Universities have a wide range of occupations, varied occupational hazards (especially in research), and complex occupational health needs. Universities vary widely in size, subjects taught, and research areas. Therefore, their needs for occupational health provision vary. HEOPS offers guidance on the structure and staffing of occupational health provision within higher education.
In summary, the following recommendations are distilled from our guidance, which can be downloaded from this website:
Specialist provision
All universities should have access to at least one specialist in occupational medicine and a specialist in occupational health nursing.
Staffing formula
HEOPS recommends a staffing formula based on number of staff and students, with an adjustment for the relatively high occupational health demands from students.
Management of services
Services should be managed by either a specialist occupational physician, or a specialist occupational health nurse.
Reporting arrangements
HEOPS recommends that the head of the service has a clearly-agreed “dotted line” reporting arrangement to the university Vice Chancellor (or equivalent) or Registrar (or equivalent) for any strategic matter affecting the health of university staff or students.
Committee attendance
Whatever the line management structure, and regardless of whether the head of the service is employed in-house or is an external contractor, HEOPS recommends that the head of the service (or his or her representative) attends relevant university committees on, for example, health and safety, disability, welfare, student health, human resources, risk management.
Management scope
Management scope should include management of staff, budget, professional responsibility for occupational health policy, accountability for the quality services, preparing an annual report of service activity and spending so that performance can be judged against agreed goals when setting annual budgets. Continuity of provision, sector and institution specific knowledge, access to the workplace and access to all institutional policies and procedures are important features of high quality OH services in the HE sector.
Guidance
- Adjustment Guidance for students training in regulated professions - 2016
- HEOPS Guidance on Carcinogens within UK Universities
- HEOPS Guidance on the Provision of Occupational Health Services in Higher Education Institutions - 2016
- HEOPS Health Surveillance Guidance in UK Universities Feb 2019
- HEOPS Influenza vaccination statement September 2024.pdf
- HEOPS Staffing Resource Calculator 2016
- Immunisation survey results - July 2016
- Spreadsheet of anonymised results from HE Staffing and Workload Survey - 2014
Fitness Standards
- Fitness Standards presentation to HEOPS June 2012 Dr N Wilson
- Fitness to Practise Report 2007
- HEOPS Dental Students fitness standards 2013
- HEOPS Dietitian student fitness standards 2016
- HEOPS Guidance Fitness to Study with Severe Eating Disorders
- HEOPS Medical Students fitness standards 2015
- HEOPS Nursing Student fitness standards 2015
- HEOPS Occupational Therapy student fitness standards 2015
- HEOPS Optometry Students fitness standards 2015
- HEOPS Orthoptics student fitness standards 2014
- HEOPS Paramedic student fitness standards 2015
- HEOPS Pharmacy Students fitness standards 2013
- HEOPS Physiotherapy student fitness standards 2014
- HEOPS Practitioner Psychologists Students fitness standards 2016
- HEOPS Radiography student fitness standards 2013
- HEOPS SALT student fitness standards 2014
- HEOPS Social Work Students fitness standards 2016
- HEOPS Teaching Students fitness standards 2014