Latest / The SOM Podcast / SOM NEWS UPDATE - JUNE 2026

Transcript

SOM NEWS UPDATE - JUNE 2026 · The SOM Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: This podcast is sponsored by orchid Live. Find out more
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: at orchidlive dot com. Here's your SOM news update for
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: June twenty twenty six. I'm Steve Randall. A new SOM
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: guide highlights how OH can play a bigger role in
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: improving employee well being, reducing sickness absence, and attracting and
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: retaining talent. The report identifies three key barriers to integrating
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: OH into the employee value proposition poor perception of OH
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: as a compliance function, limited understanding of its purpose, and
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: delayed engagement until issues become critical. To address these challenges,
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: Some recommends raising awareness of oh's strategic value, integrating it
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: with wider health and wellbeing benefits, and using OH expertise
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: to shape evidence based workforce health strategies. The guide also
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: includes case studies and examples of potential cost savings from
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: better use of OH. A workshop on integrating OH into
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: the EVP will be held on the twenty ninth of June.
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: Contact Nick Pahl at SOOM to take part. Wise QM
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: is a new initiative from SOME and the Royal College
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: of Psychiatrists designed as a sector wide quality market aims
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: to help organizations identify high quality evidence based workplace wellbeing services.
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: The framework will support informed purchasing decisions, address concerns around
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: digital health solutions such as effectiveness, data security, and engagement,
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: and promote ongoing evaluation of wellbeing interventions. Ultimately, wise QM
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: seeks to provide a trusted benchmark for workplace well being
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: that delivers meaningful benefits for both employers and employees. Some
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: has welcomed government plans to pilot reforms to the fitnote system,
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: arguing that the current approach is failing too many workers
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: who could remain in employment. Some believes the proposed Workability
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: plan could help reduce pressure on GPS, improve communication between
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: employers and employees, and generate valuable evidence for future reforms. However,
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: a response from SOME Chair Professor Neil Greenberg stresses that
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: non clinical practitioners involved in the pilots must receive a
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: propriate training and supervision, with OH experts playing a central role.
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: Effective fitnote reform could reduce sickness absence, improve retention and
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: health outcomes, and deliver benefits for employers, workers, and the NHS.
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: There's lots of activity for SOM's special interest groups. In July,
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: docmed on the first MSK on the sixth, commercial providers
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: on the seventh, lung function on the tenth, Drug and
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: Alcohol on the thirteenth, and NIHL on the twenty eighth.
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: And there are two SOM events in July, Introduction to
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: Occupational Health on Wednesday, the first of July and Well
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: Being Professional Competency Framework on Monday the twentieth. A recent
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: Work and Pensions Committee report on disability and ill Health
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: in the Workplace highlights the growing impact of poor health
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: on employment and the wider economy. The report calls for
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: stronger support to help people stay in and return to work,
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: including earlier intervention, better employer practices, and improved access to
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: OH services. It also emphasizes the need for a more
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: effective fitnote system and closer integration between health and employment support,
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: recognizing that good work can play an important role in
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: improving health and well being. The findings reinforce the importance
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: of OH in tackling economic inactivity and supporting a healthier,
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: more productive workforce. New guidance from the Health and Safety
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: Executive highlights the importance of health surveillance for workers exposed
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: to RCS when cutting, grinding, or polishing engineered stone. Engineered
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: stone can contain up to ninety five percent silica, with
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: exposure linked to serious and irreversible diseases including silicosis, COPD,
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: and lung cancer. The guidance stresses that regular health surveillance
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: should sit alongside effective dust controls such as water suppression,
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: respiratory protection, and safe cleaning practices. Employers are encouraged to
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: monitor workers health, identify early signs of disease, and take
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: action to prevent further exposure, helping to protect workers and
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: ensure compliance with legal duties. This month's mini CPD episode
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: will be out next week. Focusing on hearing is just
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: a taster.
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: Hearing aids are never going to fall replace the kind
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: of brilliantly delicate nature of our ears that that were
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: born with and that give us that kind of real
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: satisfaction from listening to music. Really, we should be turning
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: the sound down where we can, moving away from the
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: noise where we can, not creating the noise. You know
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: a lot of noises created in workplaces where we could
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: just switch things off and we just leave them running
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: just to keep them warm or whatever it might be.
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: Helen Keller, who was deaf blind, she sort of quoted
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: saying you know losing my sight took me away from
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: things that losing my hearing took me away from people.
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: And the full episode will be out next week. Some
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: members get all the news first in the E News email,
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: and remember to catch up with our other podcast episodes
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: in the same place you're listening to this one. They
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: include Special Interest Group, Occupational Therapist and Mini CPD series.
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: And until next time, thanks for listening to the Some
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: News Update. This podcast is sponsored by or Orchidlive is
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: a specialist occupational health software used by a number of
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: SOME members to run every aspect of their occupational health operations.
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: They hold healthcare records for over one million UK workers
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: and work with both in house OH teams and OH providers.
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: You can find out more at orchidlive dot com.