General Practice is facing enormous challenges across Hampshire and Isle of Wight, as well as across the country. We can only provide the best care for our patients and communities if we are in good physical and mental health ourselves.
NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight has been able to partner with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare Trust Occupational Health Service (HIOW OH) to offer a range of Occupational Health services to the teams across the ICB.
NHS England previously commissioned an arrangement with Heales to provide certain Occupational Health services to GPs. This provision is unaffected, and our local offer is not intended to replace or duplicate the service funded by NHS E – the service described here is offered in addition to this. It is available to all staff employed by practices and PCNs (other than ARRS posts where the employer is expected to provide access to its own OH arrangements, e.g., agencies, MH Trusts, voluntary sector organisations) and has been funded by the ICB.
Practices should continue to use Heales for the services listed below.
NEW Occupational Health service and workplace vaccination clinics
To ensure your staff have access to all the immunisations and vaccinations they may need to keep them safe at work, the Team will be providing workplace immunisations and blood tests.
We will ask all Practice Managers to send out a link to a confidential online questionnaire, giving staff the opportunity to inform the HIOW OH of past vaccinations and information about their job role. We will ask staff to complete the confidential online questionnaire, which will be returned securely to the HIOW OH portal, where an Occupational Health Nurse Advisor will assess which workplace vaccinations or blood tests are required. Staff will need proof of previous vaccinations that can be obtained from the NHS App, or they can request proof from their own GP.
If Staff require any immunisations or blood tests, they will be contacted by the bookings team at HIOW OH, and an appointment will be offered to staff at a clinic in Southampton or Portsmouth.
All returned questionnaires will be treated in strictest medical confidence and will not be shared. The information contained on the questionnaire will form part of an Occupational Health record, which will be stored securely by the HIOW OH service. Our privacy statement and further information about how personal and medical information is used and stored is available on our website
The HIOW OH has developed a simple flow chart to navigate this process, and they will be happy to offer Q&A sessions.
NEW Occupational Health service and new starter health assessments
The Team has also been commissioned to support safe and effective recruitment, this includes New Starter Health assessments (pre-employment assessments) for all new staff in Primary Care practices. Practice Managers will be issued with a unique login to the HIOW OH portal which will enable them to send new recruits a link to an online health questionnaire.
This service is to be used as part of the recruitment process. Practice Managers will be able to send new recruits a confidential link to their chosen email address, asking them to complete the simple health questionnaire and submit via the HIOW OH portal directly for Occupational Health assessment. 2-3 days following submission, the recruiting manager will receive a fitness notification to their work email address, advising on the new recruit’s fitness for work, any adjustments that are recommended and whether an immunisation or blood test appointment is required. If new recruits require any immunisations or blood tests, they will be contacted by the bookings team at HIOW OH, and an appointment will be offered at one of their clinics in Southampton or Portsmouth.
All returned questionnaires will be treated in strictest medical confidence and will not be shared with the individual’s employer. The information contained on the questionnaire will form part of their Occupational Health record, which will be stored securely by the HIOW OH service.
Our privacy statement and further information about how personal and medical information is used and stored is available on our website.
The HIOW OH has developed a simple flow chart to help navigate this New Starter Health Assessment process.
Any specific queries about either process can be addressed to the HIOW OH team on email address snhs.ohservices@solent.nhs.uk Monday – Friday 8am-4pm