Our brand new booklet – Occupational Health Demystified- was kindly written by Dr Helen L Kröning (MA (Cantab) MSc MBChB with European Studies MRCS DOccMed) to provide patient with comprehensive information about all aspect of occupational health.
The ME Association would like to thank Dr Kröning for allowing us to publish this information to help people with ME/CFS and Long Covid.
Introduction
Healthcare professionals in Occupational Health you are likely to encounter include doctors and nurses but also, potentially, allied healthcare professionals such as occupational therapists, physiotherapists and psychologists. The decision as to whom you are assessed by is usually made by the service provider. It will depend on triage of your case and also which professionals are part of their organisation.
Unlike other hospital specialities and GPs, there are two things to remember when dealing with healthcare professionals in Occupational Health:
- They are there to act on behalf of both employer and employee
- They are not an acute service or involved in treatment
Their role is to provide independent medical advice and health guidance for managers/HR, to issue recommendations in relation to work, taking into account your health situation, and to base their conclusions on evidence-based information. This means that they are not in a position to provide any treatment
(although they may be able to do so in a non-OH context, such as if they're still working in a treating service).
They should be suitably qualified to assess your health (the ‘medical’ side) and impact on work (the ‘functional’ aspects) and, whilst they are not involved in your treatment, they may signpost to your GP/ specialist/other services in accordance with what they deem necessary for your health. As they are still healthcare professionals, they will have appropriate knowledge and experience in terms of diagnosis and treatment, but they will not be engaged in direct patient care.
Download the free item of literature here
MEDICAL DISCLAIMER
We recommend that the medical information is discussed with your doctor. It is not intended to be a substitute for personalised medical advice or treatment. You should consult your doctor whenever a new symptom arises, or an existing symptom worsens. It is important to obtain medical advice that considers other causes and possible treatments. Do not assume that new or worsened symptoms are solely because of ME/CFS or Long Covid.