COMPANY NEWS
new discussion paper on the effects of ill-health on the workplace gives suggestions for employers on how to manage ‘presenteeism’. Reduced produc- tivity is inevitable among people who come to work despite not being fully engaged with it be- cause of health problems. The paper, ‘Managing Presenteeism’, by Business in
A the Community
(BITC) and the Centre for Mental Health shows that its costs can be reduced through better work, im- proved relationships, more effec- tive specialist support and better physical and psychological health at work.
Simple, low-cost measures that can cut the costs of presenteeism include training for line managers in recognising the signs of mental ill health, creating an open atmos- phere for staff to talk about health issues, and recording presentee- ism through staff surveys. BITC’s Workwell director Louise Aston said: “Managing presenteeism ef-
fectively involves taking a holistic and integrated approach to pro- actively managing employee well- ness by creating the conditions in which the whole person can flour- ish. Managing it well not only saves money in both the short and longer term, but also contributes to the development of an engaged and productive workforce. Progressive employers are increasingly recog- nising the need to actively manage presenteeism.”
Centre for Mental Health joint chief executive Professor Bob Grove said: “Presenteeism from mental ill health costs the UK economy £15bn a year. This is almost double the cost of sickness absence due to mental ill-health. And presentee- ism is growing as white collar jobs become more common and more people carry on working while un- well.”
The paper is available at www.cen-
treformentalhealth.org.uk and the BITC Workwell Linkedin blog.
Ian Poole of Medi-Rehab explains the contribution of Romedic innovation to stand assistance.
T
he importance of security and comfort during sit-to-stand
transfers is well known. What is sometimes overlooked is the val- ue of opportunity for those that re- tain some strength to rebuild that strength and remain as independ- ent as possible.
Extensive research at Romedic has resulted in the ReTurn range of stand aids that provide multi- functional pivoting and transpor- tation platforms, and which stimu- late the natural pattern of moving when progressing from sitting to standing. The design of the ReTurns provides firm grip points for the user, and the overall motion strengthens a range of muscles.
Medi-Rehab, the approved dis- tributor of Romedic products, holds invaluable training at their large Sussex facility. Helping to
FOR MORE INFORMATION
T: 0845 217 0203 E:
sales@medirehab.co.uk or
events@medirehab.co.uk W:
www.medirehab.co.uk
ensure that the equipment is used to maximum benefit, Medi-Rehab readily accommodates specific training requests as well as host- ing regular events.
Michelle Rogers, sales and marketing director at Labcold, discusses the cost effective way to purchase medical and scientific refrigeration.
I
n any hospital, health centre or care home, one of the impor- tant purchases will be at least one medical refrigerator. In these en- vironments, refrigerators have to work much harder, yet perform much better than refrigerators in domestic or even catering situa- tions because they generally store expensive substances critical to pa- tient health.
These fridges are expensive when compared to domestic counter- parts, but what has to be remem- bered is that they are specifically designed for the purpose. For ex- ample, a pharmacy refrigerator needs to keep contents between 2o
C and 8o C in order to keep vac-
cines live and within their manu- facturer’s licence, whereas a blood bank refrigerator is required to keep the core temperature between 2o
C and 6o C. Only a difference of
C, but when it comes to patient safety it is crucial.
2o
It’s not just patients that are kept safe with fit-for-purpose refrig- eration. Buildings are too. If, for example, it is intended that the refrigerator is to store flammable substances, then it makes sense to invest in a spark-free fridge or freezer. Designed so that there is no internal source of ignition, these models are a significant con-
14 | national health executive May/Jun 11
tribution to laboratory safety as refrigerator fires are more com- mon in laboratories than any other environment.
Preventative maintenance is also important. Most medical refrig- erators and freezers have to be calibrated every year and for those with medical device accreditation, such as blood banks, it is impor- tant that all spare parts used are UKAS traceable and are OEM. Us- ing the original manufacturer to carry out maintenance saves time and effort when it comes to regu- latory inspections, and therefore saves money.
Refrigeration is a costly purchase but it also needs to be remem- bered how expensive the contents of these units is. Most pharmacy fridges regularly store up to five times their purchase price in vac-
cines for example. However, good purpose-built medical and scientif- ic refrigeration is available through Buying Solutions, and, if you invest in a product designed and built by a manufacturer with specialist ex- perience in this area you can guar- antee that the unit will be built to last, especially as they should be able to provide a good after sales service programme.
By making the choice to purchase quality, specialist equipment with a preventative maintenance pro- gramme in the first instance, per- formance and longevity will be guaranteed and, savings will be made through efficiency, reliability and built in regulation conformity.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
T: 0870 300 1001 E:
sales@labcold.com W:
www.labcold.com
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