I would be happy to participate in a survey and would surmise that in the interests of assisting this valuable service running effectively and consistently across England, I would think we all would
Sue
Susan Gorton | OH Nurse Manager | Occupational Health Department | Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | Level 3, Ormond House, 26-27 Boswell St., London WC1N 3JZ |020 7405 9200 Ext 0247 | DD to OHD 020 78138554 | Direct Fax 020 78138355 | Mobile 07833294568
Please be advised that all e-mail communication relevant to assisting in the management of the OH process will be printed and entered into the individual's OH file or copied and added as an electronic note on their electronic OH record. This may therefore be disclosed under the Data Protection Act (1998).
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Karen Coomer
Sent: 26 October 2012 15:23
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [OCC-HEALTH] Access to Work
Hi Jennifer
I agree with everything Lindsey has said, I work with private (including SME's) and public sector employers in Northern England and there does not seem to be consistency in the approach, process or outcome. I have a lady just diagnosed with epilepsy who is trying to get support with transport as she works in a remote area for an SME - she has had difficulty contacting them and I have tried to help - before it was regionalised the process was much quicker and contact was immediate.
Have you considered sending out a survey to collate the information you want?, it may be that the we all experience it differently depending on where we work and geographical spread.
As Lindsey said guidance would be great idea and also an update on where the recommendations in the Government’s response to the consultation on the recommendations in Liz Sayce’s independent review on Access to Work ( I have attached the report).
Best regards
Karen
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lindsey Hall
Sent: 26 October 2012 09:09
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [OCC-HEALTH] Access to Work
Hi Jennifer
You might find it useful to search the archives if not done so already. ATW has been discussed many times over the years, some of the feedback and comments have been great and some not so. There seems to be a lot of geographical variation, a variety of experiences and maybe some misunderstanding about what they do, who for and how. It seems generally understood that the employee needs to apply but beyond that it's a bit cloudy.
Personally, I would be very grateful for some guidance on who gets what, how, why and how much. My perception is that this has changed over the years, particularly as we have moved into an age of austerity. In a previous role, I dealt a lot with one of the major banks and was astonished when they said they had just secured substantial ATW funding for an employee who didn't seem to be notably disabled or incapacitated in any way and also a few days after declaring a multibillion pound profit. This probably shouldn't have been an issue but somehow didn't seem right. My confusion was compounded when a couple of months later a much smaller and less affluent client of the provider I worked for struggled to get the bare minimum of support for what appeared to be a far more justifiable cause.
I am sure there must be some standards and guidelines available but there sometimes appears to be a touch of the black arts as well. A substantial percentage of UK OH Advisers tap into this list so clear guidance on what we and an employee can expect when sending the employee in your direction would be very helpful, firstly in helping some employees and organisations in genuine need and secondly, not sending you inappropriate and spurious applications.
Thanks
Lindsey
Lindsey Hall
Director and Independent Occupational Health Adviser Split Dimension Ltd
Phone: 01454 852715
Fax: 01454 740045
Mobile: 07771 596111
Web: www.splitdimension.co.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/splitdimension
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-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jennifer Lord
Sent: 25 October 2012 20:21
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [OCC-HEALTH] Access to Work
Dear group members,
I have recently joined the group after being informed about it from Susan Gorton and Anne Harris. I work for Randstad Student and Worker support. We are a specialist division of Randstad and a leader in our field. We work in partnership with universities, colleges, workplaces and jobcentres to provide non-medical helpers to those with physical and learning disabilities.
We have been actively working with Access to Work for the past 4 years to provide support workers for those with disabilities, from Dyslexia Tutors, to Job coaches and Job aides. I am looking to help provide better support for people who have a disability and I would greatly like any feedback you have regarding your experiences with Access to Work. We wish to pass this feedback on to them, as we have established relationships with their external relations team.
Access to Work ultimately wish to make more people aware of their services and the support they can provide, whilst also improving their service to meet the needs of the customer. Any feedback you have would be highly beneficial so we can drive this forward and achieve the best possible disability support for all those who require it in the workplace.
I look forward to your responses and if you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me on the forum.
Many thanks,
Jennifer
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