Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • 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
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • 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
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Health surveillanceOH service deliveryReturn to work and rehabilitationWellbeing and health promotionOccupational Health

SOM outlines proposals for universal occupational health access

by Nic Paton 1 Oct 2021
by Nic Paton 1 Oct 2021 Shutterstock
Shutterstock

At an online summit last month, the Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM) put forward a position statement outlining how it envisaged universal access to occupational health might work. Nic Paton looks at some of the key points.

In its position paper, SOM argues that universal provision of occupational health could be based on a mixed-model approach, combining access via the NHS with expanded access via employers.

First, the proportion of employers offering access to OH services and expertise would need to be increased from the current estimated 50%.

“Achieving this will require both greater support for employers and a clear obligation on larger employers to provider occupational health services for their staff,” SOM outlined.

At a practical level, it proposed the establishment of a centrally delivered advice service for smaller employers to improve their overall work performance through better working practices/conditions that support health and prevent occupational illness.

This could include email and telephone advice services, downloadable resources and workplace visits, and could be based on the existing Health Working Lives Scotland model, SOM suggested.

“Medium and large employers would be required to provide OH services, with penalties from the Health and Safety Executive if they do not. Existing regulations require that employers should have a ‘competent person or people’ to provide advice on meeting legal health and safety duties. New regulation/legislation may be required for HSE to enforce provision of OH,” SOM also argued.

Universal access to OH

OH urged to use spending review to lobby for extra cash

Make universal access to occupational health a reality following Covid-19, urges SOM

SOM highlights case for wider access to OH in letter to chancellor

The second strand of the model would be a ‘mop up’ OH service delivered through the NHS for those who do not have access through smaller employers (estimated to be around 16 million people) and self-employed workers (some 4.4 million workers).

Core OH services would be funded regionally and provided by existing NHS OH departments but also linked to a local direct referral offer via GPs. This could be coordinated by regional integrated care systems in England or equivalent bodies in the devolved nations (such as health boards in Scotland).

“Scaling up of NHS provision would require investment in a multidisciplinary OH workforce, particularly medical and nursing training, and the recruitment of case managers, as well as in the use of technology, for example for remote consultations.

“There would also be a need to engage with the whole medical profession to encourage referrals onto the programme, supported by marketing,” it added.

In sum, SOM argued the new service would be a mix of:

  • Light-touch online and telephone assessment, referral via employer, Job Centre Plus or self-referral, with measures in place to determine whether clinical intervention is needed.
  • Case management and advice via a confidential telephone service, with access to online physiotherapy and mental health support.
  • A comprehensive NHS occupational health and safety service, encompassing referral from a GPs and other clinicians into NHS acute trust occupational health departments, with payment based on by person treated.

Scale and cost

The paper estimated that to achieve universal access would require 3,500 case managers and around 350 clinical professionals, including a mix of occupational physicians, OH nurses and associated health professionals.

“The need for training and recruitment of staff and the need to build up demand for the programme would mean a phased delivery would be required over a three-to-four-year timeline,” it added.

The total cost of delivering all this would be approximated £280m per year, split between £80m for the light-touch assessment service and £200m for the expanded NHS OH service.

There would also be a range of additional upfront costs, including recruiting and training all the new staff (approximately £350m); marketing to, training and engaging with employers, employees and the self-employed (£10m per year); GP fit note and referrals (£13m) and the cost of setting up a new Centre for Work and Health Research to co-ordinate and drive best practice and research (£7m a year).

But, SOM added, there would be a return on all this investment. “The programme has the potential to create cost savings for the DWP in low welfare spending, including on statutory sick pay, due to better job retention and less sickness absence.

“It also has the potential to save the NHS money by providing more appropriate and lower cost per head services that divert pressure away from more cost intensive services. £1 investment in OH services have been estimated to lead to £1.93 saving in absenteeism costs for employers or a £2.35 saving in medical costs,” it added.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Finally, any wholesale reform of this nature would need legislative changes. One change would be the need to enshrine in law the provision of OH to support both to NHS workers and those unable to access OH commercially. Mandating large employers to provide OH services would also likely require legislation.

The full position paper is available to view online here.

Nic Paton

Nic Paton is consultant editor at Personnel Today. One of the country's foremost workplace health journalists, Nic has written for Personnel Today and Occupational Health & Wellbeing since 2001, and edited the magazine from 2018.

previous post
Sainsbury’s to hire 22,000 workers for Christmas rush
next post
Could universal OH be the key to Covid recovery?

You may also like

Uncertainty over law hampering legal use of medical...

20 May 2025

Employers ‘worryingly’ ignorant about stress risk assessments

20 May 2025

Awareness weeks fuel spike in demand for mental...

19 May 2025

Healthcare workers prioritise mental health support in new...

12 May 2025

Two-thirds of school leaders suffering mental ill health

6 May 2025

‘Healthy work’ about much more than access to...

28 Apr 2025

Tool developed for employers to calculate cost of...

28 Apr 2025

Why employers must do more to support all...

24 Apr 2025

How to help employees quit vaping before new...

22 Apr 2025

NHS urging people to check for cancer warning...

22 Apr 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...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 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • 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
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today