Occupational Medicine Advance Access originally published online on August 21, 2008
Occupational Medicine 2008 58(7):512-514; doi:10.1093/occmed/kqn098
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Short Reports |
Audit of pre-placement assessments undertaken in an NHS Trust
Whitefriars, NHS, Lewins Mead, Bristol BS28BQ, UK
Introduction A high percentage of potential employees are passed fit for work despite undergoing pre-placement health assessments. Few studies have evaluated the cost effectiveness of such assessments. The aim of this study was to audit the outcome of National Health Service (NHS) pre-placement health assessments and estimate the manpower costs of undertaking them at an NHS Trust.
Methods An audit of the outcome of NHS pre-placement assessments at an NHS Trust between 1 April 2005 and 31 March 2006 was undertaken using an electronic database. The cost of undertaking the assessments was also calculated based on manpower hours spent per year.
Results A total of 2973 pre-placement assessments were undertaken during the 12-month period. Of the employees, 98.5% were passed fit without comment, 1.5% were passed ‘fit with comments’ on the fit slip and no potential employee was found unfit for NHS work. Ten diagnostic categories contributed to a fit with comments result. The manpower cost to this trust per year to process the 2973 NHS assessments was estimated to be approximately £13 502.
Conclusion Given the annual financial costs incurred and the high percentage of employees passed fit for work, alternative pre-placement health assessment methods could be considered. The method should ensure, however, that the ability to detect a wide range of medical conditions at the pre-placement stage still exists.
Keywords Fitness outcome; manpower costs; NHS Trust; pre-placement health assessments
Correspondence to: Suzanne Lucey, Whitefriars, NHS, Lewins Mead, Bristol BS28BQ, UK. Tel: +44 (0)117 9282223; fax: +44 (0)117 9283840; e-mail: sluceymed{at}yahoo.co.uk