Occupational Health

Pre-Placement Health Assessment will help employers manage business risk, ensuring new employees are fit for their role.

We have systems for pre-placement screening processes to be performed on-line, electronically via email or as a hard copy paper based exercise. 

Typically there would be an assessment of an applicant’s completed online pre-placement health assessment by one of our clinicians. The results of the screening assessment will be fed back to the potential employer within 24 hours. If further clinical information is required arrangements would be made to obtain this and conclude the assessment within 2 weeks, enabling employers to make rapid decisions about employment and appointment of new starters.

Why manage sickness absence?
Absence is one of the biggest costs to any organisation. The Office of National Statistics (Feb 2014) survey estimated 131 milllion days were lost per year due to sickness absence.  Price Waterhouse Cooper (2013) quantified the UK rising costs of absence at £29 billion per year. The costs of sickness absence are huge, and investing in absence management pays dividends.  Estimates are that for every £1 spent, about £10 can be saved from absence costs.  A healthier, happier workforce is more productive. 

Why Healthwork?
Healthwork has experience in providing confidential, specialist advice to employers in the management of sickness absence.  The provision of good quality absence management advice assists employers in identifying trends, managing individual cases, planning workforce needs and complying with employment legislation (such as the disability provisions of the Equality Act).  

We can offer a case management approach and can facilitate employee access to early interventions such as psychological therapies and physiotherapy to expedite recovery and return to work.  Sickness absence is often related to medical, social, organisational, managerial and psycho-social factors. Our clinicians are experts at dealing with this combination of factors, and after assessing an individual employee we will produce objective occupational health reports, which help solve problems and advance cases.

We will remain in regular contact with you and act in a proactive solution focused manner when performing assessments. Our senior medical staff can also operate at a strategic level working in partnership with senior managers and HR professionals in identifying and addressing trends, developing strategies and policies to deal with the problems of sickness absence.

Healthwork staff
Healthwork's experienced occupational health practitioners are perfectly positioned to advise employers on all aspects of absence management. Healthwork employs occupational health physicians, nurses, counsellors, physiotherapists and psychiatrists who can provide high quality and absence management advice.

Wide range of advice
Healthwork offers advice on a wide range of key sickness absence issues including:

• advice on expected duration of absence
• advice on adjustments/support measures to aid work re-integration
• advice on specific work-related aspects of illness
• advice on potential barriers to returning to work
• advice on the likely applicability of relevant legislation
• advice on suitability for redeployment or ill health retirement

Training
There is a particularly strong link between training line managers in managing short-term sickness absence and a reduction in short-term absence.   40% of companies who train their managers reported a decrease in all types of sickness absence. We are able to provide this training for you and your business.

Why Healthwork?
Healthwork has many years of experience in setting up and running health surveillance programmes.
Healthwork has worked with a wide number of employers to set up health surveillance programmes.  These have included respiratory health surveillance, skin health surveillance, hand arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) screening programmes, health surveillance for noise, as well as statutory health screening programmes.

Healthwork staff
Healthwork’s experienced occupational health practitioners are perfectly positioned to advise you on your statutory requirements.  Healthwork has highly qualified occupational health physicians to provide high level technical advice and to carry out statutory medicals, including those relating to asbestos, lead and ionising radiation.

Assessment and feedback
All reports are presented in a clear and unambiguous form.  Annual summaries of the programme  are produced. 

Wide range of assessments
Healthwork offers a full range of health surveillance assessments, including:

• Spirometric lung function testing
• Vision screen
• Audiometry
• Skin surveillance
• Statutory appointed doctor medicals (Lead, Asbestos, Ionising radiation)
• Night worker questionnaires
• Driver medicals (fork lift truck, HGV etc.)
• Off shore medicals
• Hand Arm Vibration

Training
We offer bespoke training and awareness programmes for employees and managers.

Why Healthwork?
Healthwork has been involved in a number of successful health promotion campaigns and initiatives.  We have worked with employers and local health trusts to develop and run health promotion programmes. 

Healthwork staff
Healthwork employs and trains occupational health physicians, occupational health nurses, psychiatrists and counsellors, physiotherapist, health and wellbeing practitioners all of who are experienced at delivering health promotion and wellbeing initiatives. 

Range of Programmes
Our nurses and doctors are used to visiting sites and working closely with employees and employers during health promotion campaigns.  Examples have included:

• Healthy eating campaigns
• Healthy hearts campaign
• Protect your back
• Stop smoking initiatives
• Mens health campaign
• Promoting physical activity
• Promoting psychological wellbeing
• Menopause advice and guidance

Drug Testing and Screening Services
We can perform drug and alcohol tests either at our offices in central Manchester or on the sites of our clients.
Healthwork performs a 7 drug screening test using a single collection and instant testing system (the 7 Drug Integrated Test Cup).  We use the 7 Drug Integrated Test Cup which tests for:

• Amphetamines
• Benzodiazepines
• Cannabis
• Cocaine
• Methadone
• Methamphetamines
• Opiates

All our drug testing procedures follow a strict Chain of Custody path and all our staff are fully trained and conversant with chain of custody procedures.  Where a result is positive, the sample will need to be sent to the laboratory for confirmation.  Healthwork has arrangements with laboratories for this and during this process strict chain of custody procedures are adhered  to.  We can perform pre-arranged drug and alcohol testing such as pre-employment or random testing and this makes up the majority of our drug and alcohol work.  We can also arrange for ‘for cause’ testing to be performed at short notice.

Alcohol Testing
We offer a Breathalyser Test for Alcohol.  Our trained occupational health staff use the AL-600 Alcometer to perform breath alcohol testing.

Drug and Alcohol Policies and Procedures Development
We will work with you to design a Company Specific Drug and Alcohol Policy for your business and we will help you implement it.  Our staff will do this by:

• working with management to understand the organisational culture
• understanding  the nature and hazards of your business
• creating and helping you implement a new drug and alcohol policy
  

Training

Chain of Custody Training

We can provide chain of custody and drug/alcohol training to enable you to perform drug testing on site.   

Drug and Alcohol Awareness Training

Healthwork has training packages and material available to run training workshops for managers and staff. A typical training course lasts one day and is designed for groups of 10-15 people. 
Training is designed to help managers and staff:

• understand the different types of drugs
• identify the signs of potential drug or alcohol misuse
• understand how the testing / screening processes work
• understand support services available and ehabilitation

Why Healthwork?
Healthwork has many years of experience in this sector and provides occupational health services nationally.  Healthwork’s qualified and experienced occupational health practitioners are well positioned to advise you and your staff on both the practical and theoretical aspects of a wide range of employee health issues.  Our physicians are trained educators and lecturers. 

Training is presented in a clear and unambiguous form and delivered by occupational health practitioners with expertise and experience in that area.  Since October 2013, Healthwork has ran Faculty of Occupational Medicine (FOM) approved Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) courses for clinicians and managers.

Wide range of Training
Healthwork offers a full range of training programmes, including training on:

• HAVS FOM approved courses
• Manual handling
• Stress awareness
• Dermatitis
• Sickness Absence Management
• Noise at work
• Display screen equipment
• The Equality Act 2010
• Health surveillance programmes
• Risk Assessments
• Developing Healthcare policies
• Backpain
• Substance Abuse
• Occupational asthma
• Upper limb disorders

Healthwork has particular expertise in this area and is frequently asked to undertake complex assessments such as Independent Dispute Resolutions by the pension scheme, employer, insurance company or legal representative.  We have dealt with a number of appeals, injury award assessments and periodic reviews under various pension schemes.

Common examples of pension schemes that we are asked to advice on are :

• The  Fire-Fighter Pension scheme – our independent doctors have acted as Independent Qualified Medical Practitioners (IQMP) in a large number of cases under the Firefighter Pension scheme
• The  Police Pension scheme -  our independent doctors have acted as Selected Medical Practitioners (SMP) in a large number of cases under the Police Pension scheme
• The Local Government Pension scheme (LGPS) - our independent doctors are registered as Independent Registered Medical Practitioners (IRMP) and have acted as IRMP in a large number of cases under the LGPS
• A number of private sector pension schemes – we frequently advise the trustees of private sector pension schemes
• The National Health Service (NHS) pension scheme – we are frequently asked to provide advice under this scheme and are familiar with the scheme and processes involved