Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-tf8b9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T22:16:45.189Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 43 - The Role of Occupational Health Services and Responding to Staff Who Have Long COVID

from Section 5 - Sustaining and Caring for Staff During Emergencies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2024

Richard Williams
Affiliation:
University of South Wales
Verity Kemp
Affiliation:
Independent Health Emergency Planning Consultant
Keith Porter
Affiliation:
University of Birmingham
Tim Healing
Affiliation:
Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London
John Drury
Affiliation:
University of Sussex
Get access

Summary

This chapter outlines what occupational health services are and what they can do for workers and employers. It describes their role in preventing and managing illness caused by work, and supporting workers to return to their workplaces after illness. Of key importance is the management of hazard and risk at work, and preventing harm to workers. This includes anticipating the psychosocial hazards of emergencies, incidents, disasters, and disease outbreaks (EIDD), and planning how to keep staff safe and well. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the additional prolonged health impacts of COVID-19 affecting a large proportion of the population have been and are challenging for all concerned. The author uses Long COVID to consider how health services might be organised and delivered at scale. Occupational health services are accustomed to turning their capabilities to meet new needs. Early intervention is emphasised as a means of achieving earlier return to function.

Type
Chapter
Information
Major Incidents, Pandemics and Mental Health
The Psychosocial Aspects of Health Emergencies, Incidents, Disasters and Disease Outbreaks
, pp. 320 - 325
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Kar-Purkayastha, I, Balasegaram, S, Sen, D, et al. Lead: ongoing public and occupational health issues in vulnerable populations: a case study. J Public Health (Oxf) 2012; 34: 176–82.Google ScholarPubMed
Health and Safety Executive. Work-Related Ill Health and Occupational Disease in Great Britain. Health and Safety Executive, 2021 (www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/).Google Scholar
Health and Safety Executive. Hierarchy of Controls, Leadership and Worker Involvement Toolkit. Health and Safety Executive, 2021 (www.hse.gov.uk/construction/lwit/assets/downloads/hierarchy-risk-controls.pdf).Google Scholar
Health and Safety Executive. What Are the Management Standards? Health and Safety Executive, 2022 (www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards/).Google Scholar
NHS England and NHS Improvement. Responding to the Needs of People Affected by Incidents and Emergencies: Guidance for Planning, Delivering, and Evaluating Psychosocial and Mental Healthcare. NHS England and NHS Improvement, 2021.Google Scholar
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. NICE Guideline [NG116]. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2018 (www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng116).Google Scholar
Fogarty, H, Townsend, L, Morrin, H, Ahmad, A, Comerford, C, Karampini, E, et al. Persistent endotheliopathy in the pathogenesis of long COVID syndrome. J Thromb Haemost 2021; 19: 2546–53.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bonaventura, A, Vecchié, A, Dagna, L, Martinod, K, Dixon, DL, Van Tassell, BW, et al. Endothelial dysfunction and immunothrombosis as key pathogenic mechanisms in COVID-19. Nat Rev Immunol 2021 21: 319–29.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kell, DB, Laubscher, GJ, Pretorius, E. A central role for amyloid fibrin microclots in long COVID/PASC: origins and therapeutic implications. Biochem J 2022; 479: 537–59.Google Scholar
Raman, B, Bluemke, DA, Lüscher, TF, Neubauer, S. Long COVID: post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 with a cardiovascular focus. Eur Heart J 2022; 43: 1157–72.Google Scholar
Verbeeck, J, Vandersmissen, G, Peeters, J, Klamer, S, Hancart, S, Lernout, T, et al. Confirmed COVID-19 cases per economic activity during autumn wave in Belgium. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021; 18: 12489.Google Scholar
Couzin-Frankel, J. What causes Long Covid? Here are the three leading theories. Science 2022; 376: 1261–5.Google Scholar
Barker-Davies, RM, O’Sullivan, O, Senaratne, KPP, Baker, P, Cranley, M, Dharm-Datta, S, et al. The Stanford Hall consensus statement for post-COVID-19 rehabilitation. Br J Sports Med 2020; 54: 949–59.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nalbandian, A, Sehgal, K, Gupta, A, Madhavan, MV, McGroder, C, Stevens, JS, et al. Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome. Nat Med 2021; 27: 601–15.Google Scholar
Fedson, DS. COVID-19, host response treatment, and the need for political leadership. J Public Health Policy 2021; 42: 614.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Master, H, Chaudhry, A, Gall, N, Newson, L, Glynne, S, Glynne, P. Draw On Expert Opinion to Optimise Care for Long COVID. Medscape UK, 2022 (www.guidelinesinpractice.co.uk/infection/draw-on-expert-opinion-to-optimise-care-for-long-covid/456989.article).Google Scholar
Waddell, G, Burton, AK, Kendall, NAS. Vocational Rehabilitation: What Works, for Whom, and When? The Stationery Office, 2008.Google Scholar
Council for Work and Health. 2019 Healthcare Professionals’ Consensus Statement for Action: Statement for Health and Work. Council for Work and Health, 2019 (www.councilforworkandhealth.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Health-and-Work-Consensus-Statement.pdf).Google Scholar
Rayner, C, Campbell, R. Long COVID implications for the workplace. Occup Med (Lond) 2021; 71: 121–3.Google Scholar
Burton, K, Bartys, S. The smart return-to-work plan: Part 1: The concepts. Occup Health Work 2022; 19: 22–6.Google Scholar
Lampejo, T, Durkin, SM, Bhatt, N, Guttmann, O. Acute myocarditis: aetiology, diagnosis and management. Clin Med 2021; 21: e505–10.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×