Occupational health
[ch 11: pages 228-229]An occupational health (OH) scheme is a service which gives access to a range of professional advice and services to staff.
The European Union Framework Directive (EEC/89/391) on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work requires that all workers have access to preventive OH services. However, the way this duty was transposed into UK law meant that in practice only a small minority of workers have access to comprehensive OH support at work.
In its November 2019 submission to the Department for Work and Pensions and Department of Health and Social Care consultation, “Health is everyone’s business”, the TUC called on the government to focus on investing in OH capacity within the NHS, rather than encouraging employers to invest in private provision. It highlighted a “massive and increasing deficiency of OH capacity and the lack of access to OH through employers”.
The submission can be found on the TUC website.
TUC, 'Health is Everyone’s Business' (https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/2019-11/HealthisEveryones.pdf)