41% Absence Reduction At Stroud District Council | FirstCare

Overview

Being a proactive Local Authority, Stroud District Council was one of the earliest users of outsourced absence management services in the UK.

In 2011, following several years with a previous provider, the Council decided to explore the wider absence management market in search of a new solution to help manage and reduce absence.

FirstCare are proud to have been appointed as the successful provider of that solution and, since June 2011 have worked in partnership with our key contacts within the Council’s HR team to achieve the fantastic results illustrated in this case study.

These results have been achieved through a number of initiatives, including:

Promoting the increased utilisation of confidential counselling services amongst employees reporting stress, anxiety or circumstantial problem related absences.
Utilising FirstCare’s Dynamic Return to Work questionnaire forms for musculoskeletal absences, which have contributed to a signification reduction in the average length of absences of this kind.
Issuing line managers with real-time absence policy alerts and triggers, as well as recommendations for timely occupational health referrals.

Making available key absence metrics, such as Working Days lost due to sickness absence, Absence Reasons and Trends, to all service heads to both increase transparency concerning the levels of absence, and focus attention on the need to tackle problem areas.

Finally, FirstCare’s assigned Account Management Team meet with the Council’s HR team on a quarterly basis; to review absence trends and identify the best next steps in our continued efforts to help reduce absence as much as possible.

What the client said

“The FirstCare system provides confidential and professional medical support to our employees when reporting their absence, and gives line managers the tools to better manage sickness absence as a whole. This includes ‘real time’ reports and trend information, trigger alerts and the support of an individual Account Manager. SDC has worked with FirstCare since 2011 and have been very pleased with the service received from them, seeing a steady reduction in sickness days lost. The Council would be happy to recommend FirstCare.”

Carol Telling, HR Information Systems Manager

Results From FirstCare Service

41% Absence Reduction
Increased RTW interview compliance – 26% higher that the average for the council sector