Occupational Health and Safety Services
The NHS Occupational Health and Safety Services provide professional, confidential and impartial advice on the health, safety and welfare of employees at work.
The Service Working With You
The Occupational Health and Safety Service provide services to NHS Dumfries and Galloway, Primary and Secondary care, our working partners and a wide range of external Businesses (via service level agreement). The service aims to provide expert assessment, advice and recommendation on the health and well being of employees and the potential impact of work on their health and/or their health on work.
The Occupational Health and Safety Service are a Multidisciplinary service which consists of the following professionals:
Clinical Team:
- Clinical Lead/Specialist Practitioner in Occupational Health
- Specialist Practitioners in Occupational Health
- Occupational Health Advisors, Occupational Health Nurses and an Occupational Health Technician
- An Occupational Therapist and Psychotherapist and access to Staff Physiotherapy services.
All clinical practitioners have the support of regular onsite and as required remote access to an Occupational Health Physician and the wider services of the NHS.
Health & Safety Team:
- Health & Safety/Business Manager
- A Health & Safety Advisor, Conflict Management Advisor, Moving & Handling Advisor and a Health & Safety Technician.
All of the above are supported by an Administrative team.
The Occupational Health and Safety Services
These include:
- Employment screening and assessment
- Employment health clearance
- Vaccination/Immunisation Programmes
- Sickness Absence Management – the aim being to support when able an employee’s return to work at the earliest opportunity
- Health Surveillance Programmes such as Audiometry, Respiratory, Skin
- Hand Arm Vibration Assessment & Medical
- Safety Critical Medical
- Plant machinery Assessment
- Drug & Alcohol Screening
- Sharps Injury and Incident Investigation and follow up
- Work Travel Medicine and Advice
- Risk Assessment Advice i.e. Pregnant Worker, Workplace Stress
- General Health & Safety Advice & Training
- Conflict Management Advice & Training
- Moving & Handling Advice & Training
- Respiratory Mask Fit Testing
Occupational Therapy – establish personal goals, strengths and barriers. Review and explore techniques, tools and strategies to enhance well-being. Explore information and signposting. Establish recommendations for adaptations or reasonable adjustments to enhance ability to carry out work tasks and Functional Capacity Assessment.
Psychotherapy – wide range of therapy and screening interventions in accordance with employee need.
Physiotherapy – Staff Musculo-Skeletal service
Depending on reason the service can offer telephone, video or face to face appointments.
Contact
NHS Occupational Health and Safety Services
Mountainhall Treatment Centre
(Beside the ‘old’ Accident and Emergency Entrance)
Bankend Road
Dumfries
DG1 4AP
Tel: (01387) 244626
Email dg.occhealth@nhs.scot
Good Work is Good for Health and Business
There are positive potential benefits to be gained from having access to a comprehensive NHS Occupational Health Service. These include:
- Improved overall health and production at individual and organisational levels.
- Reduced absenteeism/ill health/staff turnover.
- Reduced accident/incident figures.
- Reduction in potential litigation/Organisational risk.
- Reduced incidence of industrial injuries/occupational ill health.
- Improved morale/motivation/performance.
- Enhanced job satisfaction.
- Reduced stress/burnout.
- Employees making informed choices on their health and safety and well being whilst at work.
All of these result in a reduction of the overall administration costs of workplace ill health and a corresponding increase in the health and well-being of staff whilst at work.
Managers and employees are required to work in partnership with Occupational Health & Safety to aim for high standards of workplace health and achieve the benefits of good health.