Occupational health practitioners have often been unable to access OH services for their own mental and physical wellbeing during the pandemic, new research has found. These CPD activities and extra resources, collated by Professor Anne Harriss, relate to Dr Satish Ranka’s article, ‘CPD: How OH nurses are being let down by lack of OH support‘.
Activity 1
Use these resources to refresh your knowledge of Cohen effect size and patient health questionnaires:
a. Cohen effect size
McLeod S A (2019, July 10). ‘What does effect size tell you?’ Simply psychology.
b. Patient Health Questionnaires (PHQ and GAD)
Activity 2
You have recently been appointed as clinical lead for a newly established and small scale occupational health provider.
The managing director has a background in business, particularly within the wellness sector, but has no prior experience in occupational health; is totally business focused and profit driven.
There has been a notable increase in staff turnover over the last few months and you are now considering strategies designed to address this, including exit interviews.
These reveal the organisation to be a high-pressure working environment. Three of your team have been absent from work for several weeks, their absences being attributable to work related stress.
A fourth member of the team will be returning to work in the next few weeks following extensive abdominal surgery and chemotherapy.
You are surprised that no provision has been made for staff to access occupational health support from an independent provider and consider that this should be arranged as a matter of urgency.
You are making a case for such provision with the managing director. Consider the benefits of such a service to the organisation from the perspective of the organisation and to employee health and wellbeing.
Activity 3
Reflect on the implications of the following two documents for occupational health provision generally and also for the organisation detailed in Activity 2:
The government’s response to the consultation Health is everyone’s business – which incorporates proposals to reduce ill-health related job loss.
Council for Work and Health. ‘Planning the future: Implications for occupational health; delivery and training’.
Activity 4
Access the SOM and Ballard publications below. The SOM report considers the mental health of nurses and midwives and the PhD thesis of Ballard focuses on job satisfaction and stress amongst occupational health nurses.
SOM (2018) The Mental Health and Wellbeing of Nurses and Midwives in the United Kingdom.
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Reflect on the contents of these documents to the article and the reading you have completed within the above CPD activities.
