University Hospitals of Leicester research recommends the establishment of a Workperson’s Compensation Act that could save the NHS more than £2.9 million a year.
Surgeons are calling for the government to consider mandating a compensation act that has the potential to save the NHS more than £2.9 million a year.
At the winter scientific meeting of industry body the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS), researchers from the University Hospitals of Leicester published the financial impact of workplace-related hand injuries.
The study – Does the UK need a Workperson’s Compensation Act? – analysed workplace-related hand injuries treated at Leicester’s emergency department between 2015 and 2020.
It found that the cost to the NHS Trust for treating these injuries ranged from £48,427 to £57,897 a year. With 50 plastic surgery units across the UK and Ireland, the national cost for workplace-related hand injuries could be as high as £2.9 million a year, it found.
The final financial impact is likely to be much higher, as the data was limited due to other departments treating patients under different codes in their systems. Furthermore, data relates only to hand-related workplace injuries.
The study compared the UK’s approach to that of India’s Employee’s Compensation Act 2010 and South Africa’s Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Amendment 2022. Both countries have enacted systems where employers are required to insure against workplace injuries, providing coverage for medical treatment and disability costs.
The researchers recommend the establishment of a Workperson’s Compensation Act, similar to models in India and South Africa, where employers set up a government-mandated scheme to which employees contribute. In the event of a workplace-related injury, the employee is then entitled to a payout that covers medical costs, disability payments, and lost wages.
If such a scheme were to be implemented in the UK, they say, it would give employees peace of mind that if they were to injure themselves, they would have a financial safety net. Additionally, the cost burden would not fall solely on the NHS, shifting it to employers or insurance providers.
“The introduction of a Workperson’s Compensation Act would not only reduce the financial burden on the NHS, but it would also improve workplace safety,” said consultant plastic surgeon and BAPRAS honorary secretary Reena Agarwal.
“By ensuring that employers are responsible for covering treatment costs, we are encouraging a greater focus on injury prevention, which also offers reassurance to workers that they will not face financial hardship in the event of an injury,” she added.
