In 2010 RCS was selected to run one of eleven sites for DWP’s new ‘Fit for Work Service’ pilot programme. The service was established to test the proposition set out in Dame Carol Black’s 2008 report Working for a Healthier Tomorrow, that an early intervention service would support employees in the early stages of sickness absence from a mild to moderate health condition to return to work or full productivity, with the aim of preventing a slide into longer-term sickness absence. After a successful pilot, RCS secured European funding to extend the service. In total, from 2010 to 2014 the Rhyl Fit for Work Service provided vocational rehabilitation support to 2439 employees who were off sick or struggling at work with a health condition. The programme has had a lasting impact on the individuals it has supported, with beneficiaries enabled to self-manage their work-limiting health conditions well beyond their participation in the service. The Rhyl Fit for Work Service was selected as one of 17 finalists in the European Union’s 2015 RegioStars Awards, which honour Europe’s most inspirational and innovative regional projects.
