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Supporting health in the workplace

In our last article we examined the challenges facing the baby boomer generation and the way in which employers can help them to remain in the workplace. Now we are moving on to look at some of the ways in which employers can help all employees to stay on top of their game.

Our article has been prompted by a workplace mental health review which has recently been launched by Prime Minister Theresa May. The review which is to be led by Lord Dennis Stevenson, formerly chair of HBOS, and Paul Farmer who is the Chief Executive of Mind aims to promote best practice concerning mental health issues within the workplace, reduce discrimination, and work with industry to remove the stigma surrounding mental health issues.

The workplace review is part of a wider package of measures which also aims to improve mental health provision for young people within schools and colleges as well as improving the way in which mental health issues are approached within the NHS. Facing up to mental health problems within the workforce is vital if we are to remove stigma and help people to receive the treatment and support which they need. As the Prime Minister commented “mental well-being doesn’t just improve the health of employees, it improves their motivation, reduces their absence and drives better productivity too.”

But mental health is only one area in which employers can better support employees. Health and safety regulations may require employers to ensure the safe provision of equipment, including desks and chairs, but there are plenty of other ways in which employers can help employees to stay fit and healthy.

For example, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy has recently highlighted a January fitness programme launched by physios at the South Warwickshire NHS trust. Following on from an earlier initiative in which they produced a thirty minute workout which staff working at the trust could use to boost their fitness over the period of one month, the new Workout at Work programme aims to help staff to stay fit through the busy winter period.

Of course the South Warwickshire NHS trust has the benefit of physiotherapists on the premises but other organisations could follow their lead by organising a staff fitness program in conjunction with a local physiotherapist or fitness trainer. Other options could include the provision of a chiropractor for those staff who are on their feet for lengthy periods of time or even simply providing staff with access to a health nutritionist who could provide guidance on the link between nutrition and physical and mental well-being.

Finally, never underestimate the importance of basic hygiene practices such as sanitising shared equipment and deep cleaning restrooms and kitchens on a regular basis. This, taken alongside the policy of ensuring that staff who are sick stay at home to avoid infecting others can make a measurable difference to the overall health of the workforce.

It’s only January and already we’ve had reports of health resources being stretched well beyond capacity with the government looking at removing the four hour A&E treatment limit for non-urgent cases. Supporting health in the workplace is one way in which employers can play their part in helping to improve the overall health of the nation and reduce the strain on the health system.

December Update

Christmas is nearly here and after that 2016 draws to a close, which is probably a very good thing after all that’s happened.

Here’s our short December update for you:

CCR Expo 2016

We had a really good time exhibiting at CCR Expo a few weeks ago. It was a busy show – hard work but lots of fun.

As always, it was nice to say hello to some of our existing clients in person and also to meet plenty of other clinic owners and introduce them to our services.

CCR was our final exhibition of the year, but we’ll be out and about again next year. If you attend a show we haven’t been to yet, please let us know and we’ll see if we can make it next year. We’re open to visiting any exhibition where we can talk to therapists and clinic owners who’d benefit from our time-saving services.

Do you need help over Christmas?

As we move through December thoughts now turn to the Christmas and New Year period. This is a busy time of the year for us as we cover our clients’ calls and bookings whilst staff are having time off and enjoying the festivities.

If you are still trying to work out how to cover your clinic’s customer service over the Christmas period it’s not too late to get in touch and have us take care of it for you. We’ll be there to answer your calls, manage your diary and much more if you need us.

In any case, we hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We look forward to seeing you again in 2017.

Baby Boomers – Fit for the future

By 2020 a third of British workers will be aged over fifty. That’s one of the inescapable conclusions of the Chief Medical Officers latest report ‘Baby Boomers: Fit for the Future.’ As the title suggests this report focuses on the generation born after the Second World War, commonly known as baby boomers.

Now aged between fifty and seventy this generation has seen fantastic improvements in technology and levels of health care leading to increased longevity expectations. However baby boomers also have to face certain challenges including the rising retirement age and the fact that a third of this generation is seen as obese.

Whilst obesity brings its own problems, so too does the effect of having to manage ongoing health issues whilst remaining in the workforce. According to the report 42% of workers aged between fifty and sixty-four are coping in work with one ongoing medical condition whilst 24% have more than one. In addition, nearly 50% of those who stop work in the five years leading up to retirement age do so because of a chronic health condition.

One interesting statistic to arise from the report was that workers aged over fifty-five years report the highest rates of illness caused or made worse by their work. Admittedly some of these relate to previous working practices; for example over half the melanomas occurring within the baby boomer age group could have been prevented had measures being taken to reduce the exposure for outdoor workers. The report also indicates that 2500 lung and breast cancer cases could be prevented each year by controlling exposure to workplace hazards.

So does that mean that people should be looking to retire earlier? Absolutely not says the report which highlights the social and physical benefits of remaining physically and mentally active. Admittedly it’s a bit of a swings and roundabouts conundrum. On the one hand a transition towards retirement has been associated with a reduction in fatigue and stress levels alongside a reduced use of antidepressants. On the other hand, the continued social engagement found through employment is believed to delay the onset of cognitive decline.

However employers may need to revisit their working practices in order to accommodate the increasing numbers of baby boomers in the workforce. This may include a move towards offering flexible or part-time working or even simply accepting that older workers may require additional time off to manage ongoing conditions. In this age group these include musculoskeletal problems (21%), circulatory complaints (17%) and depression and anxiety (8%).

The report’s authors indicate that this move towards more flexible working practices is already taking place with 26% of UK workers aged over fifty working part-time and 22% working flexibly. In addition this age group is more likely to be self-employed than any other age group with two million people aged over fifty working for themselves.

With greater understanding for employers allied to appropriate interventions from the health sector should be possible for the majority of people to continue to work into later life. For example, musculoskeletal problems could be mitigated by a combination of greater attention to working conditions including the appropriate positioning of desks and orthopaedic chairs alongside the availability of physiotherapy and other health practices as required.

Some health measures such as tackling obesity may be down to individuals. As the chief medical officer, Prof Dame Sally C Davies, comments in her introduction to the report “The choices we make every day will have an impact on how we age.” However she also highlights the part which employers have to play in helping people to stay in work and reap the benefits which an active and social later life can bring.

Providing specialist rehabilitation

When a traumatic event occurs we’d like to think that our health services are there for us. Particularly so if the event results in a form of trauma which requires long-term recuperative treatment. So would it surprise you to hear that in-patient specialist rehabilitation units only have the capacity to cater for 5% of the total number of individuals who are admitted each year to major trauma centres?

Those are the findings of a report commissioned by the Health Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) which looked into the provision of trauma care across England. As with many other health services the provision of specialist trauma care seems to be a postcode lottery with, according to district, between 1 and 8 adult trauma specialist rehabilitation beds available per 1 million people.

In bald terms, this means that across England only some 950 patients can be treated each year in specialist rehabilitation beds. The report also commented that under commissioning and insufficient staffing resulted in specialist rehabilitation units struggling to manage a complex caseload. Cost efficiency calculations were also not recorded by a quarter of the providers resulting in uncertainty about the balance between specialist treatment and long-term care in the community.

Now admittedly some of those who initially find themselves at major trauma centres may not require a high level of support but the report’s authors are calling on major trauma centres to “review the capacity and pathways for specialist rehabilitation following major trauma” in the light of the report. This should include the drawing up of local action plans together with an increase in the capacity of level Ic (cognative / behavioural) beds in order to shorten waiting times for these patients.

Trauma at all levels from major to relatively minor has an impact not only on the individual affected, but also on their family and their capacity to work. For the good of the individual as well as for the long-term health and productivity of the country it is therefore important that when an incident occurs priority is given to helping the individual to recover as swiftly as practicable. This means that all health professionals, whether they work in specialist NHS units or in private clinics have their part to play in providing rehabilitation treatments in a timely manner. Psychiatrists and counsellors, physiotherapists and mobility specialists, dentists and opticians; whatever the requirement, in helping the individual they are also helping the country.

But health professionals will only be able to give of their best when they in turn are supported by an efficient administration system. Addressing the rehabilitation needs of individuals requires concentration and a clear brain in order to draw on best practice knowledge. Health professionals won’t be able to give patients their full attention if they have worked late into the night in finding and filing notes, managing the appointment diary and dealing with the finances.

This is where backup systems such as online diaries, electronic filing of notes and card payments can make all the difference. In effect, by taking advantage of the support which is available to them, health professionals can in turn provide the best support possible to help their patients to recover. Yes, some will require the services of a specialist treatment centre; but for the rest, being able to call upon swift and timely rehabilitation services could make a significant difference to their long-term recovery.

Celebrating World Mental Health Day

Despite all of the positive work which has been done over recent years, when it comes to discussions about mental health it is still all too easy for them to be to be clouded in misinformation or somehow seen as being something shameful. In many walks of life mental issues are simply not talked about or in some strange way are seen as being part of home life and therefore playing no part in the world of work.

It’s hardly surprising; after all it’s not so long ago that stress was seen as being a personal failure rather than a product of working conditions. But the fact that it’s not surprising doesn’t make it right. That’s why World Mental Health Day which is celebrated on 10 October each year is so important. It’s a chance to raise awareness of mental health issues across the globe as well as providing “an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work, and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide.”

Although World Mental Health Day is a global event, it also provides an opportunity for individuals and businesses and healthcare providers to speak up and share what they are doing in the field of mental health. For example, the Bank of England has released a video in which its staff speak out to help to end the stigma around mental health issues. Called ‘This is me’ the video highlights the personal stories of some of the people who work at the Bank of England. It is hoped that their testimony will help others to seek help if they need it. The bank’s actions also reinforce a pledge which they signed in 2013 as part of a time to change initiative.

World Mental Health Day is designed to raise general awareness and promote discussion but it also seeks to highlight one particular aspect of building help or awareness each year. In 2016 the overall theme is psychological first aid. Covering psychological and social support, psychological first aid aims to help those who may come across people who are distressed or in crisis, helping individuals to understand how to act and what to say as they essentially provide front-line support.

Those who may be called on to give psychological first aid could be in the emergency services or in the health sector, in education or business, or they may even be a passerby who has encountered a crisis situation. Whoever they are, by providing appropriate early intervention they could help to alleviate the immediate crisis; with advanced support then being provided by health and mental health and social service professionals.

The general information provided on the World Mental Health Day website is well worth a browse but the essential message which society needs to take on board is that mental health has to come out of the shadows and be accepted as a normal part of everyday life. Whatever the cause, whether it be stress or anxiety, addiction or any other sort of ongoing condition; being able to talk openly and with acceptance is an important step in ongoing management or recovery.

That’s why steps taken by organisations such as the Bank of England are so important; they help to open up debate and to remove stigma. But it’s up to all of us, whether we are in the health sector or not to play our part in reducing the stigma and discrimination which for too long has been faced by those with mental health challenges.

We’re Exhibiting at the CCR Expo in October – Come and Meet Us!

If your clinic operates in the aesthetic medicine market you probably already know about the CCR (Clinical + Cosmetic + Reconstructive) Exhibition on 6-7 October.

We are also very pleased to be attending this year, so if you’re making the trip to London Olympia please do drop by stand C110 to say hello and get your questions answered.

We’ll be available for the full two days to give live demonstrations of our diary management software and explain how it integrates with our specialist call answering service, patient records system, payment processing and online booking services.

Of course, if you already have an existing diary management system set up, you can still take advantage of the call answering service to free up your time and ensure your calls are answered promptly and professionally. Our highly trained receptionists are also knowledgeable in the leading diary management packages, so it’s likely we can still manage your appointments, even if you use a different system.

We’re very much looking forward to meeting existing clients and possible new clients at the show, so if you are thinking of coming please do make sure you visit our stand (C110) whilst you’re there.

To register for your free visitor’s pass please click the image below:

See you there!

(Of course, if you can’t make it or your clinic operates in a different niche we’re still just a phone call away – contact us now on 0208 626 9373 to arrange a free consultation and online demonstration).

Health concerns – there’s an app for that

The Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has announced plans to expand the use of digital technology in the NHS. Key to the expansion will be the establishment of twelve ‘global exemplars’ and twenty ‘national exemplars’; essentially NHS trusts which will be expected to identify and promote best practice in the digital health arena.

To help them achieve their aim the global exemplars will each receive funding of £10 million and will be paired with an international organisation of their choice with a view to building digital expertise and disseminating it across the NHS. National exemplars will each receive £5 million together with support from a new NHS digital Academy, helping them to improve the way in which digital technology is used across their organisation.

In a two-pronged approach, the Health Secretary also announced measures which would help patients to improve their own interaction with health services. Recognising the growing use of tablets and smartphones, measures will be taken to improve access to health information via these devices, including offering an online triage service which will be operated by and link into NHS 111 together with greater access to personal health records online.

In tandem with this the NHS will also launch a library of approved apps which are designed to inform and guide patient information and choice. This library will also include information in respect of wearable devices with the aim of ensuring that people select effective products which will enable them to monitor and improve their own health. Eventually the aim is that information from wearable devices will feed directly into patient health records, helping GPs and other health services to monitor and advise on ongoing health issues such as diabetes.

As part of his announcement the Health Secretary announced that within the next twelve months he would be launching a competition to develop a range of apps which would deliver more effective information and results than those which are currently available. Commenting on this competition Jeremy Hunt said “we think we need better apps than the ones that are available in the market. We don’t want to develop them ourselves but we want them to be developed by entrepreneurs who have the specialist knowledge and creativity to do this.”

Of course this is not the first technology initiative which has been launched in respect of the NHS and it is fair to say that previous attempts have resulted in mixed outcomes. However, the increasing pace of technological change has resulted in the gap between the ideal and the achievable becoming ever smaller, leading to ever greater potential for delivering health improvements through technology.

In fact, a recent report by PwC suggests that £4.4bn of improvements could be made in the NHS simply through better use of information and technology. For example, even a couple of years ago the John Taylor Hospice near Birmingham found that by issuing clinicians with laptops, the time available for direct patient care was doubled; and similar reports have come out across the NHS from trusts which are prepared to invest in the short term order to save in the long term.

But it is not just the NHS which can benefit from investing in technology. Health professionals in every field from chiropractors to physiotherapists and occupational therapists could benefit from some of the ideas being trialled in the NHS. Digitising patient records can save every health practice time and storage space, whilst simple measures such as automatic appointment reminders can help to reduce no-shows; thereby keeping a full and productive schedule. Add in practices such as online booking and automated card payment systems and health practices can soon find that time consuming and unnecessary administration time is reduced, thereby enabling greater one-to-one patient contact time.

The health service by its very nature has to be a people service but that does not mean that we shouldn’t make the best use of technology in order to boost people care. As the head of NHS Digital, Andy Williams, said when he commented on Jeremy Hunt’s latest announcement “I believe we have only just begun to achieve the true transformational change and deliver the real benefits that digital technologies can bring to doctors, nurses, social workers, patients and the public.”

Post-Olympic preparedness

Let’s start with the uncomfortable truth; even for highly trained Olympic athletes sport can be dangerous. Anyone who doubts that only look at some of the horrific crashes in the cycling road races, or the broken leg suffered by the unfortunate gymnast in the opening days of the Rio Olympics.

But because sport can be dangerous, the better the preparation the more that injuries can be avoided or at least reduced. So whilst pictures of bored lifeguards sitting at the side of the Olympic pool may have given rise to some comment, competitors who inadvertently inhale water or suffer from a sudden cramp may be very glad that there is someone on hand to haul them out.

No matter what the sport; whilst talent plays its part, the secret to success is in the preparation. So those participating in sport have to ensure that their training is carefully balanced and this includes managing the pre-and post training warm up and warm down phases. Coaches too play their part in ensuring safety, as do those who manage sports venues. And this is before we bring in the ancillary support team which may include physiotherapists and chiropractors, sports nutritionists and psychologists.

However, whilst our Olympians may have a significant retinue to call upon, everyday athletes may find that the responsibility for safe training and performance falls very much more on their shoulders. This is not to say that support staff aren’t available if required; it is just that for the majority of athletes, health professionals such as physiotherapists are far more likely to become involved once an injury has occurred rather than at the preparation and training stage.

This of itself can cause something of a problem for health professionals. Following every Olympic Games there is a resurgence in interest in sports participation, and it is expected that the Rio Olympics will be no different. Whilst this is great news for sports clubs and for the overall level of fitness within the country, with a revival of interest in sport comes an inevitable increase in injuries. This can result in a significant increase in demand for health professionals to provide physiotherapy or other treatments.

Coping with this sudden increase in demand requires preparation. From a societal point of view, health professionals may feel that it is beneficial to work with local sports clubs, helping them to help their athletes to understand the importance of preparation in reducing the chances of injury.

But whilst this may play some part in helping sportspeople to look after their bodies, health professionals also need to work to streamline their practice in order to reduce strain on their time. Yet, as with fitness training, simple steps can make a measurable difference. For example, switching telephones to a virtual assistant service instantly frees up time which would otherwise be taken in simply talking to people and booking appointments. Similarly, offering an online booking service can help clients to book appointments at a time which is convenient to them without the need for a long discussion.

And when appointments have been made, SMS text reminders help to ensure that people turn up on time today treatments, helping the day to run smoothly and reducing the incidence of missed appointments. Similarly, online filing patient notes means that patient details are available at the click of a button rather than following a lengthy search through filing cabinets.

With a little preparation comes the chance for success. The majority of sportspeople will never experience the Olympic Games as a competitor; but they still can push their own boundaries, challenging themselves to be the best that they can be. With health professionals on side, helping to keep people fit and to manage injuries, we all have chance to benefit from the Olympic legacy.

The COPA Show And A Busy Summer

After a fantastic time at COPA 16, we’ve been back at work for a couple of weeks and busier than ever.

It was great to greet lots of visitors to our stand at the show. We had the chance to both put faces to the names of long standing clients we’d never had the chance to meet before, and to chat to many business owners who dropped by to discover how we could help them.

Summer is a busy time for us here at Clinic Appointments. As our clinics’ staff take annual leave for a well-earned break, we’re often called upon to provide extra support and cover to ensure practices continue running smoothly.

If you’d like to get some help managing your practice over the summer months and beyond, it’s not too late to join us. The next step is to contact us to arrange a demonstration of our services, so we can help you work out what level of involvement would be best for you. And of course, our services are very flexible, so we can always mould to fit if need be!

Card Payments – A Way Of Life

Contactless, online, over the counter; no matter how we use them it is clear that credit and debit cards have become part of our way of life. So much so that according to the UK Cards Association, in April 2016 the number of debit cards in circulation topped one hundred million for the first time.

Add in the fifty-nine million credit cards also in use in the UK and it is hardly surprising that we are seeing a rise in comments about the approach of a cashless society. This move has been hastened by the advent of contactless cards which in April 2016 alone accounted for 188 million transactions, equating to £1.58 billion.

With contactless cards being used for smaller transactions, that still represents only a fraction of the £53 billion which was spent on cards in April; although in terms of number of transactions, contactless payments accounted for 16% of the overall total. With record numbers of cards in issue and spending patterns moving firmly towards card payments, perhaps it is fitting that June 2016 saw the fiftieth anniversary of the inception of the credit card.

Major benefits of credit and debit cards as a means of payment include convenience, speed of payment and wide acceptance. But they are not the only method of payment to have undergone a revolution. The rise in online and ‘on your phone’ banking allied to payment portals such as PayPal has meant that even when cards are not used, online payments can still be made in a quick and efficient manner.

With all this convenience and speed, perhaps what is surprising is that the humble cheque is still clinging on as a method of payment. Why would a business issue an invoice, post it out, wait for the cheque to be returned by the customer and then wait for several days while it is banked and cleared when an online or debit card payment can be made in seconds? It just doesn’t make sense, particularly with the speed at which banks are closing branches, leaving businesses the choice of entrusting their banking to the post or driving what could be a substantial distance to the nearest bank branch.

Go back a decade or two and the claim could reasonably be made that, particularly when dealing with elderly customers, there was still a level of mistrust of card payments and therefore the cheque was seen as a familiar and secure alternative. That is far from the case today with cheque books, if they are in existence at all, languishing in a drawer and cards being mostly carried in pockets, purses and wallets.

This gives businesses a tremendous opportunity to cut down on administration and speed up the receipt of payments. For example, health practices such as physiotherapists and osteopaths by their very nature need to maximise patient contact time and minimise the time spent on unnecessary paperwork. Taking payments by card before the patient has left the practice at the end of their treatment not only saves time but also keep the cash flow current.

More importantly, health practices aren’t simply confined to collecting payments at time of the appointment. Taking credit or debit card details at the time of booking not only brings payment surety, should patients fail to turn up their appointment a ‘no-show fee’ can be taken in accordance with publicised terms and conditions. Interestingly, the simple act of taking payment details up front helps to concentrate the appointment in the patient’s mind, and therefore reduces the risk of missed appointments.

We may not all be fans of technology but it is hard to ignore the technological breakthroughs which bring convenience and certainty in areas such as card payments. As the Head of Policy at the UK Cards Association, Richard Koch, commented “Since they were first launched in the UK in June 1987, debit cards have become a prime feature in the nation’s wallets.”

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Category: Uncategorized