The pain centre of Jan Yperman Hospital now collaborates with an external job coach organisation. Their mission: to inform and encourage people with health problems to take steps towards adapted work.
A lorry driver must find a different type of work after back surgery. What should he do? Can he take a retraining course? After breast cancer, a woman wants to return to work but working full-time straight away is not a real option. Should the employer allow phased re-employment? A business manager is struggling with burnout and chronic pain. What options are available? The Werkschakel project focuses on answering such questions about illness and work.
Dennis Jacques (head of patient support services): “The Werkschakel project aims to inform and motivate people who are still sick or recovering in hospital to start thinking about their professional future. The project is a response to a Flemish government appeal to health and welfare organisations. To this end, they work with work coaches from GTB, a non-profit organisation that often acts as a partner on behalf of VDAB.” (GTB, Gespecialiseerd Team Bemiddeling, or specialised team mediation)
Werkschakel’s ambition is to contact 8,000 people across Flanders by the end of 2025. They will talk to them in the health and welfare organisation where they are currently residing. Acting on behalf of the Jan Yperman Hospital and GTB, Marjan Leroy (pain nurse multidisciplinary pain centre) and Annelies Spriet (job coach GTB) spend two half-days a week each on this task. The endeavour is funded by the Flemish government. Marjan: "Sometimes we speak directly to patients and sometimes an interview is scheduled after a referral. The idea is not to wait too long. We want to get a jump start on problems… as early as in the hospital ward if necessary. You see that many people are already worried about how their situation will affect their job.” Annelies: “Above all, we want to create hope. People are not alone. There are opportunities to return to work gradually or to find adapted work. More and more employers are also open to this. The pool of young multi-purpose workers in perfect health is empty. But there are still fish in the sea provided some adjustments are made in the workplace.”
Acting on behalf of Werkschakel, Annelies Spriet and Marjan Leroy speak to patients or make an appointment following a referral from a GP, hospital doctor or hospital social services.
Besides the individual approach, they also engage in group info sessions. These provide general info on options available for returning to work or finding an adapted job after an illness. The sessions allow people going through the same issues to meet. These already occur at the multidisciplinary pain centre (for people with pain problems) and during the PAAZ three-week programmes (for people with mental health problems). General info sessions and info sessions for other target groups are also currently being worked on, such as for dialysis patients, cancer patients, and so on. Also on Annelies and Marjan’s to-do list: group sessions focused on specific themes.
You’re welcome to contact us at werkschakel@yperman.net.
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