Ethics Guidance for Occupational Health Practice 9th Edition - Book - Page 23
2.18. Effective management of an occupational health service requires a range of
organisational, financial and negotiating skills that are not linked to any specific
professional background. It is not uncommon for the day-to-day management
of an occupational health service to be vested in someone who is not a
clinician. Managers should consciously develop a style that suits their
personality, meets the needs of their team and takes account of overall
organisational culture.
2.19. The acquisition of specific managerial skills may require formal training.
Individuals that have dual roles (clinical and managerial) must clearly
communicate with others concerning which role they are fulfilling.
2.20. Those in occupational health leadership and management roles must be clear
that, where necessary, they will constructively challenge corporate governance
failings (e.g. inadequate finances, poor quality assurance processes or
environmental damage) that may lead to adverse health and wellbeing
outcomes. The ‘Nuremberg defence’ (“I was only following orders”) is not
acceptable (see section on Relationships with the Public/Whistleblowing).
Relationships with clinicians outside the OH team
2.21. Occupational health professionals interact with clinicians who practise outside
the immediate occupational health team and who are involved in other aspects
of a worker’s healthcare. The interaction may be to provide information or
obtain information (see section on an Introduction to Information Sharing). It
may also be to participate in shared care.
2.22. The boundary between occupational health and other health care is not always
clear cut and the occupational health professional must be careful not to
subvert the role of a treating clinician. In some situations (e.g. in the military, in
remote sites or in hazardous installations) treatment may be provided as an
inherent part of the occupational health service. In some models of provision,
common services such as physiotherapy or psychology may supplement that
which is available through primary health care. The occupational health
consultation itself may have a therapeutic component particularly for mental
health cases.
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