, fair work, where workplaces are free from risks to health and conditions support an individual’s ability to work
- retention in work, to support staff at risk of exiting employment for health reasons by offering the support they need to remain in work
- progression through work, by supporting employer awareness of and access to learning and skills development for employees
- preventing absenteeism, supporting employers to have processes in place to address the key reasons for absence from work, such as
- mental health
- musculoskeletal disorders
You can access the following Healthy Working Lives (HWL) support online and through local Health Board teams:
- health improvement information is available online and through local Health Board teams to support your work to improve staff health
- local HWL teams can be contacted through your local Health Board
- online information on improving health, safety and wellbeing, covering topics such as:
- support for workers with health conditions, Working Health Services Scotland (WHSS) provides free and confidential advice and health support for people who are:
- self-employed
- working in companies with 250 or less employees
- referrals for WHSS can be made by an individual, an employer, a GP or a health professional
- online training courses on wellbeing, safety and health are available through the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) platform
- face to face training courses for Health Board lead training courses
- the information and resources on this website will be maintained and updated to ensure that the information is correct