Get involved in healthy workplaces

We are committed to help and support the NHS in driving the workforce agenda and in having an independent voice on workforce issues. We host a number of groups and input to consultations to ensure that employer involvement is central to all our work around healthy workplaces.

Occupational Health and Health and Safety Working Group

The Occupational Health and Health and Safety Working Group works with our Healthy Workplaces team to identify new work streams and issues which apply to the occupational health and health and safety remit in the NHS. The group meets formally twice per year and the majority of communications in between are via e-mail.

Members are:

• Karen Broughton, Director of HR, Westminster PCT
• Jill Ashley Jones, Director of Organisational Development and Strategic HRM at Solihull PCT
• Elizabeth Richards, Business Manager, Occupational Health, Stockport NHS Trust
• Kim Doherty, Director of Human Resources, Liverpool Women's Foundation Trust
• Jane Mitchell, Senior Nurse/Occupational Health Manager, Bradford Hospitals NHS
• Keith Marshall, Camden PCT, Islington PCT, and Camden and Islington Mental Health and Social Care Trust
• Pam Duke, Occupational Health Services for Camden PCT
• Claire Brown, Occupational Health Manager, Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Jim Stirton, Assistant HR Director, East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust
• Frances Morris, Assistant Director, Business Operations HR and Organisational Development Directorate, Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust
• Keith Higgs, Health and Safety Advisor and Risk Manager, University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust
• Fran Hook, Assistant HR Director, Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Trust
• Sue Scott, Head of HR, Greenwich PCT
• Maggie Woods, HR Manager, Suffolk East PCT
• Andrew Gilbey, Assistant Director (Occupational Health), York Hospitals NHS Trust
• Carole Hunter, Head of Occupational Health Services, Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust
• Gillian Morris, HR Manager (Primary Care), Enfield PCT
• Nicola Brackey, HR Officer (Primary Care), Enfield PCT
• Perry Woodhouse, Technical Instructor 1 and Unison Health and Safety Officer, Notts Healthcare Trust
• Adrian Warrren, Health and Safety Manager, Cheltenham and Tewksbury PCT

Partnership for Occupational Safety and Health in Healthcare (POSHH)

The Partnership for Occupational Safety and Health in Healthcare (POSHH) is a sub group of the NHS Staff Council. The group aims to raise standards of occupational health and safety in the healthcare organisations and to promote best practice across both the NHS and the Independent sector. The group objectives are:

• to assist NHS Employers in the development of national occupational health and safety standards for the healthcare sector and to promote their implementation
• to scope, evaluate and encourage spread of good practice, particularly in respect of risks identified within the HSC's priority programmes and the NHS Employers contractual programme of work
• to work in partnership with the HSE in assisting the aims and directives of the Ministerial Task Force for health, safety and productivity to reduce the incidence of workplace days lost through ill health and injury
• to identify potential areas where standard approaches across sectors would be beneficial (e.g. key performance indicators) and seek to agree what those approaches should be and promote their implementation
• to develop partnership links with other relevant bodies in areas of work which have an impact on healthcare occupational health and safety and to provide a source of expertise where necessary
• to identify areas of research and to seek sources of funding to support this.
• to review standards of occupational health and safety, based on monitoring arrangements within the national Occupational Health strategy, and identify common areas that may need addressing
• to share information on best practice and explore how each of the healthcare bodies represented on the group can make best use of this knowledge
• to be a focal point for consultation on Government policy making and development relating to Occupational Health and Safety.