Dear Colleagues

Coronavirus has probably swamped your working days. We are in close contact with PHE and on a daily basis checking for new guidance on Coronavirus and healthcare workers so that we can keep you updated at this very busy time. 

At the Board meeting in February we had a presentation from NHS Improvement focusing on the further work that needs to be done in support of the NHS People Plan. Occupational Health has been identified as a key part of this work including the development of minimum rapid-access service standards. We will keep you updated on progress.

After many years of service to the Network, Wendy Coleman is taking her retirement.  Wendy has been the backbone of the Network over the years and I want to thank her for all her hard work and  contribution.  A big thank you also, to outgoing Board Members and a welcome to our new Board colleagues.

We appreciate the support you provide the Network through your membership.  Thank you to all those who have already renewed their membership for this year and a reminder to those who have yet to do so that the early bird discount will close next month.

You have given a 100% satisfaction rating to the Network Conference in the last few years and we have another great line-up of speakers and plenty of time to network so please reserve the 8^th and 9^th September 2020 in your diary and we will share the details with you soon.  

With best wishes

Shriti Pattani

Chair

In this edition:

1.  It’s Time To Sign Up/Renew Your NHS Network Membership!

2.  New Network Board Members

3.  Ask-A-Question

4.  MoHaWK Update

5.  Exclusive Network Benefit: £200 off the At Work Partnership Courses!

6.  Research – OH Support for NHS Staff Who Stammer

7.  Our letter to the Prime Minister – Boris Johnson

8.  RCOT Report into Work and Health

9.  Surveillance of significant occupational exposures to BBVs in HCWs in the UK 

10. Health Declaration Forms for Overseas Nurses

The next edition will be circulated week commencing 29 March 2020.

 1.  It’s Time To Sign Up/Renew Your NHS Network Membership!

It’s great to see so many of our Members have already signed up for the coming year.  If you haven’t managed to do so just yet, don’t forget the early-bird discount closes at the end of April.

Signing up guarantees that you don’t miss out on our exclusive range of Network benefits which include:

• A free place at the NHS Network’s Annual Conference
• Free access to MoHaWK – the clinical benchmarking tool for occupational health
• Free listing on our ‘Find A Provider’ page – helping you to win new business
• Inclusion on the ‘OH Clearance for National Performer’s List’
• Ask-A-Question – the opportunity to pick the brains of over 2,000 OH professionals and seek advice around any new challenges you face, or general questions you have
• Discounted access to clinical skills training and conferences – worth hundreds of pounds!
• Access to our Member’s only area of the website - providing advice and guidance 24/7
• Free job advertising on our website for those ‘hard-to-fill’ OH vacancies
• Keeping you updated – we work hard to make sure you find out first about the important and crucial developments in the OH world that may affect your Service, such as the recent coronavirus outbreak.

See our full range of exclusive benefits here

If you haven’t already seen it, please check your inbox, or spam folders, for the renewal e-mail and letter we sent out last month.  If you need it again, along with sign-up forms, just contact admin@nhshealthatwork.co.uk

2.    New Network Board Members

We are delighted to announce our new Board appointments.  Dr. Alina Morhan, Consultant Occupational Physician at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is the new Board representative for the South Central region.  Steven Forster, Clinical Lead Service Manager for The Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will be the new Board rep for the North East region, taking over from Anna Porter who has represented the region for the last 6 years.  Thank you Anna!

A warm welcome to Alina and Steven.  If you are in their regions, please do use them as your link to the Network Board.

3.    Network Benefit: Ask-A-Question

One of the benefits of being part of the Network, is the ability to pose a question to colleagues around the country, and receive help, ideas and guidance on new ways of doing things.  So far this year, we have already posted 9 questions around a variety of topics ranging from DNA rates, flu opt-out, pertussis, OH opening hours, job descriptions, and more!  Check out the questions and answers here!

4.    Network Benefit: MoHaWK Round 16 Closing Soon!

Round 16 is in its final week and you should now be thinking about pulling your reports and reviewing what improvements you want to consider before Round 17 commences.  Some Services have already provided feedback indicating that just by entering data, they have recognised the need for improvement and regular audit – demonstrating how MoHaWK is impacting service improvement!

The system is designed to enable you to pull your own reports. Just click on the report tab of the system and choose ‘Round report’. NB: sometimes you have to be patient and let your browser catch up when the report is downloading! 

Once you have downloaded the report – start to discuss the results and what actions are needed within your service.

If you have any queries surrounding the reports then do contact hilary.winch@nnuh.nhs.uk

5.    Exclusive Network Benefit: £200 off the At Work Partnership Courses!

Practical OH Law Certificate

28 – 30 April 2020, Central London

The At Work Partnership is delighted to offer NHS Health at Work network members a discount of £200 + VAT for places on our Practical OH Law Certificate. This practical three-day qualification is designed to provide occupational health professionals with an in-depth understanding of occupational health law at work.

Book and pay by 31 March 2020 to qualify for our early bird rates. 

More information is available from https://www.atworkpartnership.co.uk/conference/practical-oh-law-certificate-2020-2

Certificate in Managing Mental Health at Work

24 – 26 June 2020, Central London

The At Work Partnership is pleased to offer NHS Health at Work network members a discount of £200 + VAT for places on our Certificate in Managing Mental Health at Work course. This comprehensive three-day qualification is designed to give OH professionals the in-depth knowledge, strategies, skills and techniques to successfully manage mental health at work.  

Early Bird Offer: Book and pay by 30 April 2020 to also qualify for our early bird rates. 

More information is available from: https://www.atworkpartnership.co.uk/conference/cert-in-mental-health-at-work-2020

6.    Research – OH Support for NHS Staff Who Stammer

Estimates suggest 1% of the population stammers (stutters), with the male to female ratio of stammering being 4:1 in adulthood. The NHS employs approximately 1.5 million staff so this could equate to approximately 15,000 NHS staff who stammer. Limited research into the pervasive impact of stammering in the workplace has found it can influence job performance and job satisfaction, and can limit career progression. 

From an occupational health (OH) perspective, there is no existing research into the extent of OH involvement in the management of NHS staff who stammer. In addition, there is a gap in our understanding of the impact of stammering on job performance (clinical and non-clinical), job satisfaction and quality of life or of the advice or support needs staff or their managers may require within a healthcare setting. This project aims to fill this gap but we need your help! 

The results from this survey of OH departments will also contribute to an upcoming survey of NHS staff who stammer. Collectively these results will help us to determine whether there is a need to establish a peer-led national NHS Employee Stammering Network. 

We would really appreciate if you could please complete the short online questionnaire via the following link:https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/stammeringintheNHS

This will take approximately 5 minutes to complete. Alternatively you may find it helpful to print the attached paper version of the survey and complete this at a clinical team meeting where you can seek feedback from your colleagues. You can then send a scanned copy back to Vaughan.parsons@gstt.nhs.uk  

7.    Our letter to the Prime Minister – Boris Johnson

A coalition of over 30 employers, charities and health experts, including the NHS Health at Work Network, have written to the Prime Minister to urge him to keep to a commitment he made last summer and look at ‘offering preferential tax treatment to companies that look after the mental health and wellbeing of their employees in work’ in his first Budget on 11 March.

The letter reveals concerns from employers about “the impact of long waiting times for mental health treatment or physiotherapy on our employees” and the opportunity for “businesses and the NHS working together to support employees before they hit crisis point.” 

Although the coalition group explains in the letter that it supports “increased funding for these vital NHS services”, it calls for an overhaul of “the complex tangle of tax rules on early clinical intervention and prevention” so that “no one, especially those on low pay, should be stung by a surprise tax bill after getting help through their employer.”

Treatment given to employees for free and paid for by their employer, such as physiotherapy, is currently a taxable ‘employee benefit’, unless someone’s condition is a ‘direct result of work’ or they are off sick for 28 consecutive days - previously dubbed a ‘a hopeless incentive’ by the Prime Minister. These exemptions were set by the Government on the basis that after four weeks’ off sick, someone is more likely to move onto benefits. 

The letter concerns raised by business leaders and clinicians follows research commissioned in the Working Well report which shows that without action from employers and the Government, the cost to the economy of people struggling with poor mental health and musculoskeletal conditions is set to rise to £87.8bn by 2025. It also found early intervention from employers could reduce treatment waiting times for UK workers for physiotherapy and psychological therapies by 72 days and 78 days respectively. 

#WorkingWell

See the letter here

8.     RCOT Report into Work and Health

The Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) has just published a new report: Good work for good health: the difference occupational therapy makes (available here) which demonstrates the role and impact of occupational therapy in helping people to stay in and return to work.

Evidence shows that good work is good for our health.  It benefits the individual, society and wider economy.  Ill health costs the UK £100 billion each year, but the benefits of work are greater and economic reward, work is recognised as an essential occupation which supports longevity, health and well-being.

The report which is part of the Occupational Therapy: Improving Lives, Saving Money campaign, demonstrates, how occupational therapists can help increase the number of people with long term conditions in work. It also calls for occupational therapists to be embedded in occupational health teams to provide staff, particularly in the NHS, with improved health and wellbeing services.

In relation to Work, specifically, the report highlights that occupational therapists can:

• Offer advice and early intervention strategies to employers to help create an organisational culture that values their staff’s health and wellbeing.
• Provide vocational-focused interventions aimed at those already experiencing difficulties at work or getting into paid employment.
• Work within occupational health departments to support the health and wellbeing of their staff.
• Provide solutions to help people with disabilities and health conditions in employment.

9.    Surveillance of significant occupational exposures to BBVs in HCWs in the UK 

PHE has published a new Eye of the Needle report, providing an update on significant occupational exposures (SOEs) to blood borne viruses in healthcare workers (and ancillary staff working within healthcare settings) in the United Kingdom [1].

PHE monitors occupational exposures to BBVs with follow-up to identify any subsequent seroconversions that may result. An SOE occurs when an HCW has either:

• been exposed to the blood or bodily fluids of a source patient known to be hepatitis B surface antigen positive, hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA positive and/or HIV positive, or
• is in a high-risk group and been found to be positive with one of these infections.

Monitoring is conducted via reporting from occupational health services across England, Northern Ireland and Wales.

This short report summarises the number of SOEs reported to PHE since 1 January 1997, including whether these HCWs received hepatitis B vaccination and/or HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), and the number of seroconversions as a result of the exposure. 

Between 1 January 1997 and 30 June 2018, PHE received reports of 8,765 SOEs in HCWs in England, Northern Ireland and Wales. There were reports of 234 SOEs between January 2015 and December 2017 in Scotland. Since the previous Eye of the Needle report, in 2014, there have been two reports of confirmed HCV seroconversions, bringing the total to 23 HCV seroconversions in the UK – the last confirmed report having occurred in 2015. All 23 reported HCV seroconversions followed percutaneous exposures from hollow bore needles reported by HCWs and ancillary workers. There have been no further reports of confirmed hepatitis B or HIV seroconversions since Eye of the Needle 2014.

The latest report recommends HCWs are adequately trained on how to prevent injury and continue to follow local guidelines to reduce risk of injury, as well as to report any SOEs to their occupational health provider. Occupational health services should ensure HCWs are tested and treated within the appropriate timeframes and given relevant guidance, treatment and assistance to prevent injuries occurring in future. Hepatitis B vaccination and HIV PEP should be offered to HCWs in line with appropriate guidance.

10. Supporting our Members: Health Declaration Forms for Overseas Nurses

One of our Members recently reported some confusion about who (doctors/nurses) should sign the form and received some inconsistent advice from the NMC about what is acceptable. This is a significant problem as there is a huge drive for overseas recruitment and we need to address this quickly to stop delays.

Shriti took this up with the NMC and are happy for their response to be shared so that other colleagues can quote this if they are experiencing any difficulty.  They responded as follows:

“In our guidance we advise that a GP, family doctor or occupational health practitioner can complete the form in relation to health. The person completing the form will need to confirm the following:

• they’ve carried out a health assessment in the last six months
• they’re qualified to complete the health declaration

They will also need to either:

• verify and agree with the information the applicant has given us about their health, or
• explain why they may not agree with what the applicant has told us about their health and why they feel the applicant may not be capable of safe and effective practice due to a health condition and/or disability they may have

The person completing the form can arrive at this conclusion by reviewing medical notes, or they may wish to see the applicant in person before completing the form. In light of this, the person completing the form must fall into one of the categories above (GP, family doctor or occupational health practitioner) and is able answer our queries based on an assessment they believe is suitable.

You may be aware that we’ve recently updated the overseas registration process, which is now entirely online. In terms of how the changes impact on the completion of these forms, these will now be emailed to a nominated third party (medical practitioner or Occupational health department) to complete electronically. However, our policy remains the same in terms of who can complete the online verification of this requirement.”

If colleagues continue to experience any difficulties please contact Suzanne McCormack,

Senior International Assessment Officer, Registration and Revalidation on 020 7333 6600.

The NHS Health at Work Network brings together all OH teams providing health and wellbeing services to NHS OH staff.  It is dedicated to providing consistent, high quality health at work services to all NHS staff through collaborative working.

Members of OH teams in NHS Health at Work Network member organisations can receive the bulletin and access the restricted areas of the website as a membership benefit – if you are not sure of your login details email admin@nhshealthatwork.co.uk. 

Please share this bulletin with colleagues and encourage them to register to receive it regularly. 

Non-Network members can also register to receive the monthly bulletin here.

You can contact the Network through your regional representative or as shown below.  Please get in touch if you have any queries or comments, if there is anything you would like to see in future issues of the bulletin, or if you have news to share.

Dr Shriti Pattani, Chair                                         chair@nhshealthatwork.co.uk

Andrew Gilbey, Network Manager                        andrew.gilbey25@gmail.com

Wendy Coleman, Network Administrator             admin@nhshealthatwork.co.uk

Postal address: PO Box 642, BS23 9NG