The SOM Podcast

In the second of our ‘mini CPD’ episodes, Neil Greenberg, consultant psychiatrist and President Elect of the Society of Occupational Medicine joins us to talk about pressing issues surrounding mental health in workplaces.  We talk about how there has been improvement over the last few decades but there is always more that can be done, especially given the large number of (young) people who are cur...

New for 2025 is our monthly SOM News Roundup, bringing you the latest stories and insights from SOM and the wider OH world. Hosted by Steve Randall. Get your tickets for the SOM/FOM Conference in Brighton: https://www.occupationalhealthconferences.com/registration/ Click here for the Consensus document on fatigue risk management The SOM podcast is sponsored by Orchid Live - specialist occupational...

In this inaugural episode of a new SOM podcast series, we delve into the vital role of occupational therapists in occupational health, with a special focus on cognitive functioning.  Join Jo Vallom-Smith and Lisa Harrison as they discuss the intricacies of cognition, the common cognitive conditions encountered in the workplace, and the impact these conditions have on various job roles. Gain insigh...

In this episode, we explore the critical role of safeguarding within functional assessment medicine with healthcare professionals Dr. Karen Wallace, Dr. Mark Randall, and Helen Valls-Russell. They discuss the importance of understanding functional assessment and its implications for patient safety, particularly in the context of work and health. Tune in to learn about the challenges faced in safeg...

In the first of our ‘mini CPD’ episodes, Dr. Nancy Doyle, founder of Genius Within, joins us to discuss neurodiversity and its implications for occupational health professionals.  We explore how understanding neurodiversity can foster inclusivity in the workplace and enhance employee wellbeing. Dr. Doyle provides insights into the differences between neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals, th...

New for 2025 is our monthly SOM News Roundup, bringing you the latest stories and insights from SOM and the wider OH world. Hosted by Steve Randall. The SOM podcast is sponsored by Orchid Live - specialist occupational health software used by a number of SOM members to run every aspect of their occupational health operations. They hold healthcare records for over 1 million UK workers and work with...

In this episode, join Dr Karen Wallace, Dr Emma Hogan and Dr Sathya Partheeban as they delve into the intricacies of the work capability assessment process and the vital connection between health and work. They provide insights into the journey of patients from the GP's office to the assessment, explaining the roles of healthcare professionals and the importance of accurate medical evidence. This...

The Office for National Statistics has today published its latest data on economic inactivity. SOM CEO Nick Pahl and president-elect Neil Greenberg have been looking at the stats.  The data release is available on the ONS website.  The SOM podcast is sponsored by Orchid Live - specialist occupational health software used by a number of SOM members to run every aspect of their occupational health o...

In this episode of the SOM Podcast, we discuss occupational health placements and their role in growing the interest and understanding of occupational health (OH). Our panel of experts, Janet O’Neill, Deputy Head of the National School of Occupational Health, Karen Lever, Head of the Occupational Health Department at Keele University, and David Nti-Jackson, Clinical Practice Lecturer at Keele Univ...

Are you interested in a career in occupational medicine? In this episode of the SOM Podcast, occupational health physicians Dr Richard Peters and Dr Jayne Moore discuss the specialty of occupational medicine (OM) and what a career in OM entails.   Discover how this specialty balances the impact of work on health and vice versa, the importance of workplace risk assessments, and the journey to becom...

In this episode of the SOM Podcast, Angela Matthews, Head of Policy and Research at Business Disability Forum and Mandy Whalley, founder of The Empowerment Passport™ and registered occupational therapist, discuss the need for and many benefits of disability passports. Angela and Mandy explain how these passports are helping employees with disabilities and long-term conditions manage their workplac...

Working together in multidisciplinary teams The SOM podcast is sponsored by Orchid Live - specialist occupational health software used by a number of SOM members to run every aspect of their occupational health operations. They hold healthcare records for over 1 million UK workers and work with both in-house OH teams and OH providers. You can find out more at OrchidLive.com .

A career in functional assessment medicine requires the ability to transfer and apply clinical and occupational health skills to establish a person’s functional capability. It is not about diagnosis, but focused on function and limitations secondary to the medical conditions. A career in functional assessment medicine can offer a good work-life balance, and is open to professionals of various back...

How do we help the world of work become a place where we all thrive and not just survive? Occupational psychologists explore questions such as: How do we motivate people so that they can perform to the best of their abilities? How do we support individuals who have caring responsibilities elsewhere? How can we improve creativity across people in different industries? How do we help organisations r...

Are you are a registered nurse looking for different career options? This podcast from The Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM) discusses the fabulous specialty of occupational health nursing. It will give you ideas of how to explore this specialty, decide if it is for you and training options. Anna Harrington speaks with Janet O'Neill about her years of experience as an OH nurse and why it has...

Episode 3: The relationship between work and health with Dr Rob Hampton In the third episode of our GP Essentials podcast series, Dr Lara Shemtob talks to Dr Rob Hampton about the relationship between work and health, the role of GPs in helping patients stay in or return to work, and what an occupational health consultation can offer that is difficult to achieve in a GP consultation. They explore...

The SOM Podcast: GP Essentials series Episode 2: Work and mental health with Professor Neil Greenberg Mental ill health accounts for around a third of all fit notes issued and is the most common reason for issuing a fit note in General Practice. In this second episode of our GP Essentials series, Dr Lara Shemtob speaks to Professor Neil Greenberg about why so many people are signed off with mental...

The SOM Podcast: GP Essentials series Over 6 million fit notes were issued by GPs last year – almost 95% of which were signed off as not fit for work without using the options for workplace adjustments and advice. Deciding whether someone is fit to work is a difficult decision that can have a huge impact on the individual and at the societal level, however this is not a topic emphasised in GP trai...

The fifth episode of our new Podcast series on work and health explores the topic of neurodiversity in the workplace. Unlike many other types of diversity, neurodiversity can be invisible; this combined with the stigma that surrounds neurodiverse conditions means that neurodiversity doesn’t always have the voice of other diverse groups. In this episode, Helena Brady, senior occupational health adv...

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed existing inequalities within society, with disproportionate outcomes relating to socio-economic status, ethnicity, gender, age, geographic location, and ability. SOM established its Diversity and Inclusion Task Force last year in response to this, with the aim of supporting occupational health (OH) professionals, employees and businesses navigate the post pandemic lan...

In the third episode of this new Podcast series from The Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM), we discuss evidence based approaches to return to work following the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the transformational shift from largely workplace based employment to a hybrid model. Although working from home will remain for many, others will be returning to their employer...

In the second episode of this new Podcast series from The Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM), we explore the many challenges around return to the workplace as COVID-19 pandemic restrictions end. For employers there are multiple concerns, such as balancing rebooting operations with keeping their team safe, along with managing expectations about how the working model will be in the long-term. Em...

The Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM) has launched a new Podcast series about work and health. The first episode in this new Podcast series focuses on Long COVID and work. Long COVID can involve a wide range of symptoms including extreme fatigue, breathlessness, muscle and joint pain, chest pain and mental health problems, all of which can impede an individual’s ability to return to employmen...

The SOM Podcast is coming soon The SOM podcast is sponsored by Orchid Live - specialist occupational health software used by a number of SOM members to run every aspect of their occupational health operations. They hold healthcare records for over 1 million UK workers and work with both in-house OH teams and OH providers. You can find out more at OrchidLive.com .