Since launching in December, the sign-up rate for the new Accreditation Scheme for Occupational Health Services (SEQOHS) has been well ahead of expectation, the Faculty of Occupational Medicine has said, with 21 applications from individuals to be assessors and 78 services registered to take part, including 17 single-handed providers.
The voluntary accreditation scheme was launched at the faculty’s winter conference, a year after it unveiled standards for OH providers.
“The numbers coming through are very reassuring and higher than hoped for at this early stage,” Dr Paul Nicholson, project lead at the faculty and chairman of the British Medical Association’s Occupational Medicine Committee, told Occupational Health.
Of the 63 registered services, 17 of these were single-handed providers, he added.
“Clearly we did the right thing by launching the standards well ahead of the accreditation scheme. I think the wave of registrations indicates that people have been working away at building their systems in preparation for the accreditation scheme going live,” he said.
