Our Seminar this week was given given by Dr Bryan English, Chief Medical Officer for Chelsea Football Club, the recent winners of the Premier League and FA Cup. Dr English qualified in Medicine at Sheffield University in 1986 and has been the Chief Medical Officer for Chelsea FC since 1995, overseeing a medical team of 21 people. Dr English has also worked within the NHS for 13 years, with the last 6 of these as a Consultant in Orthopaedic& Musculoskeletal Medicine in Sheffield and Leeds. He previously worked as CMO for Judo before moving to UK Athletics in 1997. He has worked over 2 Olympiads with UKA before going full time into Sports Medicine in 2000 for The Sydney Olympics. Following the Athens Olympics, he moved into professional football. Dr English spoke about the challenges in providing medical care and health promotion to a group of elite footballers.
The integration of Work Coaches (WCs) & Disability Employment Advisors (DEAs) into UK General Practice (GP) provides an innovative approach to bridging the gap between health & employment services. We now reflect on the findings of our recent study led by Shriti Patani, Lara Shemtob & Kabir Varghese in collaboration with colleagues from the Department of Primary Care and Public Health at Imperial College London. The study explored the benefits & challenges of integrating emplyment support services in primary care from the perspectives of GPs & work coaches. What’s the context? Employment is a critical social determinant of health, with unemployment linked to poorer physical & mental wellbeing & reduced quality of life. Traditionally, individuals seeking employment support access services through Jobcentres. However, barriers including stigma or lack of awareness - especially in people with disabilities or long-term health conditions -...
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