PFA customers on long-term sick leave return to work faster

Through early intervention, digital solutions and targeted preventive measures, PFA is helping more customers return to work faster – despite a rise in mental health challenges.

In just two years, the proportion of PFA customers on sick leave for more than 24 months has decreased by an impressive 8.5 per cent, according to new data from PFA Pension. This decline comes despite a general increase in the number of people in Denmark falling ill during the same period, highlighting the impact of PFA's focused efforts to help customers return to work quickly.

According to Ole Krogh Petersen, CEO of PFA, early intervention is crucial:

“When someone is facing challenges, whether mental or physical, it is essential they receive the right help quickly. When we are contacted by a customer who is on sick leave or at risk of sick leave, we act quickly to provide assistance and prevent minor issues from escalating into more significant, prolonged problems. Helping long-term sick customers recover quickly is, first and foremost, beneficial for their well-being, but it also greatly benefits workplaces and society as a whole.”

Early intervention and digital solutions make a difference  

In recent years, PFA has significantly strengthened its efforts in prevention and health. New digital solutions have been developed to provide customers with quick access to services such as physiotherapy and psychological support. Additionally, PFA has introduced a preventive tool based on artificial intelligence, enabling healthcare professionals to identify customers at risk of long-term illness. This initiative has reduced the risk of long-term illness by 70 per cent for affected customers.

PFA also collaborates closely with companies and workplaces to boost employee well-being.

“The consequences for individuals affected by long-term illness are significant. We know that the longer it takes to return to work, the harder it becomes. This is why it is so important to intervene early and provide targeted assistance to break the often vicious cycle that can develop,” says Ole Krogh Petersen.

Positive results despite increasing mental health challenges

Although there has been a general rise in the number of people in Denmark struggling with mental health issues such as stress, anxiety and depression, PFA’s data demonstrates that its efforts are yielding results.

“The societal trend, where many people in Denmark are suffering from mental health challenges, underscores the importance of a collective effort to reverse this development and provide support when people need it. Breaking the trend of long-term illness is a long and challenging process, but we can see that early intervention is starting to pay off, with long-term sick PFA customers recovering faster than before,” says Ole Krogh Petersen.

Facts about PFA's efforts

• Nearly 600,000 PFA customers are covered by occupational capacity insurance.
• In the first six months of the year, PFA assisted approximately 92,000 children and adults with treatment programmes – a 23 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
• The number of digital requests for health insurance services has doubled in two years – from 25,800 to 50,900 in the first six months of the year.
• PFA’s preventive initiatives, supported by artificial intelligence, have reduced the risk of long-term illness by 70 per cent for customers receiving early assistance.
• The proportion of customers on long-term sick leave for more than two years has decreased by 8.5 per cent over two years.
• PFA now helps 49.4 per cent of long-term sick customers return to the workforce within two years – an increase from 42.7 per cent two years ago.