NHS ‘Growing occupational health’ strategy receives official launch

NHS England has officially launched its ‘Growing occupational health and wellbeing together’ strategy, which aims to increase and promote NHS OH services and people over the next five years.

The strategy, which received a ‘soft’ launch during last summer’s Occupational Health Awareness Week, outlines how occupational health and wellbeing (OHWB) professionals, NHS integrated care system leaders, NHS organisation senior leaders, and national bodies can all build a multidisciplinary service that helps to deliver a healthy NHS workforce.

The document provides a roadmap for NHS organisations and leaders to use when articulating their vision and steering investment in OH services. It also encourages collaborative action between stakeholders, OH professionals, and strategic partners, NHS England has said.

In their foreword to the strategy, Em Wilkinson-Brice, national director for people at NHS England, and John Drew, director of staff experience and engagement, say: “The Growing occupational health and wellbeing together strategy is a united vision and call to action to invest in and grow our OHWB services and multidisciplinary family of OHWB professionals.

“Growing occupational health and wellbeing together is a collaborative strategy, as we know that growing OHWB requires investment, championing, and action in a variety of different needs-driven ways to realise our united vision. We encourage our senior healthcare leaders to join us in realising the ambition within this strategy, with your OHWB professionals in the driving seat and empowered to take action flexibly, based on the health and wellbeing needs of your local NHS people.

“ We encourage our valued OHWB community to join with us as we work together to put this strategy in place to grow and strengthen our OHWB services, in a way that is right for the diversity of the NHS people that we care for.”

The NHS’s vision for occupational health and wellbeing is centred around four strategic drivers:

• growing the identity of occupational health and wellbeing;
• growing OH and wellbeing services across systems, through innovation, common frameworks, and use of technology;
• growing its people by providing attractive career pathways and talent management, multidisciplinary workforce planning, and offering credible and accessible education and training; and
• growing OH’s evidence-based practice, using data and demonstrating the value of OH and wellbeing services.

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The strategy document includes several examples of where NHS trusts have achieved these aims, including the development of a consolidated OH services across North Central London Integrated Care System, and a North East and North Cumbria project to develop OH competencies.

The document argues that collaboration is imperative, with the need for OH and wellbeing professionals themselves to be “in the driving seat”. It also urges OH professionals in the NHS to:

• use this strategy as a lever to create change;
• work collaboratively with senior leaders to ensure there is a clear OHWB strategy and investment plan;
• explore ways to unite as a multidisciplinary professional service;
• consider their own development needs;
• act as professional ambassadors; and
• engage with the collaborative work and resources associated with the Growing occupational health and wellbeing together strategy.