Towards a Safer Healthier Workplace

5 Appendix 1

Monitoring and Minimum Dataset

Minimum measurements need to be gathered by all NHSiS bodies or by OHSS on their behalf for collation and summarising to the Management Executive. This information needs to be accurate, timeous, structured and easily accessed.

In addition to the benchmarking of these services, audit should become an integral part with professional clinical audit within the service to ensure appropriate standards. Professional inter-service audit is essential between OHSS within the NHSiS and may extend beyond the health service to include industry and commerce.

Minimum dataset

Minimum dataset should be identified for all organisations but specifically must be identified for the following NHSiS organisations:

• Trusts
• Primary Care Practices
• Health Boards
• Scotland/Management Executive

Main issues to be incorporated in the Minimum dataset

Litigation - all civil litigation involving injury compensation to staff

criminal litigation against NHSiS bodies or staff

Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrence Regulations (RIDDOR)

Synopsis of All RIDDOR reports to HSE to include:

• total number
• incidence rates
• major injuries (number and injury)
• fatalities
• cases of staff ill health

Ill Health Retirements data on individuals receiving a pension due to ill health retiral, data on individuals leaving the service on grounds of ill health whether or not pensionable

Sickness Absence - rates of sickness absence by workgroup and grade

Other Issues - hospital admissions of NHS staff due to work related injury - expenditure on OHSS services

Appendix 2

Main recommendations of the Trust Chief Executives' Occupational Health and Safety Sub-group

The Trust Chief Executives' Occupational Health and Safety Sub-group survey results revealed a considerable variety in the provision of OHSS across Scotland with no consistent way of structuring services and varying degrees of co-operation among Trusts. Different data collection and analysing methods makes it difficult to provide accurate comparison between employers.

The Sub-group made the following recommendations:

• OHSS should form part of Trusts' overall risk management strategy. OHSS services management should be approached in a planned, systematic and co-ordinated way, based on identification, analysis and control of risk.
• Trusts should be required to record a basic set of information on OHSS.
• Data should be collected and published by the Management Executive.
• Work needs to be carried out to develop an audit tool for OHSS performance.
• OHSS performance should be included in HIPs and TIPs.
• A Working Group should be set up to take forward these recommendations. There is a need for further work be carried out on:
• defining the role, aims and standards
• general medical and dental practitioners
• structure of services
• optimum level of investment in OHSS
• provision of OHSS to non NHS staff
• consider whether other services such as physiotherapy should be available to NHSiS staff
• relationship with Scotland's Health at Work Scheme
• role of OHSS in achieving the 3% sickness absence target

Appendix 3

Practical Changes for those working in the NHSiS

What this means for the...

Individual

• should not be made ill by their work
• a safer and securer workplace
• access to a confidential occupational health service
• access to best practice and training
• access to schemes to improve personal health
• ability to influence OHSS practice and policy

Line Manager

• fewer accidents in the workplace
• reduced absenteeism
• better trained staff
• healthier staff better able to provide improved patient care

Occupational Health and Safety Service

• should enhance staff health
• recognition and increased status as an exemplar service
• better use of resources providing an improved integrated service
• full involvement in training and development of best practice
• full involvement in the development of personal health improvement schemes

Employer

• good employee relations
• better service to patients
• safe and secure working environment
• no HSE enforcement action

Patients

• improved services
• more safety-conscious staff
• better trained and more competent staff
• use of best practice common across the NHSiS
• safer hospital environment for patients and their visitors

Appendix 4

Bibliography

The following publications and reports have been used by the Occupational Health and Safety Service Short Life Working Group to facilitate the development of the Strategy for Occupational Health and Safety Services for NHS in Scotland staff which is set out in this Report.

Human Resources Strategy for NHS in Scotland staff " Towards a new way of working".

Nuffield Trust Report " Improving the Health of the NHS Workforce".

Trust Chief Executives Occupational Health and Safety sub-group Report.

NHS Circular GEN(1995)4 "Occupational Health and Safety Services for the NHS in Scotland".

Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Employment Services Positive about Disability Two Ticks Symbol.

Scotland's Health at Work Scheme.

Cabinet Office Report on managing attendance in the Public Sector "Working Well Together".

January 1998 NHS Pay and Workforce Intelligence Report "Comparing sickness absence rates and costs".

Scottish Office Department of Health Green Paper and White Paper " Working Together for a Healthier Scotland".

Health and Safety Executive discussion document " Developing an occupational health strategy for Great Britain".

Appendix 5

Glossary of Terms

Primary Care Contractor

Primary care practitioners including general medical practitioners, general dental practitioners, community pharmacists and opticians.

Primary Care Contractor Staff

This includes staff working for the primary care contractors above, examples include, receptionists, practice nurses and dental nurses.

NHSiS Contractor

Relates to those service contractors and to non-NHSiS agencies/private companies whose staff work wholly or partly on NHSiS premises, examples include, hospital catering and hospital cleaning staff. In the past many of these were NHSiS employees.

Towards a Safer Healthier Workplace is available on the Internet at www.scotland.gov.uk

it is also available in braille and audio tape versions by calling

0131 244 2140