The Occupational Health ServiceDr Fiona Page, Consultant Occupational Physician and Lead Clinician

History

• Oldham NHS Trust OH Service ‘Mediscreen’ a strong brand name

• Oldham, North Manchester, Rochdale and Bury Trust merger (2002)

• ? Early example of reconfiguration

• 4 (very different) OH departments required to merge into one

• Lessons learnt

Now

• Multidisciplinary team• Embedded service• Provide OH service to public and private

sector organisations• Strong customer focus• Training • Contribution to wider field of OH• Innovation• Peer and professional support• SEQOHS compliant

Multidisciplinary Team

• 6 Consultant Occupational Physicians• 4 Specialist/Specialty Registrars • 1 Specialty physician with AFOM (Staff Grade)• 1 Clinical Assistant• 1 FY1• Practice Development Nurse Manager • 2 Clinical Nurse Managers • 13 Occupational Health Nurses • 2 Occupational Health Technicians• 8 Counsellors including 3 with CBT training• Physiotherapist• Business Manager • IT system manager• Large secretarial and administration team

Service provided to

• NHS • Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust• A Mental HealthTrust• numerous Primary Care Trusts• North Western Deanery , hospital based specialty training

• Public sector • Local authorities• Emergency services• Education

• Private sector including• Manufacturing• Chemical• Retail

• Total employees - ? 114,000

Service Locations

• North Manchester General Hospital• Royal Oldham Hospital• Fairfield General Hospital• Rochdale Infirmary• Runcorn – The Heath Business Park• Holmes Chapel• St Helens• Onsite clinics at various companies

Advantages of a large team

• Individual portfolios• Clinical governance e.g. critical

incidents, audit• Practice Development Manager• Training department• MDT• Study mornings• Doctors’ away days• Professional and peer support

What else

• Dragon

• Paper light project

• Consultant per Division/Contract

• Case conferences

• Management Review Meetings

• Use of text and e-mail

• Up skilling

• OH technicians

The Challenges

• Multiple sites

• Part time staff

• IT

• Financial Climate

• Succession planning

• Competing priorities

The future

• The Manchester OH service

• Collaboration between Stockport, Central Manchester, Pennine Acute and the Academic unit and ? others

• Clear Vision

• Benefits

• The way forward