What do consultant occupational physicians do in the National Health Service?
AIM: To assess the range of activities undertaken by National Health Service (NHS) consultant occupational physicians, and quantify the proportion of time spent on these so that appropriate guidance and a model job description may be developed by the Association of NHS Occupational Physicians (ANHOPS). METHODS: A questionnaire was developed and sent to all full time consultant occupational health physicians (as recorded on the ANHOPS database). RESULTS: Sixty-five questionnaires were sent out, of which 38 were returned (59%). Only 31(48%) of replies matched the entry criteria of being full-time NHS consultants returning fully completed questionnaires. An average of 18 h face-to-face clinical work (range = 0-36 h) over five sessions (range = 0-9 sessions) was found. Remaining time was predominantly spent on clinical administrative work although some consultants took on a variety of other managerial activities. CONCLUSIONS: Responding full-time NHS consultant OHPs found it difficult to q
