At Kamfjordhjemmet in Sandefjord, sickness absence went from 38 to 6 percent – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio

– I notice that it is much better to be at work, says nurse Arta Berisha Mucha. She works at the Kamfjordhjemmet living and treatment center in Sandefjord. Here she works with 230 people. Around 200 of them are permanent employees and the rest temporary workers. – When I started here, there wasn’t much flow. The tasks were unclear and there was some unrest in the department, she says. Turnaround Kristin Thorsen started as head of the department in 2019. She was given responsibility for the turnaround. At that time, sickness absence in the health and care services was around 11 per cent nationally. At Kamfjordhjemmet in Sandefjord, sickness absence was 38 per cent. – People were not sure of each other. Those who were supposed to give guidance were sick and gone. Those who were trained were sick and gone. Then it will be very uncertain for those who are left, says Thorsen. Now the situation is different. With help from Nav, and different approaches to those on sick leave, sickness absence has dropped to 6 per cent. Nurse Arta Berisha Mucha and head of department Kristin Thorsen at Kamfjordhjemmet. Photo: Magnus Skatvedt Iversen / news Thorsen says they have worked systematically and closely with everyone who has been ill in collaboration with GPs. – Some are back in full force and are getting help with growth and development. There has been replacement for those who have not had the health to stand up to this task. Self-employed Employees who have been on sick leave for years have been helped to get new jobs and stay in them. – They have used expert assistance from Nav to get to know themselves and to find out what it takes to possibly return to work. Or whether there are other types of jobs they think they would rather have, says Thorsen. Some employees have come to the conclusion that they do not have the health to stay at work, and that they want to change jobs. They have then applied for facilitation measures, so that they can apply with preference for other jobs in the municipality. – They have worked with their own heads. It is not easy to quit a job and lose colleagues. Those who have done so thank you for the help to get new jobs, says Thorsen. Better for the patients Berisha Mucha says that lower sickness absence among the staff means a lot for the residents. They no longer have to deal with so many new unknown people. – We create coziness and they feel safe and looked after when they meet us, she says. Janicke Vilnes, supervisor in Nav, has helped to strengthen the managers at Kamfjordhjemmet in how to handle sick employees. – We have worked actively to put things in order. What should managers and employees do and when should they connect to Nav, says Vilnes. Janicke Vilnes is supervisor in sickness absence at Nav. Photo: Magnus Skatvedt Iversen / news



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