Open AccessThe EASY (Early Access to Support for You) sickness absence service: a four-year evaluation of the impact on absenteeism
Author(s) -
Judith Brown,
Daniel Mackay,
Evangelia Demou,
Joyce Craig,
John Frank,
Ewan Macdonald
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of work, environment and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1795-990X
pISSN - 0355-3140
DOI - 10.5271/sjweh.3480
Subject(s) - absenteeism , medicine , service (business) , intervention (counseling) , sick leave , referral , attendance , duration (music) , medical emergency , family medicine , nursing , business , physical therapy , psychology , social psychology , art , literature , marketing , economic growth , economics
In May 2008, the National Health Service (NHS) Lanarkshire (NHSL) implemented a unique telephone-based sickness absence management service entitled "EASY" (Early Access to Support for You). The EASY service supplements existing absence policies and enables telephone communication between the absentee, their line manager, and the EASY service from the first day of absence and referral to occupational health services at day ten. The aim of this study was to determine if the EASY service was effective between May 2008 and May 2012 in reducing sickness absence in NHSL compared to normal occupational healthcare in NHS Scotland and is, as such, a cost-saving intervention.