Lucy Kenyon | University of Chester (original) (raw)
Papers by Lucy Kenyon
Occupational Health; Sutton Vol. 67, Iss. 6, (Jun 2015): 18-20. · Jan 1, 2015, 2015
We live in a world where organisations are still struggling to understand and fulfil their legal ... more We live in a world where organisations are still struggling to understand and fulfil their legal obligations to people with disabilities . Fitness for work poses significant professional challenges for Occupational Physicians, in a litigious society keen to point the finger every time something unexpected goes wrong. Equally challenging are the pressures felt by employers to implement advice at any cost or to let an employee go on the grounds that it is not reasonably practicable to make adjustments for them. A consequence of a poorly managed case is reluctance to risk a similar situation in future, which can lead to discriminatory practices.
April was autism awareness month; so what as an organisation do you now want to do to embrace the diversity and skills that autism could bring to your workplace?
Portsmouth University reports that “future research should focus on the development of assessment tools for evaluating individual needs in the work environment”. This article reflects on the author’s own experience and aims to identify a toolbox kit for employers to refer to when confronted with a challenging case of their own.
OH Today, 2022
Defining a population group and the role of the Occupational Health professionals in the manageme... more Defining a population group and the role of the Occupational Health professionals in the management of public health and control of emerging zoonotic communicable diseases.
Occupational Health & Wellbeing; Sutton Vol. 67, Iss. 12, (Dec 2015): 20-22, 2015
Arthritis conditions and the workplace Background There are around 200 types of arthritis, and mo... more Arthritis conditions and the workplace Background There are around 200 types of arthritis, and most people know someone who has one of them. But not all have a readily identifiable name. This means that when someone says they have arthritis, it probably isn't the one you are familiar with and therefore may not affect them in the way you expect. A survey in June 2013, coinciding with national rheumatoid arthritis week, revealed delays in identifying and treating arthropathies within the 12 week "window of opportunity". Despite this a symposium on Musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace on 16 June this year reported sufferers continuing to experience difficulties obtaining a diagnosis. The impact for employers is that employees without a diagnosis will have functional difficulty carrying out their job, regardless of diagnosis label.
Croner Special Reports, 2009
Legal influences on occupational health are inherently complex. This is because society, culture,... more Legal influences on occupational health are inherently complex. This is because society, culture, perception, individuality and behaviour cannot easily be legislated for or prescribed. Each case presents a unique set of circumstances, from which our dynamic legal system develops its principles and rulings that influence decisions on future cases. Defence against a claim of negligence, unfair dismissal or worse if often dependent on evidence of compliance with supporting regulations, codes of practice and standards. An everyday example of the multi-faceted issues facing health and safety risk assessment and management is that of speed cameras; and society’s support for the destruction of these by protestors, as evidenced by online campaigns and the failure of witnesses to report these particular acts of vandalism.
Dame Carol Black’s review of Occupational Health (OH) has dramatically raised the profile and perception of occupational health from factory nurse or employee benefit to independent and objective medical opinion. Employers, who make employment decisions without reference to expert occupational health opinion, will have difficulty defending those decisions. Equally this raised profile means that professionals in the field of occupational health must consider up to date knowledge and demonstrate greater understanding of the legal impact of their advice. Recent cases from employment and appeal tribunals have been selected to bring these decisions to life; and the principles and learning opportunities are summarised below.
OH Today, 2024
2023 was an incredibly busy training calendar delivering weekly courses extending well beyond the... more 2023 was an incredibly busy training calendar delivering weekly courses extending well beyond the usual Quarter 4 of the budget year into Quarter 3 of the following. My hypothesis is that employers are actively trying to address the evolving health & well-being needs of the post-COVID workforce. The greatest challenge for me was balancing my desire to be accommodating & adaptable with the demands of a cross-generational cohort of school leavers and professionals who had to adapt to home-working at short notice and who have no desire to adapt back to a commute, let alone travel to the Midlands to attend training. Feedback was sparse, and the few with strong opinions about their learning experience were our only opportunity to reflect on and develop our offering.
Croner Special Reports, Oct 24, 2007
Quality and audit in Occupational Health (OH) have been in the professional press since 19951, bu... more Quality and audit in Occupational Health (OH) have been in the professional press since 19951, but the issue of quality has shot to the top of the government’s agenda for Occupational Health in the last few months2. “Measuring what matters” is the headline message of the 2005 Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection.
In a recent government announcement, financial support has been promised for new projects in the NHS to provide better quality occupational health services. Rosie Winterton said "The funding of these schemes highlights the importance of occupational health services and their important role in supporting health, safety and well being in both the workforce and the community. The chosen sites are excellent examples of the good work going on throughout the NHS to reduce ill health and accidents, and improve employee morale and performance in the NHS and beyond."2
The Healthcare Commission (HCA) also launched a new web service in December 2006, to provide the public with information about performance in independent sector treatment centres. Although this does not specifically refer to Occupational Health providers, Anna Walker, Chief Executive of the Healthcare Commission said “All healthcare providers should be accountable to the communities they serve.” 3 Whether in house or via third party arrangement, occupational health serves the working population within client organisations and is therefore accountable to its service users and their representatives.
Although many of the larger OH providers sit within divisions of larger insurance companies, and are therefore subject to the Financial Services Authority rules and regulations, the self-assessment tool4 provides a useful checklist for benchmarking against NHS service providers. Having participated in this self-assessment process as part of a clinical governance strategy group, I believe that this will become a customer-friendly and recognisable industry standard that providers will use to market themselves.
Contemporary Occupational Health Nursing Practice, 2017
Quality and audit are increasingly important in healthcare provision and this chapter aims to giv... more Quality and audit are increasingly important in healthcare provision and this chapter aims to give the practitioner knowledge and tools to monitor the clinical and service delivery business aspects of occupational health (OH). The purpose of the chapter is to outline the differences between 'quality' and 'audit', how they interrelate and their significance in the OH context. There are a number of specific books and courses devoted to the subject and differing methods of ensuring quality by general and specialist audit tools. The chapter gives the reader tools to understand and assess existing audit provision for effectiveness and to signpost them to further information and resources to use to establish or adapt for their own specific requirements. In contemporary occupational settings, along with recent political drivers following the Black report, the impetus for quality audits has been from managing costs whilst improving standards and meeting statutory and regulatory standards.
Occupational Health; Sutton Vol. 67, Iss. 6, (Jun 2015): 18-20. · Jan 1, 2015, 2015
We live in a world where organisations are still struggling to understand and fulfil their legal ... more We live in a world where organisations are still struggling to understand and fulfil their legal obligations to people with disabilities . Fitness for work poses significant professional challenges for Occupational Physicians, in a litigious society keen to point the finger every time something unexpected goes wrong. Equally challenging are the pressures felt by employers to implement advice at any cost or to let an employee go on the grounds that it is not reasonably practicable to make adjustments for them. A consequence of a poorly managed case is reluctance to risk a similar situation in future, which can lead to discriminatory practices.
April was autism awareness month; so what as an organisation do you now want to do to embrace the diversity and skills that autism could bring to your workplace?
Portsmouth University reports that “future research should focus on the development of assessment tools for evaluating individual needs in the work environment”. This article reflects on the author’s own experience and aims to identify a toolbox kit for employers to refer to when confronted with a challenging case of their own.
OH Today, 2022
Defining a population group and the role of the Occupational Health professionals in the manageme... more Defining a population group and the role of the Occupational Health professionals in the management of public health and control of emerging zoonotic communicable diseases.
Occupational Health & Wellbeing; Sutton Vol. 67, Iss. 12, (Dec 2015): 20-22, 2015
Arthritis conditions and the workplace Background There are around 200 types of arthritis, and mo... more Arthritis conditions and the workplace Background There are around 200 types of arthritis, and most people know someone who has one of them. But not all have a readily identifiable name. This means that when someone says they have arthritis, it probably isn't the one you are familiar with and therefore may not affect them in the way you expect. A survey in June 2013, coinciding with national rheumatoid arthritis week, revealed delays in identifying and treating arthropathies within the 12 week "window of opportunity". Despite this a symposium on Musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace on 16 June this year reported sufferers continuing to experience difficulties obtaining a diagnosis. The impact for employers is that employees without a diagnosis will have functional difficulty carrying out their job, regardless of diagnosis label.
Croner Special Reports, 2009
Legal influences on occupational health are inherently complex. This is because society, culture,... more Legal influences on occupational health are inherently complex. This is because society, culture, perception, individuality and behaviour cannot easily be legislated for or prescribed. Each case presents a unique set of circumstances, from which our dynamic legal system develops its principles and rulings that influence decisions on future cases. Defence against a claim of negligence, unfair dismissal or worse if often dependent on evidence of compliance with supporting regulations, codes of practice and standards. An everyday example of the multi-faceted issues facing health and safety risk assessment and management is that of speed cameras; and society’s support for the destruction of these by protestors, as evidenced by online campaigns and the failure of witnesses to report these particular acts of vandalism.
Dame Carol Black’s review of Occupational Health (OH) has dramatically raised the profile and perception of occupational health from factory nurse or employee benefit to independent and objective medical opinion. Employers, who make employment decisions without reference to expert occupational health opinion, will have difficulty defending those decisions. Equally this raised profile means that professionals in the field of occupational health must consider up to date knowledge and demonstrate greater understanding of the legal impact of their advice. Recent cases from employment and appeal tribunals have been selected to bring these decisions to life; and the principles and learning opportunities are summarised below.
OH Today, 2024
2023 was an incredibly busy training calendar delivering weekly courses extending well beyond the... more 2023 was an incredibly busy training calendar delivering weekly courses extending well beyond the usual Quarter 4 of the budget year into Quarter 3 of the following. My hypothesis is that employers are actively trying to address the evolving health & well-being needs of the post-COVID workforce. The greatest challenge for me was balancing my desire to be accommodating & adaptable with the demands of a cross-generational cohort of school leavers and professionals who had to adapt to home-working at short notice and who have no desire to adapt back to a commute, let alone travel to the Midlands to attend training. Feedback was sparse, and the few with strong opinions about their learning experience were our only opportunity to reflect on and develop our offering.
Croner Special Reports, Oct 24, 2007
Quality and audit in Occupational Health (OH) have been in the professional press since 19951, bu... more Quality and audit in Occupational Health (OH) have been in the professional press since 19951, but the issue of quality has shot to the top of the government’s agenda for Occupational Health in the last few months2. “Measuring what matters” is the headline message of the 2005 Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection.
In a recent government announcement, financial support has been promised for new projects in the NHS to provide better quality occupational health services. Rosie Winterton said "The funding of these schemes highlights the importance of occupational health services and their important role in supporting health, safety and well being in both the workforce and the community. The chosen sites are excellent examples of the good work going on throughout the NHS to reduce ill health and accidents, and improve employee morale and performance in the NHS and beyond."2
The Healthcare Commission (HCA) also launched a new web service in December 2006, to provide the public with information about performance in independent sector treatment centres. Although this does not specifically refer to Occupational Health providers, Anna Walker, Chief Executive of the Healthcare Commission said “All healthcare providers should be accountable to the communities they serve.” 3 Whether in house or via third party arrangement, occupational health serves the working population within client organisations and is therefore accountable to its service users and their representatives.
Although many of the larger OH providers sit within divisions of larger insurance companies, and are therefore subject to the Financial Services Authority rules and regulations, the self-assessment tool4 provides a useful checklist for benchmarking against NHS service providers. Having participated in this self-assessment process as part of a clinical governance strategy group, I believe that this will become a customer-friendly and recognisable industry standard that providers will use to market themselves.
Contemporary Occupational Health Nursing Practice, 2017
Quality and audit are increasingly important in healthcare provision and this chapter aims to giv... more Quality and audit are increasingly important in healthcare provision and this chapter aims to give the practitioner knowledge and tools to monitor the clinical and service delivery business aspects of occupational health (OH). The purpose of the chapter is to outline the differences between 'quality' and 'audit', how they interrelate and their significance in the OH context. There are a number of specific books and courses devoted to the subject and differing methods of ensuring quality by general and specialist audit tools. The chapter gives the reader tools to understand and assess existing audit provision for effectiveness and to signpost them to further information and resources to use to establish or adapt for their own specific requirements. In contemporary occupational settings, along with recent political drivers following the Black report, the impetus for quality audits has been from managing costs whilst improving standards and meeting statutory and regulatory standards.