The relationship between work and health is a central focus of government policy. Physiotherapists play a vital role in preventing work-related illness, supporting recovery, and enabling people to remain in or return to employment. This page brings together key policy, guidance and professional resources relevant to physiotherapy practice.
Policy and Local initiatives should:
- Embed physiotherapy as a core enabler of workforce participation.
- Normalise physiotherapist-issued Fit Notes as a route to timely work retention.
- Ensure independent physiotherapy input into stay-in-work and return-to-work plans.
- Recommend increased employer access to occupational health services that include physiotherapy
Policy documents
- Keep Britain Working Sets strategic direction linking economic inactivity, disability, and health. Positions healthcare, including physiotherapy, as part of employment support and prevention of worklessness.
National guidance
- Academy of Medical Royal Colleges Consensus Statement for Action on Health and Work. Five principles for all healthcare professionals to engage with ‘good work as a health outcome’.
- DHSC The Role of Prevention and Understanding the Work and Health Needs of a Local Area How to undertake a health and work needs assessment in your area.
Clinical guidance
- NICE NG146 Workplace health: long-term sickness absence and capability to work. This guideline covers how to help people return to work after long-term sickness absence, reduce recurring sickness absence, and help prevent people moving from short-term to long-term sickness absence.
- Faculty of Occupational Medicine Health and Work Handbook provides guidance to primary care teams and occupational health professionals who work with patients of working age.
Clinical tools and fit notes
- Statutory Fit Notes For use by physiotherapists to determine suitability for work and to enable workers to access statutory sickness benefits. The Fit Note system will beundergoigmn reform in the coming months in response to the Keep Britain Working report.
- Fit Note training to establish competence to issue Fit Notes.
- AHP Work & Health Report Provides guidance to employees and employers on how a health condition affects work ability, and suggests adjustments or support to help individuals remain in or return to work. The AHP report cannot be used as medical evidence for the purpose of claiming social security benefits.
- AHP Work & Health Report training.
- Health Adjustment Passport This form can be used to support people to identify what help and changes are available to help them move into work or stay in a job
- Toolkit for assessing musculoskeletal disorders from The Health and Safety Executive
Professional networks
- Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Occupational Health and Ergonomics (ACPOHE) The CSP's recognised professional network in occupational health.
- PhysioFirst The CSP's recognised professional network for independent practitioners.
- Council for Work and Health brings together the bodies which represent these professions to provide an authoritative and representative ‘single voice’ on health and wellbeing
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