Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Latest NewsHealth and safetyOccupational HealthWellbeing

One-third of GPs lack access to occupational health services

by Personnel Today 27 Sep 2013
by Personnel Today 27 Sep 2013

Dr Anne de Bono, chair of the NHS Health at Work network, has described reports that one-third of GPs do not have access to OH support as “extremely worrying”.

The revelation was made in GP trade newspaper “Pulse”, which carried out a survey of 441 family doctors in August.

It also found that one respondent in eight had sought help from pastoral or wellbeing services within the past year, with one GP even admitting to having spent £2,000 on private psychotherapy in an effort to better handle his workload pressures.

The paper is running a campaign, called Battling Burnout, designed to highlight the pressures GPs are working under.

A Freedom of Information request by the magazine found that 32% of primary care trusts that were able to provide information had no contracts in place to provide OH to GPs or their staff.

De Bono stressed that OH should be available for all NHS staff, arguing “those working in primary care should receive the same overall provision as their colleagues in secondary care”.

“Occupational health specialists can help with ‘burn out’ or stress, but our remit is much wider. We bring a unique understanding of all of the specific health issues affecting healthcare workers. For example, we provide advice in relation to blood-borne viruses; support GPs in their role as employers [hazard identification, risk management and staff management particularly in relation to fitness for work]; and provide specialist services for ‘doctors in difficulty’,” she added.

In a separate development, the NHS Health at Work network has outlined a range of issues for OH to consider in response to the NHS’s Working Longer Review, which was set up to consider the possible impact on the NHS of a raised pension age and ageing workforce.

The review specifically wanted to get a clearer sense of: what happens in organisations that makes it easier for people to stay in work longer; what makes working longer more difficult and why; special issues for particular groups of staff; and what people felt could be changed to support people working longer.

Points highlighted included the sheer physical demands of many NHS roles, and how an employer of an ageing workforce may need to manage this.

There will need to be a greater focus on more flexible approaches, shift length, health issues around night-shift working and workers continuing to work while managing chronic conditions, it suggested.

While ageing could affect almost any role, jobs that involved lifting (such as nursing), being on your feet all day (catering) or working at height (builders) could all become more problematic.

There will need to be a greater consideration of alterations of roles or remits for over-65s, more prioritising of provision of appropriate and sufficient handling equipment and more flexibility around roles, it also suggested.

Other comments included the possibility of shifting OH more into the health assessment arena and for there to be more clinical long-term follow-up systems for staff with chronic health issues.

Avatar
Personnel Today

previous post
SEQOHS looks at physiotherapy accreditation
next post
Employers cut real-terms pay despite signs of recovery

You may also like

Employees going into office just 1.5 days a...

15 Aug 2022

PwC drops 2:1 degree class requirement

15 Aug 2022

Graduate and apprentice salaries shoot up in war...

15 Aug 2022

Personnel Today Awards 2022 shortlist: Excellence in Public...

15 Aug 2022

Hiring boom set to slow as employers come...

15 Aug 2022

Are you a ‘quiet quitter’?

12 Aug 2022

July saw highest number of job adverts for...

12 Aug 2022

Transport sector recruitment ‘should be overhauled to improve...

12 Aug 2022

Liz Truss comments on Civil Service dismissed as...

12 Aug 2022

Hot summers, hot desks – employment law advice...

12 Aug 2022

  • 6 reasons why work-based learning is better than traditional training PROMOTED | A recent Fortune/Deloitte survey found that 71% of CEOs are anticipating that this year’s biggest business disrupter...Read more
  • Strengthening Scotland’s public services through virtual recruiting PROMOTED | This website is Scotland's go-to place for job seekers looking to apply for roles in public services...Read more
  • What’s next for L&D? Enter Alchemist… PROMOTED | It’s time to turn off the tedious and get ready for interactive and immersive learning experiences...Read more
  • Simple mistakes are blighting the onboarding experience PROMOTED | The onboarding of new hires is a company’s best chance...Read more

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today