Some more pontifications from Sue.......... i am really not happy with
what I am hearing. Tuesday, I spent an excellent day in London at Imperial
College for Asthma study day and it was excellent. But much other talk was
the Black Report and the future of OH. It is not only the OHA's who are
not happy, the OHP's are not either. Surely, we need to take some radical
action, before our choices are made for us?
It seems to me that RCN is now disowning OH and concentrating on the NHS.
There are two possibilities moving forward: building new alliances and
adapting, or sit back and watch OH die away as a profession. Putting aside
the distinct possibility that Gordon Brown's government will be replaced
in 2009, the main partner for OH could be the BMA. Although both groups
might question this, there are good reasons for closer collaboration. In
particular, the Government is again meeting resistance from the BMA about
implementing vascular screening :
** Health screening for the over-40s **
People aged 40 to 74 will be given key health checks under government
plans which aim to save 2,000 lives a year.
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/1/hi/health/7323072.stm >
. A partnership between the BMA and OH (which now needs a home, IOSH?)
could create a much better response to rehabilitation etc. (perhaps the
Australian model?). At present, the doctor's are neither willing nor
qualified to properly implement the well note / tick box strategy and it
will fail. Take this example, overheard on a cross country bus service.
The driver is talking to his colleague whom he is taking to the depot.
They are irritated by the unfairness of work changes in the company. About
regional differences in pay, the state of the buses, their suitability for
cross-country work and so on. Then the case of a co-worker who has been
long term sick comes up. He's back, but is on 'light duties'. They scoff:
what does 'light duties' mean? Should he drive or not? If so, how far?
What should he drive? What shifts should he work? Does he need cover? Is
it safe? Who is going to assess all that? The GP - in 3 minutes? I think
not.
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