Occupational Health News & Alerts - Archived News - 2018

World Mental Health Day

At Healthwork, we offer "Stress Awareness" health and wellbeing days. This raises awareness for your employees and creates a more comfortable setting, to talk, inform and act upon.

We collectively look at how we can combat mental health. Your employees meet our clinicians and counsellors, this being a personal approach, answering any questions, with presentations, workshops and our mini health checks, concluded with a report. 

To find out more or book a health day with us please call 01618319701 ref Stress Awareness Package. 

National Work Life Week

“The week is an opportunity for both employers and employees to focus on well-being at work and work-life balance. Employers can use the week to provide activities for staff, and to showcase their flexible working policies and practices.” 

Aviation medicals for pilots and cabin crew

These medicals are compliant with the Civil Aviation Agency (CAA) requirements and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards.
 
Medical and occupational health providers are only able to offer and perform these medicals if they have doctors who are authorised and appointed as Aero Medical Examiners (AMEs) by the CAA.
 
Furthermore, the premises from where these medicals are conducted must be approved by the CAA, as being fit for purpose and having appropriate medical equipment to perform aviation medicals. 
 
Healthwork, our premises and our AMEs have been approved by the CAA and we are delighted to say that we meet the high CAA standards. Healthwork can now therefore offer private pilots medicals and cabin crew medicals.   
 

We can now offer class 2, LAPL (light aircraft pilots licence), cabin crew medicals, ratings assessments and FISO (Flight Information service officer) medicals.  We can do initial, renewal and revalidation medicals

Healthwork Alert - Number 55 NEW State of the art MRI scanning and imaging facilities

NEW Imaging Facilities  – special offer to Healthwork customers
 
Healthwork has partnered with South Manchester Diagnostic Centre, enabling Healthwork and its customers to rapidly access the latest investigative diagnostic technology. 

South Manchester Diagnostics is a brand new facility that offers state of the art imaging facilities including a Siemens Skyra 3T MRI scanner plus x-ray and ultrasound facilities.  The centre located in South Manchester also offers consulting rooms and clinical laboratory tests.  The centre offers rapid appointments with rapid reporting of results.

Many employees are waiting for long periods for NHS investigations such as MRI scans and X-rays.  MRI scanning and X-rays investigations are often a bottle-neck in the care of a patient and accessing these privately can facilitate the care for patients.  The waiting times for these tests can increase sickness absence times significantly.

There is often a case for employers funding investigations for employees thus expediting their care and reducing downtime and sickness absence. 

Healthwork in conduction with this partnership with South manchester Diagnostics is able to facilitate this process and help with expedited return to work programmes. 

Healthwork customers can benefit from special introductory offer rates for imaging as follows:

• MRI scan single area    £299
• MRI scan 2 areas           £499
• MRI scan 3 areas           £699
• X-ray single area            £85
• X-ray 2 areas                   £100
• Ultrasound scans          £325

To discuss investigations and imaging, and how this might benefit your staff, please contact us on 0161 831 9701.  You can also contact Sarah Whittaker at South Manchester Diagnostic Centre on 0161 738 1740 or at SMD@medicalimaging.org.uk. 

Please quote HealthworkMRI for the special offer rate.
 
For more information, please visit www.southmanchesterdiagnostics.co.uk

For more information on Healthwork, please visit www.healthworkltd.com

NEW Healthy Back ProgrammeTM

Healthwork has been liaising with researchers from Bangor University in relation to cost-effective interventions for back pain. 

New research from Bangor University shows that the Healthy Back Programme^TM (based on Dru Yoga) reduces sickness absence and provides cost savings for employers. 

Click here to see research results: 

https://theconversation.com/yoga-in-the-workplace-can-reduce-back-pain-and-sickness-absence-87375

Designed by expert health professionals, the Healthy Back Programme is a simple and highly effective stretching programme, which has had a positive impact on many organisations including Barclays Bank, Santander, Siemens, Merseyside Police, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Institute of Chartered Accountants, Conwy and Gwynedd County Councils and the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

Of the hundreds of employees who have participated in the Healthy Back Programme, 95% recommend the programme and 90% report reduced back pain.  Led by qualified instructors, the Healthy Back Programme can be delivered as part of a ‘wellbeing’ day or as a stand-alone six-week programme in the workplace. Employees also receive an online programme and educational materials to facilitate daily practice of the Healthy Back exercises.  Research shows that just 10 minutes a day of practice leads to significant reductions in back pain and sickness absence.

Here is what some of the participants say about the Health Back Programme:

• My back has felt a lot easier since getting into the exercises. In particular, I did a case in theatre last week, which I do every couple of weeks—it takes a good couple of hours and involves wearing a heavy lead apron and standing in a very awkward position. Usually my back is screaming by the end. Last week, I was pain-free. Extraordinary. Thank you!

 CONSULTANT PAEDIATRIC RADIOLOGIST

• Great for reducing tension, relieving stress and stretching out the back in a gentle way.

NHS OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH SERVICES EMPLOYEE

• The instructors were excellent and motivated the whole class. The online programme was easy to access.”  


INSPECTOR, MERSEYSIDE POLICE

• I cannot recommend the Healthy Back Programme highly enough. The effect of these gentle and easy-to-do exercises on my back pain has been amazing. I have had problems with my lower back, which even painkillers would not help, but I am now largely pain-free and far more flexible than I have been in years. I would urge anyone to give it a go.

SOLICITOR

HAVS Courses 21st - 22nd June 2018

Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) Faculty of Medicine

(FOM) approved Training Course 21st and 22nd June 2018

This is a two day Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) Faculty of Occupational Medicine (FOM) approved training course.

The course will take place in Central Manchester, and is designed for occupational health doctors, occupational health nurses, technicians, GPs and health and safety professionals.

The course has been developed by the team at Healthwork in conjunction and with full approval of the FOM.

The course is aimed at health professionals working in the occupational health setting. The course will provide full training in HAVS, and will cover:

•Legal requirements and risk assessment

•Occupational hygiene

•Health surveillance for a workforce exposed to hand transmitted vibration-   tiered approach

•Clinical assessment of HAVS

•Clinical management of an individual with HAVS

•Worked case examples

•Demonstration of tools, measuring equipment such as accelerometers and  clinical equipment/ clinical techniques.

Our expert educators will include Dr Tok Hussain, Dr Shaun Austin, Dr Adrian Hirst and Diana Kloss.

This course is designed to be practical in nature and will feature demonstration, small group work and workshop sessions.

New Service – Aviation Medicals

Healthwork are proud to announce that we are now able to offer Aviation medicals for private pilots and cabin crew. 

These medicals are compliant with the Civil Aviation Agency (CAA) requirements and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards.

Medical and occupational health providers are only able to offer and perform these medicals if they have doctors who are authorised and appointed as Aero Medical Examiners (AMEs) by the CAA.

Furthermore, the premises from where these medicals are conducted must be approved by the CAA, as being fit for purpose and having appropriate medical equipment to perform aviation medicals. 

Healthwork, our premises and our AMEs have been approved by the CAA and we are delighted to say that we meet the high CAA standards. Healthwork can now therefore offer private pilots medicals and cabin crew medicals.   

New Liverpool Office

Healthwork are excited to announce that we will be opening a new office in Liverpool. This will allow our customers more choice for when looking at locations for Occupational Health services and appointments.  Our new Liverpool office will be centrally based on prestigious and historic Rodney Street, with easy access by public transport.  

At Healthwork we pride ourselves on the specialist occupational health support we can offer our customers.  Some of our most popular services and products are:

On site physician and nurse services
Health surveillance services
Pre-placement health assessments
Absence management and fitness for work assessments
Drug and alcohol testing
Pension services
Physiotherapy services
Counselling services
Specialist medicals such as PTS medicals, driver medicals, HAVS assessments, and appointed doctor medicals

We also offer a serology and vaccinations service, including travel clinics and flu programs.

All our services can be bespoke to individual customer requirements.

Our Liverpool team will be led by Jennifer Junglas - Regional Manager with support from our new Liverpool based dedicated customer service team. Our address in Liverpool will be Healthwork Rodney Chambers, 40 Rodney Street, Liverpool, L1 9AA. For more information please contact us on 0161 831 9701 / admin@healthworkltd.com.

Dates Announced for Spring 2018 Courses - Case Management, Report Writing and Chester Step Test Courses All Available to Book Now.

See our training section for full details.

Australian flu

Australian flu

Each year in the UK when the colder months are upon us many of us are struck down by flu. But, unlike the common cold, which starts with a stuffy or runny nose and sore throat, flu can be much worse. If you have it, it’s likely that you’ll suddenly get a fever, experience chills and, amongst other things, feel extremely tired.

There are two main types of flu (or influenza) virus that cause you to become ill: influenza A and influenza B. For each type there are different strains and variations of the virus. ‘Australian flu’ is a name being used to describe a particular strain of the influenza A virus. This is known as H3N2, which as the name suggests, has recently affected Australia.

So what’s the problem?

Although we have vaccines to fight against flu, the influenza virus can adapt and change, which is why it isn’t always fully effective. To combat this, the World Health Organisation (WHO) collects data from around the world on the types, strains and variants of influenza that have caused illness. They collect this data from one flu season to the next. This is to make sure that they have all the information they need to develop a new improved vaccine, if needed.

But if you’ve ever been to Australia, you’ll know that come Christmas – when our flu season is underway – on the other side of the world, winter is long gone and it’s time for your sunnies and swimsuit. So worldwide there are two different flu seasons, and it all depends on where exactly you are!

The key point here is that Australia’s flu season may give us clues as to what’s in store for the UK. And this year during their winter, Australia saw the highest level of flu since 2009. What’s more alarming is that they noticed a decrease in how well their current vaccine protected against a particular variant of influenza A that was circulating.

Where panic may arise is that our current flu vaccine is the same, so we too could feel the effects seen in Australia this winter. But, there are things you can do to help protect yourself and others.

Healthwork Advice and Discussion

1. Get the flu jab. Although this may sound counter-intuitive after what we’ve just discussed – it isn’t, and I can’t emphasise that enough! Having the flu jab may give you some protection against the altered strain. It can also protect you against other strains of influenza A and B that are fought by the vaccine. Getting the flu jab is particularly important if you are at a higher risk of becoming ill. This includes:

• children

• older people

• pregnant women

• people with low immune systems – this is the part of your body that fights infection

• people with underlying health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease or respiratory conditions such as COPD or asthma (to name a few)

2. Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing. The influenza virus is spread through tiny droplets that travel through the air when you, or someone else, coughs or sneezes. These tiny droplets can be breathed in or picked up when you touch surfaces that they’ve landed on. So covering your mouth when coughing or sneezing, is really important. Try to use a tissue to cover your mouth and remember to dispose of it safely in a nearby bin.

3. Wash your hands. As simple as it is, washing your hands is arguably the most effective way to prevent yourself from catching or spreading flu to others.