Anyone here work for Occupational Health in the NHS?

chuckcork

I've got a query.

Why if I'm to work in facilities management, will be doing no work involving heavy lifting, have minimal contact with patients, be not handling any body fluids of any kind, be basically fit and healthy in all regards, is there "a need for further medical details, so I am not passed as fit"?

If I can hop on my bike and ride 100km I'm fit!

alfablue

I am not in HR but I am a manual handling trainer for nurses.

Have you got a back problem?

Why do you presume you will not be passed as fit?

If you did have a back problem, then this would form part of the employer's risk assessment for manual handling (the "Individual Capability" section). Instead of discriminating against you, their duty is to make the work safe for you, and if your injury couldbe classed as a long term disability (under the Disability Discrimination Act) then their duty would be to make "reasonable adjustments" to your work so that you can undertake it.

(I have a disability under the DDA, but I am a keen cyclist and walker).

More information?

chuckcork

I'd be in facilities management, the only lifting I would expect to do in a days work would be a coffee cup (RSI a risk here?). Maybe other things, but it will be an office based environment and role so limited to that, I certainlty would not be expecting to lift patients, anymore than anyone out in the street would be expected to have to be able to pick someone up before they are allowed to go to work.

I expect that I will be passed as fit, that the questions is even raised however, with all the attendant delays so beloved of bureaucrats, is strange?

alfablue

Normally there is an OH screening questionnaire and follow-ups made on the basis of the answers there. Are they asking to see you or get a report from your GP? Maybe they are being over cautious. I know it is a frustrating delay, but I wouldn't expect any problem if you don't have a serious illness.

An office has it's own manual handling hazards however; for example the box of copier paper (wrongly!) left on the floor can easily cause injury if lifted - it exceeds the guideline weight for men by about 25% (the guideline weight is an estimate of what could be handled safely by 95% of people).

Has lifting/handling been mentioned specifically? There are many other aspects that might be considered re: fitness to work in the NHS (mental health for example )

MrHulot

I've had a brush with OH and got roped in to a working party when our outfit changed provider - I was a staff rep. Now they've brought it in-house more of this pre-employment assessment is carried out, if not involving the OH nurse or doc then using an online Q&A portal if appropriate. I reckon it's more to do with discovering underlying conditions and ward off compensation claims than seeing if you're fit. :roll:

They are now attempting to slip managing sickness absence in under the radar with the intention of introducing Bradford Points which is a very poor blunt instrument.

I better stop there before I go off on one. :x

MrHulot

I've had a brush with OH and got roped in to a working party when our outfit changed provider - I was a staff rep. Now they've brought it in-house more of this pre-employment assessment is carried out, if not involving the OH nurse or doc then using an online Q&A portal if appropriate. I reckon it's more to do with discovering underlying conditions and ward off compensation claims than seeing if you're fit. :roll:

They are now attempting to slip managing sickness absence in under the radar with the intention of introducing Bradford Points which is a very poor blunt instrument.

I better stop there before I go off on one. :x

chuckcork

MrHulot wrote:

I've had a brush with OH and got roped in to a working party when our outfit changed provider - I was a staff rep. Now they've brought it in-house more of this pre-employment assessment is carried out, if not involving the OH nurse or doc then using an online Q&A portal if appropriate. I reckon it's more to do with discovering underlying conditions and ward off compensation claims than seeing if you're fit. :roll:

They are now attempting to slip managing sickness absence in under the radar with the intention of introducing Bradford Points which is a very poor blunt instrument.

I better stop there before I go off on one. :x

Fit? I'll quite happily ride a hundred miles a week with no problems, that should be fit enough for anyone.

As for making sure I'm not going to take excessive time off work ill, the length of the process is at the rate its going will be longer than the cumulative time I've had off work in the past 6 years.

Overkill or just overly zealous bureaucracy?

As for other hazards....Boxes of paper? Hurtling down a gravelly, potholed road at 40mph holds no terrors, they couldn't be seriously worried about me stubbing my toes on a box?

Might have something with the mental health angle of course, patronising bureaucrats who insist they know what best for my own good seriously wind me up. :evil:

chuckcork

I did helpfully suggest to the HR people if OH want me to come in for whatever "ve have vays of making you talk" process they've apparently got me scheduled for on Monday then I could cycle.

Good or bad idea? Only 25 miles each way.


BTW I only seem to find out what is happening within the employment process by asking, not by being told upfront, is this standard for the NHS? Take forever to do anything, layers of bureaucracy to get through that appear pointless, keep you in the dark and feed bovine manure etc? No wonder they had so little interest in the job, recession or not?

Or have I just worked too long in the private sector?

alfablue

I understand your ire, Chuck, and I am not supporting over zealous screening, but do not underestimate the problem of back injuries in the workplace. It is a serious problem in terms of numbers, and also serious for many people who are permanently damaged by seemingly trivial activities. Employees that do sustain back injuries may well seek compensation from employers (quite rightly so, if their injury is significant and due to a failure of the system of work/risk assessment), so it is only right (and is their legal duty) for employers to assess the capability of their workers. These issues may have never effected you, but they are serious issues on a personal and organisational level, and do cost the economy hundreds of millions of pounds per year, and of course, cause a lot of suffering for individuals.

The thrills we seek in our "off duty" time is entirely our own affair, and like you I take some crazy risks for the fun of it - but that is not in the workplace, where judgement of risk has to be more responsible (again, every employee has a legal duty to take care of their own H&S at work).

Anyway, I don't think its all about manual handling, hopefully you'll jump through all the necessary hoops as soon as possible

alfablue

chuckcork wrote:

BTW I only seem to find out what is happening within the employment process by asking, not by being told upfront, is this standard for the NHS? Take forever to do anything, layers of bureaucracy to get through that appear pointless, keep you in the dark and feed bovine manure etc? No wonder they had so little interest in the job, recession or not?

Or have I just worked too long in the private sector?

Very much depends on the individual trust - they vary widely, some are totally cr*p, the best are as good as anything in the private sector. During my time working in the NHS I was constantly getting "on the case" of administrators that seemed to lack any sense of urgency!

MrHulot

Wwhats ggoingg onon here?? Ddouble pposts.??

chuckcork

alfablue wrote:

Very much depends on the individual trust - they vary widely, some are totally cr*p, the best are as good as anything in the private sector. During my time working in the NHS I was constantly getting "on the case" of administrators that seemed to lack any sense of urgency!

Apparently from my interview they've only been needing someone since September, I guess that message has been translated by HR as "if we've been waiting that long, we can afford to wait a bit longer"

Issue for me is its been almost 6 months since my last pay, I have around £20 in my current account, while my missus is working she is covering every expense but with No.2 child on the way that can only happen for so long, and I have a mortgage that is being paid for from savings that will run out at some point!

No urgency, none at all... :?