Co-operation among rehabilitation actors for return to working life

Abstract

The overall aim was to increase knowledge of the problems and the advantages of multi-sectoral co-operation in vocational rehabilitation, with focus on systematic multi-professional team meetings. One of the aims was to quantify the effects of co-operation in vocational rehabilitation on sick leave days, using comparison groups. Another aim was to elucidate the problems and achievements of co-operation in vocational rehabilitation in the Nordic countries.

A study of the registers from the National Social Insurance Board of days on sick leave and the types of benefit paid, for a 12-months-period prior to a multi-sectoral co-operation intervention, 0-6 months after the intervention as well as for the subsequent 6-12 months, was conducted. Economic gains for society were also estimated. Sixty four municipal employees on long term sick leave who participated in the intervention were compared with matched controls who were subjected to “treatment as usual”. A questionnaire study was conducted involving 95 immediate superiors employed by the same municipality, who conveyed their views on co-operation both prior to and during the multi-sectoral co-operation intervention. A six-year follow-up of the same intervention, with the same 64 subjects and their controls was carried out with the same outcome measures: days on sick leave, types of benefit paid by social insurance and economic gains for society. A qualitative study was conducted with 23 semi-structured research interviews of 27 strategically chosen informants in the five Nordic countries, who were asked about what chief actors are involved in the vocational rehabilitation, what models of co-operation, collaboration or co-ordination exist, if problems exist with clients being referred from one instance to another without having their problems solved (“pillar-to-post”), if there is a need for co-operation and also what the differences are between possibilities and obstacles in co-operation in vocational rehabilitation.

The results showed that there was an overall difference in sick leave of 5.7 days per month and person over the six-year-period studied. When that much more time was spent working instead of on sickness absence, economic gains for society were generated at € 36600 per person over the 6-year-period and at a total of € 2.3 million for the actual intervention carried out for the 64 subjects. Effects were not demonstrable until the second half-year after closure of the intervention. The immediate superiors described the multi-sectoral co-operation as successful in reducing problems. They reported that the co-operation intervention in fact led to combined responsibility in finding solutions and better opportunities than previously for employees to resume regular or other jobs. Despite differences between the Nordic countries, the “pillar-to-post” problems are described by all informants. Co-operative solutions however differ. New reforms have recently been implemented in Norway and Denmark. Social insurance, employment and part of social services are all organized under one and the same authority on a local basis at municipal level in these two countries. Both countries have also distinguished between the management of planning and following-up rehabilitation activities from managing disbursements. The models for co-operation described share some common features, but there are still reports of differences in the possibilities and obstacles of co-operation from the different Nordic countries.

The studies demonstrate that multi-sectoral co-operation in vocational rehabilitation has a good effect on preventing sick leave days, generating substantial economic gains for society and that this effect lasts for at least six years. The results also show that good results may be accomplished for people on long term sick leave. There are many different versions of co-operative solutions in the different Nordic countries, all offering interesting examples for the future. Successful co-operation is possible to achieve without legislative enforcement.