A NEW service which helps ambulance workers get back to work after suffering back and shoulder injuries has been successfully trialled in the North East.

Musculoskeletal disorders – known as MSDs – are an occupational hazard for British ambulance staff due to the amount of lifting involved with the job. With MSDs being one of the main causes of work-related absence, North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) was keen to minimise their impact on the service.

After investigating the options available, NEAS launched a pilot scheme with Physio Med, one of the UK’s leading physiotherapy solution providers to speed up employees’ access to treatment.

It provided NEAS with access to its managed network of senior chartered physiotherapists, helping ambulance service workers reduce their pain levels, return to work more quickly and increase productivity.

Most employees received an appointment within 24 hours and within seven months, NEAS saw a significant reduction in long-term sickness absence due to MSD, saving potentially hundreds of lost working days.

A total of 83 per cent of employees who were off sick when referred have returned to work and there was a 42 per cent rise in productivity in those that received treatment.

Elma Alexander, head of human resources at NEAS, said: “Our operational staff do a very physically demanding job and as a result we have a high level of reported musculoskeletal injuries causing staff to be absent from work.

“The demand meant that employees were waiting for up to three weeks for an appointment with our in-house physiotherapist, which clearly impacted on our service.

Working with Physio Med gave our employees much faster access to physiotherapy treatment which in turn has seen us vastly improve our levels of long-term sickness absence.”

The pilot first focused on the South of Tyne region, before being rolled out to 500 employees.

Over seven months, 86 cases were referred to Physio Med by NEAS, with 77 per cent work related or work aggravated conditions.

Sixty-six per cent of the injuries or conditions related to lower or middle back pain and a further nine per cent reported shoulder injuries.