This activity is part of Healthy Working Life, a joint programme of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board.
Background
Ellie* is a senior health professional who has recently used the Healthy Working Life Programme’s Vocational Rehab service. This is her story about how the service helped her return to employment, when she thought she would never be able to work again.
Currently in West Yorkshire, it is estimated that there are 101,000 people who are unable to work because of one or more health conditions. In Bradford District and Craven, the Vocational Rehabilitation service supports employed adults with health conditions that are affecting their ability to stay in or return to work.
Ellie* has dyslexia which causes her to struggle with her working memory. She is also having investigations for ADHD. To cope with this over the years Ellie built up her own strategies to cope using tools such as Microsoft 365, OneNote and Template Checklist, however after an IT update by her employer, she lost a lot of these functions.
This update caused an intense strain on Ellie’s working memory, causing burnout and being signed off from work on sickness.
“I was in a real state, I was crying all the time, and I thought I’d never work again,” said Ellie. “My physical symptoms, like spatial awareness were so bad, I had to give up driving, and I couldn’t make the simple decisions about what to eat or what to do. Friends and family were asking me questions they’d usually ask, and I just couldn’t answer them. It was really scary.
“I was so embarrassed about how bad my functioning was because I’d gone from being professional and working in a fast-paced environment, to a total collapse in functioning and I felt so humiliated.
The Vocational Rehab service
As part of the Healthy Working Life (HWL) programme, Ellie was referred to the Vocational Rehab service, where she received a work-focussed assessment and personalised rehabilitation plan.
“I needed support with my functioning and someone to be on my side. And that’s what I got from the vocational rehabilitation service. I felt like someone was bothered about me, my recovery and getting me back to work.
“It made a big difference in just knowing the service was there, that it is independent, designed to help me back to work, with a rehabilitation focus, and with knowledge about health conditions and reasonable adjustments.
“I felt safe.”
Right from her assessment, Ellie felt hopeful about returning to work. She was provided with access to specialist clinicians providing personalised, work-focused rehabilitation through online groups, one-to-one sessions and face-to-face clinics.
“I knew I was with people who were asking me the right questions and knew what they were doing. I could tell by the questions that they were asking me that I was going to get the right help.
“I got a lot from the group sessions and knowing that others were in the same position. The service gave me permission, to use my time off work for rest, to pace myself, to not rush back prematurely and take the right amount of time.”
Independent health and work report
As part of the service, Ellie received an Allied Health Professional (AHP) health and work report, which provided recommendations for adjustments for her return to work.
“The AHP report and return to work plan have given me a clear way forward and have been accepted by my employer. It went through all my difficulties, with practical adjustments. It took time to say what it was I was suffering with. It was really tailored to me and advocated for me – talking about my disability being hidden which was helpful. It suggested a back to work phased return and reasonable adjustments, which was accepted.
“It was the independence of the report which really helped. It also really helped my line manager, with practical tips for him. He was really positive about it.
“The other thing they did was go through my work tasks and put them in order of what I would feel more comfortable in starting first, planning my return to work. That was helpful because I wouldn’t have thought to do that, it gave me that permission and it gave my manager some guidance.
“My manager was willing to give me flexibility, which I don’t think he would have thought to do that without the AHP report. It’s supported him as well and raised his awareness.
“You don’t just get better, go back and it won’t happen again, you’ve got to change the way you do things.”
Impact of the service
Following this intervention, Ellie has recently returned to work, on a phased return. She now has manageable steps in place, despite still finding work challenging.
“I’m still carrying a lot of embarrassment, shame and worry about how I’m functioning and if I’m going to burnout again. But because I have a plan, and I’m not jumping into the more complex tasks just yet, it has helped me build up my confidence and not feel as pressured. It will take time, but this approach means it won’t happen again.
“I take breaks now. I don’t push through overwhelm; I take it seriously. If I feel overwhelmed, I will take a break whereas before I was just pushing through all the time. I have a much better understanding of what my rights in the Equality Act are, and what it is that is causing me difficulty. I’m a lot better at communicating what the problem is. Rather than saying “I’m dyslexic” I’ll say I have problems with my memory which is a better way to explain what I need support with and I can be clearer. Asking people for information in a different way that isn’t as draining for me. It’s not easy but it’s getting easier the more I practise it.”
Changing the way organisations work
As a result of Ellie’s AHP report, her organisation is considering how IT updates can impact those who use specific tools to work. She has it in writing that future IT updates must consider retaining the tools she uses before any action is taken. She believes it was the independent nature of the AHP report that helped with this.
“The main impact is that I am back in work, and I know I can stay in work. I know why this happened, I know how to stop it happening again and that gives me a lot of confidence. I feel positive in my own abilities. I know now that I’m not the problem.
“If it wasn’t for the Vocational Rehab service I would have internalised all of this. I’d have thought I’d failed, that I was useless, that I was finished on the scrap heap and I don’t think I’d have gone back. I do feel positive now, like I have a future and I didn’t before.
“I feel like I’m me again.”
“It been clear that the people who have supported me really know what they are talking about and are experts in difficulties like mine and how to overcome challenges with reasonable adjustments.
“There’s more work to do, and I don’t think I’m out of the woods yet. There are some tricky times ahead, but I’ll take it steady and have tools in place to address the challenges and cope.
“Thank you.”
Thank you, Ellie, for sharing your story.
*Not the patients real name to protect her identity.
You can also read the how vocational rehabilitation helped Ellie return to work case study as a PDF.
This project is part of Healthy Working Life - reducing the number of people in West Yorkshire who may become unable to work because of ill health. Find out more on our Healthy Working Life website pages.