Blogs

Guest blog by Dr J Pearson, Chief Medical Officer, Health Drive Digital Driver shortages, poor facilities for drivers and worry over our supermarket shelves not being full – all recently in the news. But is not the real concern drivers' poor state of health? Drivers are sedentary, spend many hours…

Guest blog by Sharon Woodhouse OBE LLM MSc RGN RM Committee Member I have been involved in occupational health (OH) since 2001, qualifying as a Specialist Practitioner OH at Masters level in 2004. I am currently a senior OH Specialist Nurse Practitioner at Cordell Health. My leadership experience…

Guest blog for Occupational Health Awareness Week by Ross Clark, Head of Workplace Protection Team, The Institute of Occupational Medicine Occupational health or medicine and occupational hygiene have long been at the forefront of the challenge to workplace ill-health, often working independently of…

Guest blog for Occupational Health Awareness Week by Janet O'Neill and Imogen Cardwell Occupational health nurses make a real difference to the health of workers. Employment and health form a virtuous circle: suitable work can be good for health, and good health means that people are more likely to…

Guest blog for Occupational Health Awareness Week by The Institute of Occupational Medicine Health and wellbeing in the workplace is more than yoga and a volunteering day. Occupational health is concerned with the effect of health on work and work on health. But what is it doing and how is it…

Guest blog for Occupational Health Awareness Week by Alice Monk, Director of Communications, All Health Matters Did you know that occupational health (OH) advice can override GP advice? So you don’t have to accept the next GP fit note that lands on your desk at face value. If people can work, they…

Guest blog for Occupational Health Awareness Week by Helena Brady, Senior Occupational Health Advisor The annual International Nurses' Day has recently been celebrated and it would be remiss to not acknowledge the pioneering work of our forefather and founder of our profession, Florence Nightingale…

Guest blog for Occupational Health Awareness Week by Dr E Sarah L Porter, Occupational Physician and Chair of SOM Northern Ireland Group Like physical health, mental health moves up and down a spectrum from good to poor. Given the amount of time spent at work, it’s not surprising that work…

Guest blog for Occupational Health Awareness Week by John Drew, Director of Staff Experience and Engagement, NHS England and NHS Improvement Launching our NHS Growing Occupational Health and Wellbeing (GOHWB) Together strategy as part of OH Awareness Week is a significant step forward in advancing…

Guest blog for Occupational Health Awareness Week by Karen Mills, Director of Zen Occupational Health Ltd. I qualified as an RGN In 1990 and worked in various roles, leaving the NHS as a ward manager in 2007. I began working in occupational health (OH) at my local council in 2007; I worked on the…

Top 10 tips for meeting drug and alcohol legal requirements for happy and healthy workplaces by Toxicology Consultant Helen Vangikar: Create the policy in collaboration with key stakeholders. Review the drug and alcohol/substance misuse policy on a regular basis such as every 2 years. Consult…

Mental health remains the leading cause of sickness absence, with an estimated 70 million work days lost annually due to mental health problems in the UK, costing employers approximately £2.4 billion per year*. The pandemic has accentuated the problem - with more employees experiencing mental health…