Monday 20 October 2014

Healthy Workplaces Manage Stress - European Week for Safety and Health at Work

The European Week for Safety and Health at Work begins on Monday the 20th October 2014. The theme of this year’s event is “Healthy workplaces manage stress”. 



This initiative comes at a particularly time for the Irish workforce. Internal government documents have recently revealed that the cost of sick leave in the public sector alone is “unsustainable” and is costing the State about €430 million per annum. Private businesses in Ireland are also severely impacted; a study by employers group IBEC in 2010 revealed that a total of 11 million days are lost to absence each year, costing these businesses as much as €1.5 billion per annum, equating to €818 per employee.

Of particular relevance to the campaign, stress is a key contributor to workplace absenteeism and loss of productivity. Stress is the second most frequently reported work related health problem in Europe and, along with other psychosocial risks, is thought to account for more than half (50–60 %) of all lost working days. And Ireland is not immune; a workplace survey published by Aviva Health Insurance in 2013, for example, revealed that almost three quarters of employees say a pressurised work environment has become the norm, with 55% reporting stress and/or anxiety.

So what can be done to address these issues?  Paul McCarthy, CEO of Full Health Medical, an award-winning preventative health management company, believes that the answer lies in employee education and programmes which support employee wellness. “While occupational health has traditionally been focused on minimising the risk of physical hazards to health and safety in a workplace, employers are increasingly recognising the value of having a healthy, motivated and mentally resilient workforce. Research by the Department of Health in the UK has shown that for every £1 spent on wellness programmes, there is an average return on investment of £3.73, including a 34% saving in absenteeism costs”, said Mr. McCarthy, who went on to note that other advantages of these programmes include improved on-the-job decision making and time management, improved workforce morale, and reduction in employee turnover.

Mr. McCarthy believes that the first steps in reducing absenteesism need to be centred around employee education; “if employees don’t understand their current health status, then how are they expected to be proactive in improving it? These days people are constantly being given mixed messages about diet, exercise and other aspects of their health, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to decipher what is best for them individually”.

So should all employees get health screening? Mr. McCarthy admits that there are certainly issues around mass screening, as evidenced by the controversy currently surrounding the NHS Health Check Programme, which targets adults in England between the ages of 40 and 74 with a free health screening every five years. “The reality is that mass, unfiltered screening would simply result in unnecessary workload for an already stretched health service, and in particular would result in an impossible extra burden being placed on GPs. However, there is an argument for targeted screening and, more importantly, education for employees who are missing work on a regular basis. Using targeted screening and education as the first step in a programme of health improvement would benefit both the employee and the business.”

One area in particular where Mr. McCarthy believes significant improvements could be made is within the health service itself. “Sick leave cost the Health Service Executive €223 million in 2012 alone. It is clear that traditional efforts to reduce absenteeism have failed to make any impact on the problem, and perhaps it is time for the HSE, as part of its renewed focus on health and wellbeing, to consider targeted health screening and corporate wellness programmes for its own employees. By taking a proactive approach to addressing these problems within its own workforce, the HSE would point the way for other employers in Ireland”.


The European Week for Safety and Health at Work begins on Monday the 20th October. Further information can be found at https://osha.europa.eu/en/campaigns/index_html.

Thursday 14 August 2014

Employers - Good Health is Good Business



Full Health Medical calls for new approach to address unsustainable absenteeism rates and support employee wellness

Internal government documents have recently revealed that the cost of sick leave in the public sector is “unsustainable” and is costing the State about €430 million.

Private businesses in Ireland are also severely impacted; a study by employers group IBEC in 2010 revealed that a total of 11 million days are lost to absence each year, costing these businesses as much as €1.5 billion per annum, equating to €818 per employee.

So what can be done to address these issues?  Paul McCarthy, CEO of Full Health Medical, an award-winning preventative health management company, believes that the answer lies in employee education and programmes which support employee wellness. “Research by the Department of Health in the UK revealed that for every £1 spent on wellness programmes, there was an average return on investment of £3.73, including a 34% saving in absenteeism costs”, said Mr. McCarthy, who went on to note that other advantages of these programmes include improved on-the-job decision making and time management, improvement of workforce morale, and reduction in employee turnover.

Mr. McCarthy believes that the first steps in reducing absenteesism need to be centred around employee education; “if employees don’t understand their current health status, then how are they expected to be proactive in improving it? These days people are constantly being given mixed messages about diet, exercise and other aspects of their health, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to decipher what is best for them individually”.

So should all employees get health screening? Mr. McCarthy admits that there are certainly issues around mass screening, as evidenced by the controversy currently surrounding the NHS Health Check Programme, which targets adults in England between the ages of 40 and 74 with a free health screening every five years. “The reality is that mass, unfiltered screening would simply result in unnecessary workload for an already stretched health service, and in particular would result in an impossible extra burden being placed on GPs. However, there is an argument for targeted screening and, more importantly, education for employees who are missing work on a regular basis. Using targeted screening and education as the first step in a programme of health improvement would benefit both the employee and the business.”

One area in particular where Mr. McCarthy believes significant improvements could be made is within the health service itself. “Sick leave cost the Health Service Executive €223 million in 2012 alone. It is clear that traditional efforts to reduce absenteeism have failed to make any impact on the problem, and perhaps it is time for the HSE to consider targeted health screening and corporate wellness programmes for its employees and, in doing so, for the HSE to point the way for other employers in Ireland by taking a proactive approach to addressing these problems. Just think of what could be achieved in other areas if even a fraction of this €223 million could be better spent in other areas of the health service”.


Reference:
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/430m-sick-leave-bill-in-public-sector-unsustainable-1.1889605

Wednesday 11 June 2014

Support a resilient and talented 14 year old to become one of world's youngest nuclear physicists.

My 14 year old nephew Tom has just launched a crowd funding campaign to help him fulfill his major ambition of building "no less than" a home made nuclear fusion device called a Fusor. He is one of the youngest people in the world to take on such a project and will no doubt be a future leader in the development of clean nuclear power generation. As a next generation health technology, we felt it was only right that Full Health should support a next generation energy project, we hope you can lend a little support too!

Tom says, the main reason that he is building a Fusor is to use it as a key component in a larger design as part of a longer term goal.  This goal is to build a sub-critical, fusion-fission, hybrid generator.  A sub-critical generator is a new type of generator that has never been constructed before, even though it is safer than current fission deigns.  The idea behind it is that a fusion reaction produces neutrons to fuel a further fission reaction which produces energy.  The fission part of the generator is fueled by thorium which is a better and safer fuel than uranium.

Building a Fusor is a huge and challenging undertaking for any physicist and one might say an enormous challenge for a 14 year old from Co. Mayo in the West of Ireland.

If you can support Tom's Fusor project, you will be helping an exceptionally talented and resilient young scientist to become one of the youngest people in the world (and the first in Ireland) to build a Fusor and spearhead the development of advanced, clean nuclear power generation.  In addition, you will be supporting and endorsing our next generation of future physicists.  Without the €11,000 required to build the Fusor, Tom cannot progress any further with his sub-critical reactor, he needs all the support you can give.

Tom's website has all the details and all the updates on this challenging project and his crowdfunding campaign has just been launched with the crowd funder Indegogo. Tom needs to raise €11,000 to build the Fusor and I can assure you that he will greatly appreciate any donation that you can make to his fundraising campaign.

Please click on the link below to view Tom's project (video and text summary) on the Indegogo crowdfunding website and follow the simple instructions to contribute to the campaign.



To see all the details and updates on Tom's fusor project, please visit Tom's website at the link below 


You can also follow Tom on Twitter at 

@FusorFusion

Friday 9 May 2014

Want a Healthier, Happier and More Productive Employee?

Employee Wellness Programs are the answer.

Presented below is a list of some essential elements that your wellness program should have, in order to improve your employees’ cardiovascular and general health.

·         Early detection/health screening,
·         Nutrition education & promotion,
·         Stress management/ reduction,
·         Smoking cessation & prevention,
·         Regular physical activity,
·         Weight management,
·         Disease management,

·   Changes in the work environment to encourage healthy behaviours promote occupational health.

Your Employee Wellness Programmes should be integrated into the workplace structure by using these strategies below:

·         Health education that relies on valid, credible  sources and is focused on         employee skill development;
·         Initiatives that are incorporated into existing employee programs;
·         Worksite screening linked with medical care for follow-up on modifiable           risk factors.

Wellness programs must address the needs of all employees at a given workplace, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, culture, job type, or physical or intellectual capacity.

Worksite wellness programs should be designed to be culturally sensitive and all-inconclusive, and employers should also consider targeted, complementary interventions for their more vulnerable employees that are specifically designed to engage those who are economically challenged, less educated or under served (Carnethon et al, 2009).




Here at Full Health, we can ensure that your wellness programs run efficiently and cost-effectively. Through using our online, next-generation platform we automate and streamline the health screening process, eliminating paper and improving the experience. We can produce personalised employee health reports post-screening and based on these, we can produce population group reports that allow for tailored interventions and education programmes to be initiated.

For more information as to how Full Health can help your employees, please email Paul McCarthy at paul@fullhealth.ie or call on +353 (0) 87 947 1255. 

Visit our website www,fullhealthmedical.com

Monday 7 April 2014

Full Health Medical selected to be part of national Health Innovation Hub

Following on from a successful National Healthcare Conference, more good news for Full Health Medical

Full Health Medical are very pleased to announce the exciting news that we have been selected to be part of the national Health Innovation Hub (HIH) for 2014. The HIH is a Government driven collaboration between the Irish health system and commercial enterprises which will lead to the commercialisation of new healthcare technologies emerging from within the health system and/or firms. The HIH will enable Full Health Medical to further develop its services to the healthcare sector both nationally and internationally. Paul McCarthy, CEO of Full Health, explained “We are delighted. It has always been part of our vision to help create a joined-up healthcare system. Working with wider healthcare sector stakeholders, as represented by the HIH, will help to make this vision a reality”.

Full Health Medical is a preventative health management and reporting solution that improves how medical test results are communicated to patients. The company was founded by Paul McCarthy and his wife Dr. Ann Shortt who has worked as an Emergency Medicine Doctor in Australia, the UK and presently in Ireland. Dr. Shortt explained “The majority of the serious illness that we see in A&E could be prevented if people had the tools and clear communication to understand their own health. In medicine, one of the biggest challenges is the time it takes to provide clear communication to the patient and not the need for another piece of expensive diagnostic equipment.

The Full Health technology has the ability to automatically interpret numerical medical tests. Powered by sophisticated algorithms, this interpretation is achieved by combining medical test results with the patient’s responses to their personal, family history and lifestyle questionnaires. The output from this integrated process is an easy-to-read report for the patient – that can be quickly approved by doctors. These reports provide self-management techniques, which promote behaviour change. As a person’s health is now explained to them in real terms, they can tackle potential issues with diet and lifestyle changes rather than waiting until medication is needed. The technology in Full Health has been developed by a team of medical specialists, consultants and technologists.

There is also a major population health management component to Full Health as all of the data is collected in a uniform way. It’s clearly working, as 70,000 test results have been provided to date. Although most people using Full Health receive it through employee-based health programs, Full Health now want this extended as a standard for every person in the state and across the world.

For more information contact, Paul McCarthy (paul@fullhealthmedical.com) Telephone +353 (0) 87 947 1255 - Website: www.fullhealthmedical.com

Thursday 3 April 2014

Full Health Medical raises €500 for Children’s Hospital at Ireland’s Largest Healthcare Conference


The Full Health Medical Team receiving the National Healthcare Conference Health Award 2014. 

Wednesday, April 2nd 2014 was unforgettable. Full Health Medical demonstrated their preventative health platform at the National Healthcare Conference. The response, uptake and feedback were amazing.
Full Health Medical are very proud to announce that we successfully raised €500 in aid of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin. At the National Healthcare Conference, we showcased our online preventative health platform and conference delegates experienced how it facilitates clearer communication. Our medical technology platform was demonstrated by way of a free health-check. Invited delegates could opt to pay for additional blood tests, with all monies collected going to the Children’s Hospital, Crumlin. In just over three hours, 25 delegates came through the streamlined process, with the majority receiving a personalised easy-to-read report sent directly to their smartphones, just hours later.
Award Winners
On another positive note, Full Health Medical were announced as joint-winners of ‘The National Healthcare Conference Health Award 2014’, which recognises innovation in health technology. Seven other companies pitched for the award at the conference, which focused on developing innovations to improve patient care. 
Dr Ann Shortt of Full Health Medical receiving the National Healthcare Conference Health Award

A Huge Thank You
Finally, we’d like to thank Investnet, Biomnis, Hermitage Medical Clinic and all the staff at the Convention Centre Dublin for making this initiative the success that it was. Full Health Medical would also like to extend our sincere gratitude to all participating delegates who donated. Thank you all for helping us do a world of good.
For more information about what Full Health Medical can do for you, email Paul at paul@fullhealthmedical.com or visit our website www.fullhealthmedical.com

Thursday 27 March 2014

Experience Next-Generation Healthcare at the National Healthcare Conference


Full Health Medical to showcase their online medical technology by offering free health checks at the Convention Centre Dublin on 2nd April, 2014

Paper. Paper. Paper.
The dreaded paper-trail can slow down and impede the preventative health process, frustrating medical professionals. It can make administration a nightmare. Full Health Medical has a solution. They have taken the entire process online, transforming it into a simple and streamlined experience.

Full Health Medical have unveiled their newest health initiative that will showcase how their online preventative health platform facilitates clearer patient communication and streamlines the preventative health experience for all. Their technology will be demonstrated by way of a free health-check at the National Health Conference. On the day, attendees will receive a personalised health report, which is accessible on any mobile device. All proceeds will go towards Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin.

This initiative coincides with the exciting news that Full Health Medical have been shortlisted for the national Health Innovation Hub (HIH).  The HIH is a Government driven collaboration between the Irish health system and commercial enterprises which will lead to the commercialisation of new healthcare technologies emerging from within the health system and/or firms.

The Full Health technology has the ability to automatically interpret numerical medical tests. Powered by sophisticated algorithms, this interpretation is achieved by combining medical test results with the patient’s responses to their personal, family history and lifestyle questionnaires. The output from this integrated process is an easy-to-read report for the patient – that can be quickly approved by doctors. These reports provide self-management techniques, which promote behaviour change. The technology in Full Health has been developed by a team of medical specialists, consultants and technologists.

There is also a major population health management component to Full Health as all of the data is collected in a uniform way. It’s clearly working, as 70,000 test results have been provided to date. Although the most people using Full Health receive it through employee-based health programs, Full Health now want this extended as a standard for every person in the state and across the world.


For more information on the National Health Conference, log on to www.nationalhealthcare.ie

Contact paul@fullhealthmedical.com for an online demonstration today of the Full Health Platform.