By Peter Grinbergs, co-founder and CEO, EQL
From ambulance crews hauling heavy equipment, to police officers sprinting in pursuit of suspects, to NHS nurses on their feet for 12-hour shifts – public-sector workers operate in immensely physically demanding environments.
These roles carry an elevated risk of musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries, from back strains and joint problems to repetitive stress injuries.
The stakes are high: if the people who protect, care for, and respond to the public are injured, it’s not just their health that suffers.
Service delivery is compromised, overtime costs rise, and public safety can be put at risk.
MSK issues are the UK’s leading cause of workplace absence. In 2022 alone, they accounted for 19.5 million sick-days (ONS), costing billions in lost productivity.
For public-sector organisations already under pressure, this creates a compound problem – fewer staff available, and higher costs to cover them.
Why better MSK support is critical
In the NHS, MSK injuries are a top cause of sickness absence among frontline staff.
In the police force, sprains, strains, and fractures are common results of physically confrontational work.
For ambulance services, moving patients without the right support or recovery can cause lasting damage.
Peter Grinbergs
Left untreated or poorly managed, these injuries can lead to chronic conditions, early retirement, and compensation claims – all of which erode operational resilience.
Digital physio as part of the solution
This is where technology can transform outcomes.
We built Phio to give people better access to the best physiotherapy care – and solve the physiotherapy access problem.
It’s only fair that our public services receive the best physio care and receive it quickly. What platform tech can offer that typical healthcare services can’t?
- Triage – highly scalable “front door” to care, available 24/7. It quickly assesses symptoms, directs patients to the most appropriate next step, and speeds up access to treatment.
- Rehabilitation – personalised, clinically validated remote exercise programmes. Patients can complete them anywhere, with progress tracked in real time and interventions triggered if recovery stalls. This keeps people engaged in their recovery while freeing clinicians to focus on complex cases.
- Personalisation – we’re on the brink of very exciting AI that can personalise treatments, based on specific occupations. For public sector, this is transformational
- Prevention – all of these features combined lead to real prevention strategies that stretch far beyond the current models of care.
Public-sector proof points
The NHS has already demonstrated what’s possible. In Sandwell & West Birmingham, Phio cut MSK service wait times by eight weeks and redeployed over 1,200 clinical hours to more complex cases.
In NHS Highland, the technology saved an estimated £134,000 in GP time by enabling self-referral and triage.
Across deployments, 75 per cent of patients have been able to self-manage their conditions with digital support.
Now imagine this applied to police forces and ambulance trusts. Officers and paramedics could access assessment and rehab within hours of injury, rather than waiting weeks.
That means faster returns to duty, fewer costly overtime shifts, and more boots on the ground to keep communities safe.
The economic and societal upside
Beyond direct cost savings, the broader benefits are compelling. Reducing the 19.5 million annual MSK sick-days even modestly could release thousands of staff-days back into public service.
That means better response times, fewer delays, and less pressure on already stretched teams.
Digital physio services also reduce the risk of long-term disability claims, keeps experienced staff in the workforce, and supports the mental wellbeing that comes from being fit for work.
With EQL’s proven uptake across NHS sites – from rural Scotland to major urban trusts – the scalability is clear.
A call to innovate in the public sector
Embedding digital MSK services and breakthrough technologies into the core of public-sector occupational health is an investment in public safety and national productivity.
NHS trusts, police forces, and blue-light services have a chance to protect their most valuable resource – their people – while freeing up scarce human clinicians for cases that need them most.
The UK can lead the way in showing how technology can make public services fitter, faster, and more resilient.
The tools exist, the evidence is there, now it’s time to put them to work.
