Innovation for Health and Wealth: How innovation can help people return to work

Chair of the Health Innovation Network, Richard Stubbs, discusses how investing in the implementation of innovation can not only improve people’s health, but can also drive wealth and boost the economy.

Health and employment are deeply connected. Our economies rely on a healthy workforce, while stable jobs provide financial security and strong social connections. But in the UK, ill-health among the working-age population has increased over the past decade, with 2.8 million people out of work due to long-term illness. 

Employment status also strongly impacts health. Research from the Health Foundation shows that people in unemployment are more than five times as likely to report poor health than those in work, with unemployment consistently found to negatively impact mental health in particular.  

This creates a vicious cycle – poor health leaves people unable to work, and unemployment further deteriorates their mental and physical well-being, making them less likely to return to the workforce. 

The Government has made workforce health a priority as set out in the recent Pathways to Work Green Paper and Spring Statement. In line with the Government’s broader aim to shift the NHS from treatment to prevention, hospital to community and analogue to digital, health innovation has a vital role in breaking this cycle of ill health and unemployment.  

Cardiovascular and musculoskeletal conditions remain the most common work-limiting health conditions (1), while cancer and mental health carry 14% and 16% respective risks of causing people to leave the workforce (2). 

By investing in digital solutions and support models that address common health-related reasons for workforce departures, we can help more people recover from ill health, manage long-term conditions, and ultimately remain in, or return to, work. 

Improving support for musculoskeletal conditions 

Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, such as arthritis and back pain, affect over 20 million people in the UK and result in over 30 million working days lost annually, according to NHS England. 

The Apos® device, a NICE-recommended non-invasive medical device and treatment plan for patients with osteoarthritis and chronic knee pain, is being supported nationally through the MedTech Funding Mandate. Worn on the patient’s feet for up to one hour a day and combined with a personalised holistic treatment plan, it has been shown to help reduce pain and improve daily function – with patients reporting significant improvements in functional ability, quality of life and ability to work. Hear from patients supported by Health Innovation Manchester about how it’s changed their lives here.  

Similarly, Health Innovation West of England and Health Innovation Network South London have supported getUBetter, an evidence-based, CE-marked, digital self-management support platform for all common MSK conditions. By providing guided advice, exercises and support, patients gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to self-manage their condition. Services using the platform have shown 13% fewer MSK GP appointments, 50% fewer MSK prescriptions, 66% less urgent care attendance, and an evaluation demonstrated a potential cost saving of up to £1.96 million per year, per integrated care system using getUBetter with back pain alone. 

Preventing CVD  

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) affects around seven million people in the UK but is largely preventable, with several key risk factors addressed through lifestyle changes or medication, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, obesity, and a lack of physical activity. 

Early prevention and better management of CVD have the potential to improve population health and enable people to stay healthier for longer. Across England if 80% of people with diagnosed high blood pressure were on optimal treatment, over 17,000 heart attacks and strokes would be prevented in just three years with savings to the NHS of almost £200 million. And if 90% of people with CVD were treated with statins, over 9,000 heart attacks and strokes would be prevented in three years .(3).  

CVDACTION, developed by UCLPartners, is a smart data tool that makes it easy for GP teams to spot people at risk of CVD and optimise their treatment. CVDACTION was deployed across 10 Primary Care Networks (600,000 population). In a six-month snapshot, CVDACTION delivered a step change improvement in treatment. 1,785 patients with hypertension were newly treated to target – this will prevent around 18 heart attacks, 26 strokes in five years. And 426 patients with pre-existing CVD were newly started on essential lipid-lowering therapy – this can be expected to prevent 43 heart attacks and strokes in five years. Modelling for the Tony Blair Institute in 2024 showed that reducing incidence of heart attack and stroke by 20% would add £2.2 billion to the GDP in 5 years (4). 

Eight local health innovations networks have collaborated to support PocDoc®, a point of care device providing rapid testing for markers pointing to CVD. Using a health questionnaire and a finger-prick sample of blood added to a lateral flow device, the innovation provides a full cholesterol assessment in minutes. With the ability to be used within the community, it reduces the need for a GP appointment. Over a six month period PocDoc demonstrated that it could deliver 6,120 Healthy Heart Checks saving 10,000 hours of GP surgery time. It identified 1,021 people at high risk of cardiovascular disease and directed them onto treatment.     

Supporting mental health 

Insomnia affects one in ten adults, with 48% of adults stating that poor sleep has a negative effect on their mental health. Sleepio is a six-week digital programme scientifically proven to help overcome poor sleep. Based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and backed by extensive research evidence, the programme teaches users techniques and strategies to help them reset their sleeping patterns naturally, without relying on sleeping pills or other drugs. In a trial of more than 13,000 people, supported by Health Innovation Oxford and Thames Valley, the use of prescription medication and over-the-counter sleep aids fell by 56%, users were 21% less likely to be absent from work due to poor sleep, and they had a 70% reduction in anxiety symptoms.  

Anxiety disorder can be a debilitating condition for those who experience it. Data indicate that 40% of adults suffer from moderate to high levels of anxiety, while 20% of adults who visit their GPs annually for non-mental health issues often have episodes of anxiety disorder. 

Health Innovation Yorkshire and Humber are collaborating with Big Health to further test their app, Daylight, a digital therapeutic tool offering a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) structured programme through a dedicated app, enabling patients to access immediate support for managing worry and anxiety. The app empowers patients to take control of their recovery, employing science-based techniques to help them better understand their anxiety and develop new coping strategies in their daily life, and is currently being offered for free to patients and GP practices across South Yorkshire as part of an economic evaluation  

Tackling health-related barriers 

Beyond treating specific health conditions, better integration of health and employment support is key to helping more people stay in or return to work. 

Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex is supporting the scoping and evaluation of WorkWell, an employment support programme from the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health and Social Care. The pilot in Sussex, with partners at NHS Sussex, provides access to early-intervention work and health assessment services, with low-intensity holistic support for health-related barriers to employment. With a focus initially on support for people experiencing MSK and/or mental health conditions, it aims to improve lives and reduce health inequalities while supporting economic growth – read more about the project here. 

Health and Growth Accelerators across Yorkshire and the North East 

Supported by Health Innovation North East North Cumbria (HI NENC) and Health Innovation Yorkshire and Humber, NHS England have launched a £45 million world leading trial that will see the NHS create ‘Health and Growth Accelerators’ in South Yorkshire, North East and North Cumbria, and West Yorkshire – parts of the country most affected by economic inactivity driven by ill health. 

The accelerators will test the use of digital tools to primarily support mental health therapy sessions and musculoskeletal pain as well as cardiometabolic disease and wider prevention. To support these accelerators HI NENC is partnering with the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) to source innovations from across the country to support people living in the region to remain economically active. 

Health Innovation Yorkshire and Humber, in partnership with the NHS Confederation and Yorkshire Universities, have created a multi-year campaign and resource hub, YHealth4Growth, that encourages and facilitates the NHS to play a greater role in local economic activity in order to support healthier outcomes for citizens. More details on YHealth4Growth can be found here. 

Investing in health, creating growth 

At a time of economic challenges and uncertainty, investing in cost-effective, evidence-based health innovations can help stop the cycle of poor health and unemployment by breaking down the health-related barriers to work. By improving access to early intervention, personalised care, and timely support, we can help more people manage their conditions and enable them to return to work – improving their quality of life while also boosting the economy. 

We’re committed to helping healthcare systems across the country embrace innovation to improve lives, reduce health inequalities and deliver improved health outcomes.

Contact your local health innovation network to find out how our experts can provide the skills and experience to support you with the safe deployment of innovations. 

References

1. https://www.health.org.uk/reports-and-analysis/analysis/what-we-know-about-the-uk-s-working-age-health-challenge 
2. https://www.ippr.org/media-office/revealed-heart-disease-is-the-single-largest-factor-behind-people-leaving-the-workforce-due-to-ill-health 
3. https://uclpartners.com/project/size-of-the-prize-for-preventing-heart-attacks-and-strokes-at-scale/
4. https://institute.global/insights/economic-prosperity/the-macroeconomic-case-for-investing-in-preventative-health-care-UK