Perhaps the requesting person should be challenged to provide the reasons why they think OH should go and then you have a distinct (possibly) unrealistic statement to counter argue against.
·
If the reasons are that the person cannot travel – tele-consultation is quicker and easier and cheaper as you should NEVER go alone and this includes into employee homes with their chaperones. As this
means taking someone else bound by confidentiality that means another clinician, it gets expensive and time-consuming to arrange
·
If they cannot talk – writing is quicker, easier and cheaper
·
If they want to confirm that the person is indeed house bound, incapacitated etc – you are not the employee police and it would be professionally inappropriate for your service to be used that way
·
If they want to confirm the extent of the diagnosis and the employee is not a cogent historian you can get consent and write to the GP
·
If the person is sadly terminal, why waste the time arranging the visit when you can spend it organising the paperwork to allow them access to benefits as you would still need the GP etc reports anyway.
Doctors and nurses in the NHS do home visits to provide treatment to patients that are known by their practice and the environment has been risk assessed. I know as I use to be a district nurse in London and
some areas and pateints we only went to in pairs even when they were known. OH nurse do not provide treatment, home visits can be risky, even dangerous, personally and professionally.
So ask them their ‘why’ and then you can more accurately work out the ‘why not’ if appropriate.
Sue
Advanced Notice: I am leaving the Trust on the 6th December. Please post on any subscripted emails to [log in to unmask]
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).
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From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Jenkins, Jo
Sent: 07 November 2013 07:18
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [OCC-HEALTH] Home visits
Dear list
An NHS colleague of mine not on the list asked me if I would be so kind as to post this question to you.
She was asked what the rationale is in her own unit for
not conducting a home visit for an employee on long term sick and has to respond by tomorrow. I have my own views but wondered what the wider community think.
Does anyone have any written recommendation, advice, guidance, rationale re: Occupational Health and conducting home visits that they would be happy to share that I can pass on.
In advance thank you!
Kind Regards
Jo
Please be advised that all e-mail communication relevant to assisting in the management of the OH process will be entered into the individual's OH file. This may therefore be disclosed to the client under the
Data Protection Act (1998).
Reward & Wellbeing
Jo Jenkins | Senior Occupational Health Adviser
01223 397 552 | ( EXT 2552 )|
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