Just a quick query - I'm going to have to have an appointment with one of the NHS Occupational Health teams next week & I'm a bit nervous about it, mainly because I'm not sure what I should expect.
I was sure a few of you would have had to undergo the same/similar processes so was wondering if you had any words of advice or could tell me what sort of questions they may ask? It'd really help put my mind at ease!
I had an appointment with an occupational health doctor in January (I think) and it was nowhere near as bad as I expected!
They ask a bit about your history, they asked me about education and stuff, what kind of issues you suffer from and how they affect you and what happens when you get more unwell.
They might ask for a letter from your psych/GP.
I suppose just be honest, they're not trying to catch you out, they just want to see how they can help. :)
Good luck!
I'm fine! Totally fine. I don't know why it's coming out all loud and squeaky, 'cause really, I'm fine!
Hey,
My OH didn't go too well but the consultant did try to contact my team who were away at the time and when they got back it was too late. She asked me questions about my past literally took a running history from when I was little and she was quite intrusive but she wanted to literally everything she wanted to hear my past diagnosis and why I had those and then my medications and what I've been on and what triggers episodes or what has happened in the past. Whether I had been in hospital or detained or any mhas.
Just be as honest as you can be because then you know she can't catch you out and they normally want you hence why you're going through this appt. Good luck. Let us know how it goes. What's it for?
Ballerina123 - My lovely superstar
Call me R -
The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time - Abraham Lincoln
Okay, thanks guys. I'm still a bit nervous & my memory is shockingly bad but I'm very honest with my MH so I guess that should be on my side. It's the last part of my background checks before I officially get offered the role & can resign from my current position so fingers crossed.
It's for an administration role, so nothing too major. :)
Okay thanks. Not sure how I'd answer that one! Never had a crisis plan or team or anything because I'm not that unwell but I suppose in an emergency I'd say that I'd phone NHS Direct or take myself to hospital.
i have had some experiences with occupational health both at university and an nhs job that i had got too.
i was honest from the begining about my self harm depression etc and i was really scared to be honest as i was applying for nursing and a nursing auxillary job
at the nhs oh appointment first of i saw a nurse and they just went through past medical history and stuff etc like that but then when she saw i had declared mental health issues she checked with the doc and i had to have a chat with him. i was a bit nervous but he was lovely about it asked to see my arms how i was now and coping at uni etc. they were lovely.
good luck my dear i am sure that it will go well and i hope that this helped somehow lol
If I'm correct, then this is tomorrow, in which case best of luck for it.
I guess my best advice is to make sure to mention ALL the positive things, like how you've managed your symptoms successfully in previous employment, progress you've made in self-awareness etc. Obvs don't lie or make things up, but just keep it positive where possible, if that makes sense.
Hi,
My experiences with OH for working in NHS hospitals have actually been surprisingly ok so far. The main things that stands out in my memory are the questions:
1) do you recognise when you're becoming ill? how will you know if you are ill/unable to work?
2) what will you do if you become ill?
3) what can we do to help?
Good luck!
Always seem to get things just that little bit wrong.
"don't wish, don't start, wishing only wounds the heart"
I had my appointment and was honest but tried to keep a positive spin on it, because although I have a huge tendancy to lean towards the negative, I have to admit that most of the time I am currently coping a hell of a lot better than I have in the past - even though my moods have been insane lately *pats self on back*.
The appointment went pretty well - the doctor I saw was absolutely lovely & said that she thinks I would be fine in the role & would have cleared me then & there had she not been concerned that there wouldn't be adequate support. She went to speak to her boss towards the end as she wasn't sure whether to clear me & came back with the suggestion that we have another meeting with me, her & my new line manager to inform my line manager that for medical reasons I will need a decent level of support (meaning that I just need to not be chucked in at the deep end, alone & unable to ask questions) but other than that I should be okay. So she's going to email me & try to arrange dates for that.
Thank you for all your support guys. This has been a bit of a long & somewhat draining process (had my original interview on March 6th!) & the advice really helped put my mind at ease a bit.
Thanks!
As long as the new line manager agrees that there will be adequate provisions of support and that she still wants to go ahead with the hire after the meeting, then I believe everything will have been cleared & I can resign at last. :)
I hope it goes well! I expect the line manager will want to know what you would consider to be adequate support that they could provide. I've been a line manager in this position and have asked that question, literally it is so they can understand what your expectations are and see if they fit in with the managers expectations, so I would suggest asking the manager what their expectations would be as well.
To be honest I would expect a decent line manager to be considerate and explain their own expectations as well. Not wanting to alarm you, but please be careful of anyone who appears to be dismissive of their own expectations, because a manager who has thought this through and is genuinely interested in your best interests really should have an answer to a question like that. Also if possible it may be worth asking for the line managers manager to be informed as well, as they can put a lot of pressure on line managers and things can come a bit undone as a result (again speaking from experience - though that's my experience as a worker not a manager, my line manager was fine but his was a nightmare as he didn't have all the facts).
Did they mention to you about things like staff support networks? Those exist as well, they are not only for doctors who work in the nhs.
Last edited by Becca : 30-04-2014 at 10:29 PM.
Reason: Add bit
Thank you for the advice. I don't really feel comfortable asking for the new LM's boss to be informed just because it sounds like I'm being picky/untrusting, but I'll definitely try to ask about their expectations!
I don't know what I think an adequate level of support is though, to be honest.. I guess I just want to know that I'm not going to be chucked completely in it at the deep end alone with no reassurance or other people to ask what to do.. I don't know. >_<
The OH doctor did say that they've got a fair few support things for staff, but said that she doesn't tend to refer people with PDs to them because they don't get along too well with them. She said that she's more than happy to be my "go-to" person & that I'm able to contact her if things start becoming difficult, etc.
I just want to get it over & done with now, I've been in the process of screening for almost two months & my anxiety over the whole thing is increasing.
It was only a suggestion, I totally understand you not wanting to involve them, thinking about it not doing so is probably wiser!
Definitely spend this time working out what you would consider adequate support, not being chucked in the deep end isn't really specific enough, no new member of staff is meant to be treated like that, so it wouldn't be an adjustment and you would have no recourse in the future. Can you think of something that might help you, like a meeting once a month with them about how things are going or something like that? I'm a bit clueless myself to be honest as I'm not sure what sort of job it is you are going for or the kind of situation you might be in.
You can definitely go to staff support regardless of having a PD, sounds to me like she is making judgements about people with PD. Anyone regardless of diagnosis whether physical or mental can go. It would be better to approach people for support first and see how it goes rather than letting the OH decide for you - just my opinion, it shows you are taking responsibility.
My OH stuff took over four months, they need to get it right so look at it this way if it takes time then they are making sure you are suited to the job and it to you.
