If you have started work at STFC but have not completed a pre-employment medical questionnaire then please contact the HR representative for your department as soon as possible.
Occupational Health
STFC provides an Occupational Health service for all its employees via a contractor, currently TP Health Ltd. The importance of maintaining a healthy workforce and complying with an increasing range of health and safety legislation is as great as it has ever been.
The Occupational Health (OH) service does not replace your GP; it is there to help you with any concerns that you may have about your health which may affect your work.
The Occupational Heath contract covers the following topics:
- Management referrals
- Health screening upon employment
- Work related travel advice
- Health surveillance
- Management of first aiders
Please refer all other health matters to your GP.
Any referral to the service should be requested from your HR Business partner (in conjunction with your line manager). Should you be uncomfortable informing your line manager and wish instead to make a referral directly, please contact OH on 01235 446666 to arrange an appointment with an Occupational Health Adviser. This discussion will remain confidential unless you give permission for your line management and HR to be informed.
N.B. STFC management is entitled to ask the Occupational Health team for information about an individual’s fitness for work, although medical details are not disclosed without the employee’s consent.
Management Referals
If a line manager has concerns that work is affecting staff's physical or mental health or that a health condition could be affecting their ability to perform their role then a referral to Occupational Health for advice should be made.
When to refer
Staff may be referred to Occ Health when there is concern about their health, performance (where there may be health implications) or level of sickness absence. An assessment by an Occ Health practitioner (doctor or nurse) can provide objective information that can assist management in addressing these issues.
Employees may be referred on any of the following topics:
- Work related illness
- Medical advice for staff personal risk assessment
- Advice for staff struggling to work due to injury sustained inside/outside work
- Assessing prolonged absence
- Recommending re-deployment and ill health retirement
When making a referral please remember to include the individual’s job description and any relevant risk assessments. The line manager is unable to stipulate that the person will see a nurse or doctor. The Occ Health company will triage each referral and make the decision of who the person will see. Sometimes they will see the nurse first to take tests and arrange medical records to be requested from individual’s GP.
All management referrals are made via HR. Contact your HR Business Partner when the form is complete and they will access the Occupational Health service via a portal. The line manager will be sent a link to the portal to read the report once the individual has given permission. Staff must be aware of the contents of any referral form and either sign it or there should be an indication that it has been discussed with them over the telephone. See ‘documentation’ below on how to make a good referral.
The benefits of early referral to Occupational Health include:
- A well-planned return to work with employee, management and HR participation.
- The employee feels well supported and more confident about returning to work.
- General Practitioners are more likely to consider a return to work sooner if they are aware that the employee is well supported at work.
- Advice can be given with regard to temporary or permanent restrictions.
- Re-deployment or Ill health retirement can also be considered, if appropriate.
At all times relevant legislation will be taken into consideration.
The appointment may take place face-to-face or via Zoom. Should the date/time not suit then alternatives will be provided. Appointments can last up to 45 minutes. Any missed appointments will be notified to both the line manager and senior line manager.
A written report, once the contents have been shared with the employee, will be sent to the line manager and HR within five working days of the appointment.
Further information:
Health screening upon employment
Every new person on each of our sites is very welcome and valuable to us – for all employees to thrive and prosper, it is very important that any workplace adjustments are identified and implemented early on.
With this in mind, and prior to start dates, all new recruits will receive a pre-employment medical questionnaire for completion from UKSBS.
Business travel health advice
Employees travelling abroad for work should contact Occupational Health for travel health advice.
The following information will be required:
- Name
- Destination
- Date of departure and return
- Types of accommodation
On the basis of this information a report will be created detailing travel advice.
Staff travelling to sites which are at an altitude over 3,000m (10,000ft) will, prior to travelling, be subject to a series of medical tests (listed below). The aim is to detect any underlying health conditions which may put the person at risk when at altitude.
At RAL, the services of a doctor at The Manor Hospital, Headlington are used for these tests. Please first contact Laura Davies when you know you will be travelling to a site at high altitude and include a copy of your travel risk assessment in the email. For information, the tests performed are:
- Examination by a physician
- Questionnaire on altitude experience
- Haemoglobin level
- ECG without stress condition
- Creatinine level
- Glycaemia level (urine and blood)
- PA chest X-ray (if requested by physician)
- Pulmonary function test
- ECG under stress conditions
For more information contact Occupational Health (RAL)
Health Surveillance
The purpose of health screening/surveillance is to ensure that work does not have an adverse effect on the health of employees.
The criteria for which staff should receive health screening or surveillance is laid out in Appendix 1 of SHE Code 24: Occ Health Surveillance & Health Screening. If staff meet this criteria they should contact Occupational Health (ohc@stfc.ac.uk) and notify them, including which site they are based on. It is critical that staff include this health screening or surveillance on their activity risk assessment as a control measure.
The purpose of health screening is to ensure a person is suitable for a particular role, e.g. full time driver. Health surveillance is when the organisation understands that staff are working in potentially harmful environments and they need to monitor the staff to ensure exposure is not causing any harm to health, e.g. working with chemicals where the COSHH assessment concludes there may be exposure.
More Information on Health Surveillance
Health Surveillance is regulated by The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health 2002 (COSHH). These regulations require a risk assessment where employees are using chemicals or other substances that may put their health at risk. This assessment should include the measures to prevent or control exposure and any procedure for health surveillance.
Purposes of Health Surveillance:
- Protection of health of individual.
- Detection at an early stage of adverse health effects.
- Assisting in the evaluation of control measures.
Criteria for conducting Health Surveillance include:
- There is an identifiable disease or other adverse health outcome.
- The disease or effect on health may be related to exposure.
- There is a likelihood disease may occur.
- There are valid techniques for detecting disease.
Examples of Health Surveillance include:
- Radiation – interview with appointed Doctor and health interview.
- Noise – ear examination, questionnaire and audiometry.
- Asthma – exposure to respiratory sensitisers – health questionnaire and spirometry.
- Occupational dermatitis – questionnaire and visual skin checks.
A Pre-Placement Assessment guide is available for line managers.
Management of first aiders
Find more information on management of first aiders here – STFC First Aid
Enquiries
Need Support or Advice? Contact the STFC SHE team to get guidance, report a concern, or access training.
