******************************** Please remove this footer before replying.
Oh Anne, I rarely comment on jisc mail these day's due to capacity!!! but I felt needed to say I whole heartedly agree with your comments :-) to me this should be the core of all OH services.
Regards
Pam
Pamela Palfreyman
Occupational Health Manager
Occupational Health Service
East & North Hertfordshire NHS Trust
Ext:6514
Tel: 01438 286514
F: 01438 781510
For general Occupational Health queries and referrals please email [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]
SEQOHS
Safe Effective Quality Occupational Health Service
Cert No 0014
&
From: [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask] [[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask] [[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 17 January 2014 11:34
To: [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [OCC-HEALTH] FW: Nurses face three-year competency checks - Telegraph
To add to the debate – I think it depends on what is meant by “care” and “compassion”. I, like Karen, care about the working conditions and health status of employees. However, we are employed to be impartial advisers to both employee and employer and therefore we are the only group of nurses that are not always “client/patient advocate”. The advice we give to a manager may not actually be in the interest of the employee. To illustrate: a client employed in the NHS his 20’s who has taken a large amount of repeated short term absence (55 days on 35 occasions) with no underlying significant health problem and who had not seen his GP re his various aches and pains. Absences occurred predominantly either side of his scheduled days off. He was referred for an OH opinion. I had no hesitation responding to his manager that in my opinion it was a management rather than a health issue. The employee probably thought I was an “uncaring” nurse. However, I view it from the perspective of:
- Abuse of the sickpay scheme with a significant cost to the NHS which impacts on patient care
- The impact on the manager trying to run a department
- The impact on the co-workers.
I would hope that the manager would then start performance manageing this employee more effectively.
A public health pro-active approach to OH provision underpins my approach but I am not signed up to a tea and sympathy based service which is what I think Karen means when she refers to “pink and fluffy”. I want to see hazards controlled and staff working in an environment which is safe and promotes health.
Anne
Anne Harriss
Course Director
LONDON SOUTH BANK UNIVERSITY
On 17/01/2014 08:58, "Karen Coomer" <[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask] <https://web.nhs.net/OWA/UrlBlockedError.aspx> > wrote:
Hi Lynda******************************** Please remove this footer before replying.
As you know I have always had a concern about this in OH and put pen to paper a few years ago due to seeing some (in my view) OH practice that fell short of what I would consider is a care and compassionate approach. I think the problem is that sometimes there is a perception that care & compassion = fluffy OH service. Actually care and compassion can take many forms, I would consider that the research I am currently doing is based the fact that I care very much that low skilled workers often do not make pension age without significant health issues, so on the face of it not traditionally caring or compassionate but if it can demonstrate a change in the practice which helps people stay at work then it will worth all the work involved.
I wrote an article on this subject a few years ago, I attach it now for anyone interested.
Karen
From: [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask] <https://web.nhs.net/OWA/UrlBlockedError.aspx> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lynda Wright
Sent: 16 January 2014 22:53
To: [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask] <https://web.nhs.net/OWA/UrlBlockedError.aspx>
Subject: [OCC-HEALTH] FW: Nurses face three-year competency checks - Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10554500/Nurses-face-three-year-competency-checks.html
The role of Occupational Health nurses in certain areas will have to change when this is introduced. Last year I was offered a position where they were emphatic it was not our role to care or have compassion. What do other think?
Happy New Year everyone
From
Lynda
******************************** Please remove this footer before replying.
OCC-HEALTH ARCHIVES: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/occ-health.html
CONFERENCES AND STUDY DAYS: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/filearea.cgi?LMGT1=OCC-HEALTH
******************************** Please remove this footer before replying.
OCC-HEALTH ARCHIVES: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/occ-health.html
CONFERENCES AND STUDY DAYS: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/filearea.cgi?LMGT1=OCC-HEALTH
OCC-HEALTH ARCHIVES: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/occ-health.html
CONFERENCES AND STUDY DAYS: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/filearea.cgi?LMGT1=OCC-HEALTH
********************************************************************************************************************
This message may contain confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient please inform the
sender that you have received the message in error before deleting it.
Please do not disclose, copy or distribute information in this e-mail or take any action in reliance on its contents:
to do so is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful.
Thank you for your co-operation.
NHSmail is the secure email and directory service available for all NHS staff in England and Scotland
NHSmail is approved for exchanging patient data and other sensitive information with NHSmail and GSi recipients
NHSmail provides an email address for your career in the NHS and can be accessed anywhere
********************************************************************************************************************
******************************** Please remove this footer before replying.
OCC-HEALTH ARCHIVES: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/occ-health.html
CONFERENCES AND STUDY DAYS: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/filearea.cgi?LMGT1=OCC-HEALTH
OCC-HEALTH ARCHIVES: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/occ-health.html
CONFERENCES AND STUDY DAYS: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/filearea.cgi?LMGT1=OCC-HEALTH