Referrals

Managing people ‘in-house’
Getting outside help
Specific professionals
Professional bodies – contact details

Managing people ‘in-house’

For advice on managing an employee who’s suffering from an inhalation disorder, click here.

The British Thoracic Society is an organisation for practising physicians, nurses, scientists and other professionals with an interest in respiratory disease. Consultation with a respiratory or chest physician is through referral, usually from a GP or occupational health physician.

Asthma UK is dedicated to helping people in the UK with asthma. It offers independent advice and help to those suffering from asthma, and works with asthmatics, researchers and health professionals to help reduce the impact of asthma on the lives of sufferers.

NHS Plus is a network of NHS occupational health departments across England, supplying quality services to employers. NHS Plus offers support to industry, commerce and the public sector, with a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). A similar arrangement is available in Scotland through a network of NHS occupational health departments, and through the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives who offer a free advisory service aimed at SMEs.

The Commercial Occupational Health Providers Association can help you find an occupational health provider.

If you need a local occupational health provider, contact the Employment Medical Advisory Service. This service, part of the HSE, offers information on the availability of local occupational health services. You can find your local EMAS office in the phonebook, under ‘Health and Safety Executive’ or contact your local HSE office directly.

Health and safety advice for small businesses and information on tax rules when purchasing occupational health support is also available from the HSE’s website.

The website of the Professional Organisations in Occupational Safety and Health lists different professionals, what they do and how to get the most from them.

In its factsheet Occupational health and organisational effectiveness, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development explains what an occupational health provider can deliver.

The Case Management Society UK defines case management as ‘A collaborative process which assesses, plans, implements, co-ordinates, monitors and evaluates the options and services required to meet an individual’s health, care, educational and employment needs’. For more information, click here.

Peninsula Medical School provides an evidence base for early intervention in sickness absence and discusses factors influencing referrals to return to work interventions in the literature review Avoiding long-term incapacity for work: Developing an early intervention in primary care.

Specific professionals

The British Occupational Hygiene Society aims to reduce work-related ill health by promoting the science of occupational hygiene. It promotes public and professional awareness, and provides education and training in occupational health and hygiene, as well as information on occupational hygiene professionals
The Society of Occupational Medicine has a list of occupational physicians
The World Health Organisation explains what an occupational health nurse does
You can get information on professional nursing organisations from the Association of Occupational Health Nurse Practitioners (UK) and the Royal College of Nursing