NHS occupational health services in England and Wales--a changing picture

To establish the extent of doctor input to occupational health (OH) service provision in the UK National Health Service (NHS) in 2001 and to compare this with inputs in 1998.

A postal questionnaire was used to obtain information from OH medical staff employed by the NHS in England and Wales.

The NHS OH service has seen an increase between 1998 and 2001 in the amount of doctor time per employee. Doctors tend to work now for more sessions per week. The proportion of doctors holding specialist qualifications has also increased. An increased number of NHS employees now have access to consultant care for occupational medicine. OH departments increasingly tend to provide services to employees beyond the NHS and are thereby able to generate income to further the development of the service.

Steady progress is being made in improving the provision of OH services within the NHS. However, substantial variation exists in the apparent level of access to such provision. The government policy for all NHS staff to have access to a consultant-led service is not yet met. NHS Plus will impact on this picture and deserves study in the future.