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We offer independent, confidential advice and respect the wide variety of primary care Practices within our area. We welcome contact from any member of staff, doctor or dentist - especially when you believe that your health may be affected by your work, or your work by your health.
You can contact any member of the OH Team (listed under About Us) to access any aspect of our support and advice mechanisms.
Occupational health is but a part of a wide range of help and support available for primary care staff. If we do not have solutions, we can advise on who to contact. Our advice is intended to "make it easier to do things well".
Within this website you will find information on the Service and a regularly updated OH Manual, designed for those responsible for managing Practices.
By far the most significant types of morbidity amongst Primary Care staff are those of stress, burn-out and consequent mental health problems. These often affect the strongest and most valuable members of staff who can, with the right help, return to work stronger and wiser!
We cannot control the paperwork, patient expectation, complaints or the myriad of other pressures you are placed under everyday, but we can offer help and support.
Mental Health Support / Stress
In primary care you deal with patients experiencing some horrendous problems - you come into contact with pain, suffering, anger, abuse and dying on a daily basis. Primary care staff have to deal with a lack of resources and the consequent gulf between patient's expectations and what can be provided.
GPs, in particular, manage the vast majority of mental health problems within patients. All this is done without the support structures incorporated in the culture of newer parts of the health service such as hospices and good mental health services.
The energy to cope and maintain defence strategies is depleted by endless change and a host of structured administrative tasks. Intrinsic support mechanisms within Practices can break down under pressure of work. Energy levels can fall and symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety, guilt and poor concentration can occur at first sporadically and then all the time.
Tasks take much longer. It is easy to feel guilty that you cannot cope and spend more and more of your energy on work at the expense of families and personal health.
Doctors and Dentists are particularly vulnerable but so too are the staff employed by them - especially Practice Managers.
Practical Support over issues of Occupational Health & Safety
This is exactly what it says - practical support for Dentists, GPs and for all of the staff employed by them.
This support may be provided over the telephone or through a Practice visit.
Like any workplace, the people who work in your Practice undertake a vast array of different tasks and activities, in most cases relating to the treatment of patients but very often in an administrative capacity to support patient care. Occupational Health & Safety impacts on many of these activities and when applied well can assist in the smooth running of the Practice - to everyone's benefit.
The Occupational Health and Safety advice that we give is underpinned by the guidelines and policies that we have formulated for your use: please see the section of this website called OH&S Manual - 2 sections, one for Dentists and one for GPs.
Examples of our activities include;
- A Practice Manager might appreciate some assistance with dealing with a sickness absence issue or making sure that the Practice is 'doing the right thing' with a member of staff who is pregnant.
- A member of staff might like to seek confidential advice on something at work that they think may be affecting their health.
- A member of staff - clinical or non-clinical may have had a needlestick accident - in which case we can advise you on the appropriate actions to take and smooth the way for you through the process.
- A member of staff may be developing symptoms associated with the use of a desk and pc set-up - which cannot be resolved 'in Practice'. We can come to the Practice, assess the situation and make recommendations both in relation to the workstation and the individual's well-being.
If you are not sure if your query/problem falls within the remit of Occupational Health & Safety get in touch with us anyway. If we can't help we will help you find someone who can. |
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© 2006 OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH IN DEVON & CORNWALL |
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