Return to work after ill-health retirement in Scottish NHS staff and teachers

Most major public and private sector pension schemes have provision for ill-health retirement (IHR) for those who become too ill to continue to work before their normal retirement age.

To compare the causes, process and outcomes of IHR in teachers and National Health Service (NHS) staff in Scotland.

A total of 537 teachers and 863 NHS staff who retired due to ill-health between April 1998 and March 2000 were mailed an IHR questionnaire by the Scottish Public Pensions Agency.

The response rate for teachers was 53% and for NHS staff 49%. The most common cause of IHR was musculoskeletal disorders for NHS staff and mental disorders for teachers. Teachers retired at a younger average age than NHS staff. Ninety-two per cent of NHS staff but only 11% of teachers attended occupational health services (OHS) prior to IHR. Eighteen per cent of NHS staff and 9% of teachers were offered part-time work by their current employer in response to their ill-health. Fifteen per cent of NHS staff and 5% of teachers were offered alternative work prior to retirement. Seventeen per cent of NHS staff and 36% of teachers subsequently found employment. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed the following variables as independent predictors of subsequent employment: occupational group, age group, sex, managerial responsibility and cause of IHR.

Return to work after IHR suggests that some IHR could be avoided. Teachers had a higher rate of return to work and much less access to OHS.