P35
EVALUATION OF A PILOT LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT DAY FOR OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
A.Popat1, V. Mason2, J. Crabbe3, H. Sereg4, N. Chirenda5, C. Fernandes6, I Stilz7, R. Caddis8, N. Sethna5, A. Calouri5, N. Pahl5
1London North West University Hospitals NHS Trust, UK
2Transport for London, UK
3Ministry of Defence, Grantham, UK
4Nottingham University Hospital, UK
5Society of Occupational Medicine, London, UK
6BBC, London, UK
7Shell London, UK
8BT London, UK
Background:
Occupational health professionals are responsible for leading a culture of safety within their organisation and increasingly, are asked to interact with senior leaders, advising on strategic priorities through a health and safety lens. It is therefore imperative that accessible development opportunities exist for multi-disciplinary professionals to increase their leadership competence and confidence.
This pilot aims to provide accessible leadership development opportunities through the Society of Occupational Medicine.
Methods:
A one-day event was held in London on Tuesday 19th September, advertised through the SOM website. Afterwards, attendees were asked to complete an anonymous, written evaluation.
The following questions were asked:
1) Where do you work? (Independent consultancy, OH provider company, in-house OH, in-house NHS, Military, Other)
2) Did the programme meet your expectations? (0-10, 0 = not at all, 10 = yes)
3) What will you do differently now? (free text response)
Results:
Attendees comprised of 27 multi-disciplinary occupational health professionals with the majority (26%) working for an OH provider company. 100% of attendees scored the programme 6 or above when asked if the programme met their expectations. In the free-text responses, ‘compassion’, followed by ‘communication’ were the terms used most by attendees when asked what they will do differently.
Implication for Practice:
This evaluation suggests there is an appetite for leadership development opportunities within the occupational health professional community and this is true irrespective of the context in which they work. Future studies may wish to explore the role of dedicated development courses for those undertaking formal leadership roles.
References:
Mullen, J., Thibault, T. and Kelloway, E.K., 2024. Occupational health and safety leadership.
Wachs, J.E., 2005. Building the occupational health team: Keys to successful interdisciplinary collaboration. AAOHN Journal, 53(4), pp.166-171.
Mori, K., 2018. Current status and issues for the role of occupational health physicians in Japan. JMA journal, 1(1), pp.15-21.
