Highbrook Corporate Blogs

Occupational Health services are becoming increasingly important to NZ business decision-makers. Looking after your employee wellbeing is a necessity, with occupational health screening top of NZ business agendas. Now, candidates can get pre-employment health checks by a qualified occupational health nurse at Auckland’s Highbrook Business Park. Lucy Hall explains why we’re so lucky to have Pushpa Ram on our team.

Adjusting to ‘business-as-usual’ with an invigorated focus on employee wellbeing

Employers are unanimous in their relief to see the Highbrook Business Park bustling with pre-Covid energy once again. Many local businesses have shared their delight at seeing their teams physically back together. Following a period of mandatory working from home, everyone’s glad to be free to come back to the workplace. It’s evident that employees especially appreciate being back with their workmates.

Covid-19 has certainly shifted many perspectives. At Highbrook Medical, we understand that a key priority is to ensure the wellbeing of your workforce now they can be back onsite. Increasingly, we receive requests from businesses seeking advice on how to effectively meet  Worksafe occupational health requirements. Your feedback indicates that monitoring the health of your valuable people is likely a significant consideration for your business as well. 

Our first step to address this has been designing accessible healthcare options, including Mobile Health Services.  Furthermore, we’ve brought in additional expertise to better assist you. New to the team is our Occupational Health Services nurse, Pushpa Ram.

An NZ Model of Excellence in employee health screening

Health screening in NZ is not just there for existing employees but forms part of the pre-employment process. Ultimately, screening ensures everyone is fit for work. “Legislation in NZ around pre-employment and employee health screening has been designed differently from overseas. In a good way, of course! Fortunately, our NZ Ministries of Health and the Ministry of Business take workplace safety very seriously. And having onsite business medical care and health assessments is a God-send.” says Pushpa.

For employees who have never had a health screening before, a pre-employment health check can change their life. “It’s not uncommon for people to come and see me who have not seen a medical professional for more than ten years,” Pushpa adds.

So getting your people in front of a skilled healthcare team is not just about ensuring their suitability for a specific role or workplace environment.

“Actually, seeing an occupational nurse can be a first step towards someone actively pursuing future preventive healthcare. My main objective is to check for an individual’s risk exposure. Then, I can support their overall health and wellbeing.” says Pushpa. “Sometimes the team pick up on underlying health conditions that someone might have not had diagnosed previously. Other times we can support employees with Long term conditions or pre-existing injuries that have not been sufficiently managed,” she notes.

Who is a pre-employment health screening for?

Some people might find the idea of a pre-employment screening unnerving. Also, they might not know what to expect during a workplace health assessment. Our Business Manager, Dave Nicholls explains:

“Firstly, it’s essential for your new employees going through an onboarding process to know that healthcare screening is for everyone! Moreover, it’s designed to help them above all else. So, we start by explaining the process, especially clarifying that anyone with a medical will have their report shared directly with them too. Of course, the idea is that everyone is safely allocated to the right roles that support them to thrive in their work.” says Dave.

“Next, explaining to your employee why testing is required in the first place is helpful. In NZ, under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, all businesses are required to monitor the health of workers. That includes the conditions at the workplace for the purpose of preventing injury or illness of workers. That way, you’ll ensure that your employees don’t get exposed to environments or tasks that may pose a risk to their health.” added Dave.

Lastly, getting health checks for your staff sets a health baseline for each employee for ongoing monitoring and support.

What types of screening are included?

During an assessment, depending on the employee’s role and requirements, the Occupational Health Nurse may cover the following aspects with employees:

• Take a complete health history. They’ll talk through an employee’s family health history. Next, they’ll chat about pre-existing conditions like Diabetes or Injuries.
• Offer an audiometry assessment to check for hearing loss or exposure.
• Consider a Vision Assessment and help with referral to an optometrist if necessary.
• A cardiovascular risk assessment may be undertaken.
• They may also test lung function with a Spirometer. This assesses if previous exposure to dust, fumes, chemicals, smoking, illness (like asthma), or injury might have impacted lung function. 
• Drug and alcohol testing are also available services for employees.
• Checking each person’s Vaccination record is up-to-date, including annual Flu Vaccinations or Boosters.
• Any planning for travel abroad

Setting up pre-employment occupational health services for your workforce is easy.

Getting an appointment for your new team members (or annual medical check-ups for your existing team) is simple. Dave Nicholls, can discuss your workforce health and screening requirements. Also, any employees that are enrolled patients at Highbrook Medical can book a complete check-up through the patient portal.

Rest assured; your team will be in great hands during their appointment with Pushpa Ram. With a Post Grad in Occupational Health from the University of Auckland, Pushpa is a Registered Nurse. In her capable hands, you’ll be referring your employees to a nurse who has a passion “keeping people healthy and well at work and ensuring their health is prime and looked after”.