SEQOHS accreditation for Seohc ltd
I have great pleasure in letting you know that in August 2011 Seohc occupational health achieved the SEQOHS accreditation for the OH services we provide. We are currently one of only eleven OH providers in the country to achieve this accreditation of quality. http://www.seqohs.org/
SEQOHS (Safe Effective Quality Occupational Health Service) is a set of standards and a process of voluntary accreditation that aims to help to raise the overall standard of care provided by occupational health services.
It is a Faculty of Occupational Medicine accreditation scheme for OH providers both in the private sector and NHS, which is managed by the Royal College of Physicians of London The government is keen to encourage businesses to use services which are SEQOHS accredited.
SEQOHS aims to:
- help purchasers differentiate occupational health services that attain the desired standards from those that do not
- credit good work being done by high quality occupational health services, providing independent validation that they satisfy standards of quality
- enable services to identify the standards of practice to which they should aspire
- raise standards where they need to be raised
Working with your computer: FAQ
Should my employer carry out a risk assessment?
Employers have a duty to carry out a risk assessment of any hazardous task or equipment. This applies to your workstation, also known as display screen equipment (DSE).
Am I entitled to a free eye test?
You can request a free eye test if you are classified as a user.
Do I have the right to take a break from PC work?
The Regulations require breaks or changes of activity but do not specify their timing or length.
I share a desk, what should I do?
Hot-desking is a common working practice. If you share your desk, readjust your chair and desk before you start work. If you normally work at the same desk, then you could install a DSE checklist on your screen or pin it up and follow it before you start work.
I work at home – am I covered by the regulations?
Yes, the Regulations apply if you are an employee working at home and habitually using a VDU for a significant part of your normal work. Even if you are self employed it would be sensible to follow the guidance in the regulations as good practise.
I use a laptop what should I do?
It is best to avoid using a portable on its own if full-sized equipment is available. When using a laptop ensure it is used on a workstation at the correct height, use a comfortable adaptable chair and adopt good posture at all times. Docking stations, separate keyboards and mice should be used if a laptop is to be used for frequent or prolonged use.
How should I adjust my workstation?
Advice can be obtained from the HSE booklet, ‘Working With VDU’s INDG 6(rev) and directly from sandra.elliott@seohc.com
Sandra Elliott
MA, DMSpg,RN, OHN Cert, SCPHN-OH
Managing Low Back Pain
Back pain is caused by physical or mechanical stresses and strains but also through degenerative changes. Symptoms may occur in several structures in the back including the vertebral joints, discs and supportive ligaments and muscles.
Low back pain is a common disorder, affecting around one-third of the UK adult population each year. Around 20% of people with low back pain (that is, 1 in 15 of the population) will consult their GP about it.
Lifestyle with the comfort of soft mattresses, soft armchairs, poorly adjusted car seats and work seating and the effect on weak muscles from irregular use or even disuse can lead to back pain. Poor posture has a part to play as many of us allow ourselves to become ‘flabby’ over the winter, adopting ‘slouchy’ posture. Yet during the first warm weekend in spring people will go mad in their gardens digging, hoeing and barrowing loads. Bending when digging and stooping is the quickest way to backache.
The medical advice for people with persistent non-specific low back pain is to self-manage their condition. No longer are sufferers the passive recipient of treatment and rest. Now the individual is actively sharing the responsibility for their progress and this includes taking physical activity and exercise. The advice for those with low back pain is that staying physically active is likely to be beneficial, including taking exercise and developing a structured exercise programme through positive evidence based information, tailored to the individual. Essentially, there are two types of exercise, one which stretches to increase mobility and the other that strengthens the muscles. In treating the whole person by moving from rest and rehabilitation to restoration of pain free function much can be done to manage low back pain.
Good muscle tone and posture is the best safeguard against recurring back problems.
Carole Miller MSc. BSc (Hons) RN, OHN Cert, SCPHN-OH, FRSPH, Grad IOSH
Consent for Medical Reports
As an employer have you thought about what you are required to do in order to obtain informed consent from an employee for a medical report?
If you have access to an Occupational Health service do you consider obtaining consent from the employee before you refer the employee; does the employee understand why they have been referred and what could be the outcome of such a referral? Does your Occupational Health provider have a consent to Occupational Health reports policy?
Do you obtain medical reports from a GP or Medical Consultant and if so are you confident that you have ensured that you have obtained informed consent from the employee in line with the access to medical reports Act of 1988? Once you have obtained the report how does your organisation store such information and have you a policy on how you share such information?
How do you ensure that vulnerable adults you may employee give informed consent to release of medical information?
It is important to think about such questions before you embark on obtaining medical information and reports as there is a range of legal and practical issues to consider.
Sandra Elliott
MA, DMSpg,RN, OHN Cert, SCPHN-OH,
Occupational Health Accreditation
It was a pleasant walk from the station to the Royal College of Physicians in London’s RegentPark. I was attending a ‘’Preparation for accreditation training day’’ run by SEQOHS, the accreditation body for occupational Health standards. Seohc has signed up to go through the process of becoming an accredited occupational provider, it requires a great deal of work but it will be worth it in the long run. As the trainers said we are to be congratulated for being the early adopters of the scheme.
The standards a company has to achieve are based around business probity, information governance, people, facilities, equipment and relationship with purchasers and workers. The accreditation process can take up to 2 years and involves completion of a pre qualification questionnaire, customer satisfaction surveys, web based assessment, on site assessment and self assessment.
There is a considerable cost both in time and money but I feel it is essential to commit as an organisation to providing a service which is quality driven. A service which inspires confidence among our existing customers and potential customers and gaining accreditation will be part of that process.
Sandra Elliott, MA, DMS, RGN, NDN, OHNC
Hot Topics
I have just returned from a very full day for for GP’s at Imperial College London, it was a study day updating GP’s on the latest research relating to common health conditions in primary practice. I was invited by the organiser Phil when I contacted him suggesting that such a day would be good for Occupational Health practitioners.
It was a very busy and information packed day and it was great to get short snappy updates on a number of the clinical issues which I encounter in my day to day practise. The day benefited from having access to the latest research and guidance in one convenient place. Among the numerous updates we had talks on the use of the QRISK tool used to assess cardiac risk; the new guidelines and implications for the management of high blood pressure and the therapeutic effect of diet for health in particular the DASH diet These issues are particularly significant to me at the present time as I am about to embark on series of “mini health checks” for a group of employees at one of my company’s. The usefulness of such checks on the employee wellbeing is clear.
Dealing with mental health issues in the work place is an important aspect of employee wellbeing and the relevance of CBT as a therapeutic intervention in the treatment of depression was emphasised. Diabetes among the general work force a common health issue and evidence was presented regarding the effectiveness of the GI diet in the management of type 2 diabetes and something as simple as changing from white to brown rice can have a large impact.
I feel like I have had mini refresher on the common health conditions I encounter among the employees I see. The day was a feat of time management down to the fact that the course only had a minute to run when the announcement to evacuate the building came!
Sandra Elliott, MA, DMS, RGN, NDN, OHNC
Stress: How to deal with it
Employers not only have economic incentive to manage stress at work but also have a duty of care to manage stress as with other risks in the business.
It is estimated that depression, stress and anxiety accounts for 33% of all sickness absence resulting in millions of lost working days. In 2009/2010 the economic and social cost of mental health was £105 billion. Recent figures released by Suffolk County Council show stressed-out teachers took almost 10,000 days off sick in a year due to “depression” and “psychiatric stress”.
Employers can have a positive effect on reducing employees’ stress levels with the introduction of stress management and anti-bullying and harassment policies, coupled with clear procedures for investigating complaints. Implementing training progammes for managers and employees in stress management is essential.
Understanding the extent of the problem in your business is necessary for developing an action plan. This can be done by analysing sickness absence data for potential stress-related problems. Conducting a stress audit is also be useful in identifying organisational ‘hotspots’ where stress levels are high, whilst implementing an ‘Employee Assistance Programme’ can also be beneficial.
Employers should, look at how they support employees in their job role. Establish clearly defined objectives for each member of staff and, if you determine that an employee’s health is affected by stress then early intervention is essential – obtain professional occupational support and advice.
Tips for managing stress on an individual include learning to say ‘’no’’. Ensuring that that you get enough sleep which in turn will help you to relax. Look at your work life balance, be healthy, avoid cigarettes and alcohol and aim to get fit.
Lastly if you feel you cannot cope tell someone, get help from your employer, your GP or occupational health service.
Sandra Elliott MA, DMS, RGN, NDN, OHNC
Health & Wellbeing @work conference Birmingham
I spent Tuesday at the conference, its great way of catching up with old colleagues but its hard on the feet!
I attended a number of seminars during the day ranging from government policy initiatives to the state of mental health in the work place.
Liz Woodeson , director of Health and Wellbeing at the DOH talked about the launch of ‘’Public Health England’’ next week which will replace the old department of public health. ‘’PHE’’ (as it seems we will be referring to it as ) will be part of the DOH and responsibility for public health will now sit with local authorities with the creation on Health and Wellbeing Boards. We were also told to look out for the term ‘’ Responsibility Deal’’, not too sure what it is but it seems to be linked to the big society- whatever that is!!. Businesses are going to be asked to sign up to pledges in public health and of course it is all voluntary, as we were told it is a new era of collaboration not enforcement. I will wait and see.
Carl Dray a lawyer at Nabarro reminded us very clearly of our responsibilities as OH professionals when were gaining consent from patients/ clients (whatever your preferred term is) for health surveillance, access to medical records, and release of medical information. Make sure you get two copies of the signed consent one for your records one for the employee. Ensure that you are gaining informed consent and that the consent is voluntary. There were times when you could release information without consent, for example in the case of RIDDOR and interestingly in the notification of drug addicts. However after listening to the lawyer and gaining a little insight into the way the legal mind works, I don’t think I will be informing anyone about anything without consent, legal advice and any other armour I can think of.
Billy Watson, Chief Executive, of the Scottish Association for Mental Health reminded the audience of the extent of mental health issues in the work place. Those of us who are clinical practitioners are well aware of the problems as consultations with patients/ clients with mental health issues will form the majority of our appointments. Depression, stress and anxiety accounts for 33% of all sickness absence and in 2009/2010 the economic and social cost of mental health was £105 billion.
On a positive note I have noted a significant increase in awareness of the problem of dealing with mental health issues for both the individual and for the employer. However there is still much to do in order to address the stigma associated with mental problems. I think OH practitioners are in an ideal position to start the process of challenging (gently of course to start with) the stigma associated with mental health issues in the workplace.
I did not attend the conference last year and by the time I got home at 8.30pm , I remembered why, skipping a year seems the best way forward for me.
Sandra Elliott MA, DMS, RGN, NDN, OHNC
Managing Sickness Absence
Every business should be in a position to know what cost can be attributed to sickness absence. A reliable system should be in place for consistent recording of the reasons for sickness absence. This will enable the business to identify target areas which need to be addressed in order to reduce levels of absence. Common reasons for sickness absence are musculoskeletal and psychological conditions. These conditions may occur as a direct result of work or an outside activity, in either case the consequences are the same in that the employee becomes unable to work and carry out the normal range of their duties.
Ownership of a sickness absence policy is a good place to start the management process and this should be available for all employees to refer to as required. The policy should be a clear statement of understanding by the business that absence from work due to ill health can affect anyone during their working lives and will be treated in a reasonable and sympathetic way. The policy might identify time triggers that indicate when early intervention may be appropriate by the manager and possibly Occupational Health.
Awareness training for managers should facilitate good understanding so that employees with responsibilities for others are aware of the role of Occupational Health in the management of sickness absence. In particular, the impartial advisory service offered to management and instigation of early and measured approaches to return to work plans wherever possible.
All the current focus appears to be on the health, work and wellbeing agenda. The aim being to prevent individuals moving to long-term sick benefits or employment and other allowances and possibly becoming long term unemployed. Workplace health can be impacted by measures aimed at keeping employees fit and healthy. The healthy mind and body will enable individuals to feel good about themselves and importantly good about being in employment. There is gathering evidence that these motivational approaches are working towards preventing people becoming chronically sick and so assisting the associated issues of sickness absence and lost productivity.
Author: Carole Miller
Employee Wellbeing in SME’s
‘’Research… found considerable evidence that health and well-being programmes produced economic benefits across all sectors and all sizes of business: in other words, that good health is good business’’
Dame Carol Black, Working for a Healthier Tomorrow, 2008
The message that looking after the wellbeing of your staff makes a difference is well established, it can:
• Improve brand perception
• Increase productivity, staff engagement and employee relations
• Promote better employee health, both physical and emotional
• Reduce exposure to risk of litigation
• Decrease staff turnover
• Lower direct and indirect cost of sickness absence
Small and medium sized enterprises are now beginning to identify the link between employee wellbeing and productivity, highlighting the importance to them of implementing an employee wellbeing programme.
So what can you do about this in your organisation?
Firstly it is not about providing costly benefits to employees such as private health insurance and it’s not about implementing fancy health promotion programmes. What it is about is making small focused, cost effective changes in your business and tackling the basic health and wellbeing issues within your organisation.
Firstly there is limited value in offering health screening for your staff if you do little to reduce sickness absence levels in your business. Secondly you should ensure that you have complied with all statutory and good practice health surveillance requirements.
The most common causes of sickness absence among staff are stress, musculoskeletal problems, e.g. back pain and minor self limiting health conditions, for example colds. Over the next five issues of Newslink we will be addressing the most common health and wellbeing issues encountered by employees and employers.
- Managing sickness absence
- Stress management
- Managing back pain
- Health and your PC
- Managing your personal health
