Use the internet to manage occupational health in your
business
Access a network of specialists so that management decisions
are always based on the best advice
Occupational health support for your own health and safety
advisers
Taking good care of your workforce depends on you having
access to people with the right specialist knowledge, who are able to deliver
occupational health services where you need them, which is usually in the
workplace.
Occupational Health Solutions specialises in providing affordable occupational
health services to small and medium sized clients. Being based in
Macclesfield we are ideally placed for companies in Greater Manchester, Cheshire
and the Peak District.
What is Occupational Health?
Expert Advice
Online or on the Telephone
On Site
Our Services
Sickness Absence, Disability and Rehabilitation
Independent Medical Reports
Ill Health Retirement
Health Awareness Programmes
Occupational health practitioners focus on the relationship
between health and work. For some people a health issue will affect their
ability to work or the type of work they can do. In other cases the work
itself may have the potential to affect peoples health. For an
occupational health specialist the "patient" may be a single employee,
a group or even the entire workforce, depending on the specific issue.
Occupational health aims to ensure that people can be as
effective as possible in their work and that their health is protected.
The key benefits of occupational health are:
 | Targeted, risk based, compliance with health and safety law. |
| Loss control - reducing the personal and business costs of
sickness absence, lost production and personal injury or illness.
| Ensuring that people are fit to do the job that they are
employed for, identifying and protecting people with disabilities under
the Disability Discrimination Act. |
| Detecting adverse health effects and preventing
work-related disease. |
| Dealing with workplace "issues" for example sick building syndrome, stress,
chemical exposure or clusters of reported illness. |
| Receiving advice on the management of sickness absence.
Identifying individuals or departments with poor sickness absence
history. |
| Expert interpretation of health and safety information and
incorporating legal developments
into Company health and safety policies. |
|
Expert Advice
Our Medical Director is Dr David Shackleton, who provides
advice and medical services directly to our clients as well as support for our
occupational health advisers. A number of occupational health nurses
provide day-to-day support for individual companies.
Dr Shackleton is an accredited specialist in occupational
medicine and a Member of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine ( MFOM ). He
has experience as a HSE medical inspector and in senior appointments in the
chemicals, engineering, food, brewing, rail, fire, aerospace, glass, and
pharmaceuticals sectors.
Online or on the Telephone
Many clients don't need an occupational health adviser on site
all the time but may need advice at short notice. You can speak
directly to your adviser on the 'phone, or if you need written advice you can
use e-mail. We are happy to make arrangements for you to receive advice
and medical reports electronically, using the appropriate data protection
methods.
We also provide an affordable subscription service so that
your managers can have access to occupational health advice when they need it,
from a named occupational health adviser or company doctor.
On Site
Most employers are able to adapt existing facilities so that
occupational health services can be delivered on site. This is more
convenient, reduces costs and means that employees are not away from their work
for longer than necessary.
We will help you to identify and prioritise your occupational
health needs so that cost effective solutions can be introduced in your
workplace.
Our Services
We can provide the full range of occupational health services
and medicals including:
| Pre-placement health assessments to ensure that employees
are fit for the job they will be doing. We can do this by using a
special questionnaire that is reviewed by our occupational health
nurse. Employees with specific fitness requirements or exposed to
health risks may require a hands on medical examination. Doubtful
cases are referred to our consultant occupational physician for an opinion. |
| Health Surveillance. Targeted medical checks to
ensure that employees remain in good health and are not being harmed by
their work. |
| Hearing checks and audiometry. As part of a hearing
conservation programme. |
| Health risk assessment. Find out what to do about
health hazards at work. |
| Evaluate work pressure and the risk of stress related
illness. |
Sickness Absence, Disability and Rehabilitation
Frequent, short, unconnected spells of absence may not be due
to significant illness and require a management approach. Medical advice
is needed in order to ensure that management action is proportionate and fair.
We can help you to interpret your sickness absence data, make
sense of the stated reasons for absence and devise strategies for improving
attendance.
Sickness that extends beyond four weeks is often due to more
serious medical conditions that need to be assessed in order to ensure an
appropriate return to work and rehabilitation arrangements.
With a detailed knowledge of different occupations, working
environments and management cultures we can work with your people to resolve
difficult cases and achieve a satisfactory outcome. We can provide
independent medical reports and liaise with other healthcare professionals while
respecting medical confidentiality.
Independent Medical Reports
When employees are suffering from illness or disability that
affects their ability to work, or they feel their health has been affected by
their work, it may be necessary to get some specialist medical advice.
Sometimes it is difficult to make sense of differing opinions
from the employee, sick notes, GP reports and other sources.
We can arrange for a consultant in occupational medicine to
see and examine your employee, correspond with their doctor and produce a
comprehensive medical report concerning their employability and any special
arrangements that are necessary at work.
Consultations can take place at our consulting rooms if
attendance at the workplace is inconvenient. Many employers find that,
compared to the cost of extended sickness absence, this approach is very cost
effective.
A medical report can provide the following information
| Define the relationship between an underlying medical
condition and work.
| Indicate the outlook for a return to work and the likelihood
of further absence.
| The impact of the individuals condition on the health or
safety of others.
| Any restrictions to the employees duties or hours and the
duration of the restrictions.
| The need for reasonable adjustments or resettlement into a
different job.
| Medical legal implications including Disability
Discrimination and reporting under RIDDOR. |
| | | | |
Ill Health Retirement
Eligibility for ill health retirement benefits depends on
criteria that are legally binding and interpreted by the pension trustees.
A medical report is normally required and can be provided by our consultant
occupational physician, following a consultation and examination where
necessary.
Some pension applications are rejected and the member may
appeal against the decision. We can provide an independent medical report
to help resolve the issue and have experience of many pension systems including
Fire, Police, Local Authority and a range of private sector providers.
Health Awareness Programmes
We provide a range of health awareness programmes so that you
can meet your legal obligations and improve the level of well-being in your
workforce. Programmes include:
| Health risk awareness
| Workstation layout
| Manual handling
| Skin care and prevention of dermatitis
| Hearing conservation
| Respiratory protection |
| Diet and exercise
| Cardiovascular health
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