Congratulations to the Newcastle Occupational Health Service (OHS) who have scooped a national award from the Society of Occupational Medicine.
The ‘Occupational Health Team’ winners were recognised for their rapid response to allow them to meet the increased demand for their services during the COVID-19 pandemic for a workforce of around 15,000 employees.
The team was noted for responding with compassion and care to the emerging challenges throughout the period, using the resources available to them in novel and innovative ways to support the enhanced delivery of supportive OHS for the foreseeable future.
The impact on the psychological wellbeing of all staff was identified as an area of high risk early in the pandemic. The team responded by establishing a telephone helpline, the outcomes of which they have published in ‘Occupational Medicine’.
We’d like to say thank you to all the team including those who assisted whilst working from home, shielded or via redeployment. You are truly valued.
Dr Elizabeth Murphy, Consultant physician and Steven Forster, Clinical lead service manager
Evaluation of symptoms and rapid access to swabbing and results was also activated early, and initial findings were published in the Lancet with follow up papers in progress.
One of Newcastle OHS’s speciality trainees has accomplished the major task of developing, completing and submitting his thesis based on this work, and a second is in the process of completing the initial COVID-19 antibody work carried out across the Trust.
The integrated physiotherapy and psychology team has supported those with long COVID through the use of telephone and video consultations, complementing the highly specialised services provided by the Trust’s medical teams
More recently the internal test and trace process has required the enhanced skills of the nursing team, working in collaboration with infection prevention and control colleagues, in order to support the safe delivery of patient care.
Of special note are the service’s frontline staff – the administration, team assistants and technicians – who have responded to the fears and concerns of employees ensuring excellent communication in a time of great need.
Dr Elizabeth Murphy, Consultant physician and Steven Forster, Clinical lead service manager for Newcastle OHS said: “We’d like to say thank you to all the team including those who assisted whilst working from home, shielded or via redeployment. You are truly valued.”
