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1 Financial
2 Employment
3 Health Advice


I Financial Advice

Money Guardian
Learn about money where you can. Web based information on a wide range of money related issues.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money

Money Saving Expert
www.moneysavingexpert.com
A useful web based source of money saving information and ideas.

National Debtline
A free, confidential, independent telephone helpline for people with debt problems in England, Wales and Scotland.
National Debtline, The Arch, 48-52 Floodgate Street, Birmingham B5 5SL, Telephone 0808 808 4000
http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk

PayPlan
One of the country's leading debt advice agencies with over 12 years experience in helping people
with their debt problems. 0800 917 7823
http://www.payplan.com

Consumer Credit Counselling Service
A charity that assists people who are in financial difficulty by providing free, independent, impartial and realistic advice. It is run by the Credit Industry, and has an interest in helping you pay your debts, as opposed to going bankrupt
Telephone 0800 138 1111 http://www.cccs.co.uk

The UK Insolvency Helpline -
The UK Insolvency Helpline is a national telephone helpline for people with debt problems all over the UK. The service is free, confidential and independent
Telephone 0800 0746918 Website http://www.insolvencyhelpline.co.uk

For doctors
Royal Medical Benevolent Fund Helps GMC registered doctors and their dependants in need, if resident in the UK. http://www.rmbf.org

2 Employment Advice

Flexible working
Advice about flexible working and helping develop a life work balance that supports you and your family.
http://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/

Disability Discrimination
For Employers
A quick guide to your obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act
http://www.shaw-trust.org.uk/page/6/92/

How to approach the problem of mental health in the workplace
http://www.tacklementalhealth.org.uk/

For Employees,
Mental ill health is included in the Disability Discrimination legislation.

Disability as described by the Disabilty Discrimination Act
a) It has to be long term, ie it has already lasted or is likely to last more than 12 months
b) It has to be substantial,
c) It has to affect a person’s ordinary day to day activity, even if treatment effectively controls the symptoms.

Find out more
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/RightsAndObligations/DisabilityRights/DG_4001068


3 Health Advice

i) Mental Health

Mental Health Foundation
http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/

Mind Apples
http://mindapples.org/

Information about depression
www.bluepages.anu.edu.au/symptoms.html

Free online Computerised Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
http://www.moodgym.anu.edu.au

ii) Lifestyle

Dr Liz Miller Top Ten Health tips
http://doctorbloggs.blogspot.com/2008/08/dr.html


iii) Diet
Improve your diet
http://www.sustainweb.org/pdf/MHRep_LowRes.pdf

The scientific evidence linking diet and mental health
http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/?EntryId5=40150&q=0%c2%acchanging+diets%c2%ac


iv) Reading list

The Natural Way to Beat Depression - Basant K. Puri, Hilary BoydPotatoes not Prozac - Kathleen DesMaisons
Manage your mind - Hope & Butler
Healing without Prozac – David Serban-Schreiber






Copyright Dr Liz Miller, Well and Working Ltd

Occupational Health, Why employ someone with a disability?

Why employ someone with a disability, who needs job modifications and adjustments, if you don’t have to?


Employers are concerned about –

Employees take time off for medical appointments
Making expensive adjustments to the workplace
Having to spend time on peoples’ problems that might be better spent getting on with the business
Employees calling in sick at the last moment
Other employees thinking that someone is taking advantage
Employees use sickness to cover up their poor performance

On the surface, it may look more expensive to employ someone with a "disability" .
Ask yourself

1) Which costs the business more – a stroppy employee or a disabled employee?

Who would you prefer?
a) someone who appreciates your flexibility and your human side or
b) someone stroppy who wants to take you for everything they can

Of course choices are rarely black and white but most people appreciate it when their boss goes out of his or her way to make life better for them.

2) If you just pick winners are you likely to win?
Thirty years ago Belbin showed that a team of winners does not win. The best teams are mixed groups. When everyone is highly competitive, that is a winner, employees spend their competing against each other instead of outwitting the competition.

3) Is it better, for example, to adjust a rota or treat the workforce as automatons?
Rotating shift systems are bad for circadian rythms. How can a diabetic manage his blood sugar well when his sleep wake cycle keeps changing and what about the insomniac who can’t sleep at night? If your manager doesn’t like helping people work for you, may you have the wrong manager.

One thing is certain, if you want motivated employees, someone who has struggled with life is likely to go further than someone who has had it easy. One thing is certain, if disabled people are not highly motivated, they go nowhere, apart from outpatients.


Employers concerns

1) Yes, an employee with a disability or medical condition will need to go to the doctor more often than someone who does not. And yes, they are entitled to attend their medical appointments. However, you do not have to pay them to visit the doctor. Your employee can either make up the time or to forego the money.

2) Yes you have to make reasonable adjustments but not expensive adjustments that are beyond the reach of your business. For example, you do not have to employ someone to help a blind person read scripts but there is speaking software for computers and it may be reasonable to make the appropriate modifications, it may not. It depends on the job.

3) It may take more time to get someone with a disability set up but these people are used to coping with adversity and with the coming crisis, are you better off with employees who expect everything served up to them on a tray, or with people who are able to sort problems out?

Employees calling in sick at the last moment Other employees thinking that someone is taking advantage


Finally,

Yes, you do have to employ someone with a Disability because that is what the law says. You do have to make reasonable adjustments but that is all. Occupational Health helps you decide what, from a medical perspective, reasonable adjustments might be. It is up to you to decide whether or not you can comply and whether the adjustments are reasonable.

If for example, you think the adjustments are unreasonable and can show that. For example, you are a haulage company, with no light duties where everyone is expected to help out, it is unreasonable to expect you to employ someone who cannot lift more than 10kg and who has no office skills.

But if you have jobs in the warehouse, and that same employee is capable of doing them and wants the job, then you do have an obligation to help them. The spirit of the law is about being reasonable. And if you are reasonable, and can show that, you will not have problems employing the best person for the job.


Copyright Dr Liz Miller, Well and Working Ltd