International Research Project on Job Retention and Return to Work Strategies for Disabled Workers: New Zealand

[Excerpt] The International Research Project on Job Retention and Return to Work Strategies for Disabled Workers is an initiative of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Global Applied Research and Information Network on Employment and Training (GLADNET). It reflects ILO and GLADNET joint aims of establishing a base for cross-national research and strengthening links between research analysis and policy reform in the field of employment of disabled people. The Project is a response to a combination of developments which highlight the need for more effective policies and practices in support of workers whose prospects of remaining in employment are jeopardised by work injury, illness or disability. Persons with disabilities are increasingly claiming rights to stay in work as well as to access employment. Pressures on state budgets, the rising costs of compensation claims and disability benefits, and changes in the structure of the labour market are strengthening policies in favour of job retention and return to work. Enterprises are developing their own strategies to minimise the costs of disability and to retain valued employees. Overall, the balance of responsibility is shifting from the state to the enterprise. Policies and practices to prevent disabled workers from leaving work unnecessarily, and to facilitate rapid return to employment if job loss cannot be prevented, are recent developments in many countries. The cross-national exchange of information on initiatives and their effects is limited. The first aim of this Project has been to gather information about what has been attempted, by whom, for what purposes, in which contexts and to what effects. The second, more ambitious, aim, is to examine the interaction between the various policies and practices, identify dysfunctions, and work towards more coherent and cost-effective strategies for job retention and return to work which might be applied in different national systems. The ultimate objective is to identify strategies which can be put into effect in the workplace

Asset-based and strengths-based community initiatives in the UK

There is growing interest in the contribution of asset- and strengths-based activities within social and community development. Asset-based approaches focus on people’s and communities’ assets (their capacities, resources and networks) as well as their needs. At an individual level, it entails assessments and conversations emphasising personal and community strengths rather than deficits.1 The aim of this brief article is to overview a number of initiatives across the UK and discuss the challenges in embedding them within local settings. The discussion proceeds as follows. First, an overview of the prevailing policy context within which community development and associated initiatives have emerged. Second, a discussion of the values and aspirations framing such initiatives. Third, the paper review a range of initiatives. Fourth, it examines the future development of such activities

International patients on operation vacation: medical refuge and health system crisis Comment on “International patients on operation vacation – perspectives of patients travelling to Hungary for orthopaedic treatments”

An understanding of patient mobility, international patients and medical tourism includes supply and demand side considerations. As well as micro-level reports of motivation and satisfaction we must acknowledge broader system-level dynamics. Exploring these may unearth more complex geographies of patient travel

We need a better understanding of the effects of ‘medical tourism’ on health systems to have an informed debate about fairness and regulation

Medical tourism is not a one-way street. Research shows the number of patients travelling from the UK for treatment abroad is greater than the number coming to the UK. Johanna Hanefeld, Neil Lunt and Richard Smith looked at effects of health tourists on the NHS and uncovered a nuanced picture which has implications for debates around medical tourism, migration and health

Developments in Medical Tourism

As a newly emerging pattern of consumption and production of healthcare services, medical tourism is featured with particular regional characteristics in the range of service for patients elect to travel across international borders with the intention of receiving medical treatment. From perspectives of globalization and supply consideration, this article illustrates the drives, size and scope of medical tourism. Experiences from Korea and UK are introduced to explain commonalities and distinctions of diverse medical tourism treatments and their destinations. In addition, the authors also illustrate payment mechanism, potential challenges and China’s current medical tourism patterns

The Global Challenge of Cancer Governance

The global cancer statistics are stark, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020, around one in six of all deaths globally. WHO estimates that 70% of these cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries and cancer will continue to rise as a proportion of deaths in these settings. We may usefully characterize cancer as a ‘social mess’, a set of interrelated problems and other messes including poverty and social determinants of health. One part of cancer’s ‘messiness’ is the governance deficit around cancer burden and regional inequities. This policy paper assesses the field of global oncology governance and the interplay of legal instruments, soft law, national developments, donor activities, as well as partnerships, networks and coalitions. Cancer governance is central to tackling cancer inequalities. Continuing to probe the complexities of cancer governance requires attention to market mechanisms, international agreements, soft power, political will power, partnerships, collaborations and networks, and patient participation. Governance is inseparable from ‘paradigmatic’ framings and cancer must be seen as a human rights issue

BRITISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATION'S COHORT STUDY OF 2006 MEDICAL GRADUATES : LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS OF CAREER TRAJECTORIES

https://www.bma.org.uk/news/2017/september/women-more-likely-to-switch-career https://www.bma.org.uk/collective-voice/policy-and-research/education-training-and-workforce/cohort-stud

Local Area Coordination: Summative Evaluation

Project funded by ESRC Impact Accelerator Account (Co-Production). Project partners University of York and City of York Counci

Scoping the literature on Patient travel abroad for cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment

The incidence of cancer is on the rise globally. Under particular circumstances, patients are willing to travel abroad for healthcare treatments. We know relatively little however about patients travelling overseas for cancer-related screening, diagnosis and treatment. Where do patients go, for what treatments, what are their motivations, decision-making processes and treatment experiences? What do we know about patient safety and risk, and outcomes? More broadly, what are the ethical and legal implications? This review presents the first published assessment of what we term ‘transnational oncology treatment’, defined as patients travelling overseas or across borders for cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment. The review undertakes detailed search and retrieval of the literature, using an accepted scoping review method. We present a narrative review of existing knowledge and themes, identifying coverage and gaps. There is a five-fold agenda for future investigation: trajectories and itineraries; in depth focus on treatment decisions, experiences and outcomes; locating patient travel within wider health system analysis; exploration of professional perspectives and coordination; and situating travel within the context of health trade. Such an agenda is multidisciplinary and wide-ranging, encompassing epidemiology, health economics, health policy ethics, health politics, health management, and health policy