Over the two days we had some top class presentations.
The conference began with an informative and challenging presentation from Kath Perera, Director of NHS Horizons. Kath encouraged the delegates to remember that lots of small changes can really make a difference and by creating conditions where people can achieve a shared purpose, even when things are uncertain, we can better manage our services and support our staff.
Gwen Faulkner and Emma Liddell from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire collaboration, led a great session on people and health. They discussed the benefits of occupational health and HR working together and how providing an organisational response has meant the service given to individuals who are ill or off work has become more efficient and effective.
Claire Darbyshire, Programme Director at the Centre for Data and Analytics in Policing talked delegates through the development of a future police workforce health and wellbeing model which is being designed in partnership with Integrated Care and Health Boards.
Our Service Director Andy Rhodes explained our sleep fatigue and recovery biometric programme and how the data captured by pilot forces is telling us what's really going on and helping us build a true picture of sleep across policing.
Other sessions included:
- Health Surveillance Challenge by Katie Amis-Hughes and Susan Dixon from West Yorkshire Police
- Mental health – Are we able to predict the fitness of future police officers? Presented by Max Henderson, Professor of psychological medicine and occupational psychiatry at Leeds University
- Understanding the psychological surveillance landscape by Oscar Kilo's Liz Eades, Zoe Davenport and Andy Rhodes.
During the second day delegates also had the chance to hear from John Harrison, chief medical officer for policing about some of the challenges and opportunities facing occupational health in our sector.
Jim Saunders from the College of Policing leadership team, supported by Julie Feechan Oscar Kilo OH subject matter expert, gave us a very fun, practical explanation of the National Decision Model and how it can be used not just in our working lives but in our private lives too.
We also covered occupational health practice standards, new recruit medical standards and had the chance to ask any burning questions.
We are uploading the full PowerPoint presentation covering both days to our occupational practitioner member page. If you are not a member and think you should be please get in touch.