Hi Sharon
I've seen a number of people recently with eating disorders, but they are, fortunately, under the care of their GP or eating disorder
clinic
The problem with your colleague being at work is that her weight will be extremely difficult to maintain due to energy
expenditure of being at work, even on a desk job.
I've been fortunate enough to have eating disorder support workers attend clinic's with individual's i've seen and calorific intake, energy
expenditure is extremely closely monitored, even restricting going out of the house if they are not in hospital.
I think what is likely to happen with your colleague, if she doesn't engage, she will become so weak, she will just not be physically able
to attend work no matter how motivated she is to remain in work. I have had a lady recently who was so weak in the end she was admitted to
hospital and has been an inpatient 5 days a week for the last 5-6 months.
Is her condition affecting her performance? is anyone monitoring her in her work area? If so then management need to make a formal
referral.
You can invite her in again and ask for her consent to write to her GP informing the GP of your concerns, and urging her to attend her GP,
Have you got an E.A.P she could attend?
I'm not sure there is anything else you can do Sharon, other than try your best to encourage her to engage with you.
Hope this helps
Belinda Fox
SCPHN/OH
>----Original Message----
>From: [log in to unmask]
>Date: 17/11/2012 14:32
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Subj: [OCC-HEALTH] Eating disorders
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>Would be interested to know others views, this is a current lively debate re the role of OH v primary care, a former colleague is the HR
person in the following scenario. Individual with eating disorder, BMI probably around the 15 mark and dropping. Job is fairly
pressurised, desk based, requires critical thinking/decision making. Individual excels at this job, low sickness absence rates. Had some
interaction with OH dept at the company via self referral in the past, their input included individual seeing OHP regularly and getting
weighed to monitor BMI. There was some liaison between OH and local eating disorders clinic, individual has not really engaged with local
clinic, has not attended sessions with them, not engaged with plans to treat her as day patient etc etc so their input has essentially
ceased. Individual never sees GP, this is born out by GP report that states that she hasnt been in to surgery in over a year. Individual
has now stopped engaging with OH too Significant management concerns regarding this individual as visibly getting thinner by the day and it
has been requested via case conference that OH "do something" and this has set off some lively debate as you can imagine. I have been asked
informally by my HR mate how I would deal with this and it set me thinking...... Taking as read that a referral would have to be made and
questions about "fitness" would be asked. There are no absence or performance issues, so who then determines "fitness" and what criteria
should be used?
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