Ó Office of the Civil Service Chief Medical Officer
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Teanga: Níl leagan Gaeilge den mhír seo ar fáil.
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Dr O’Connell is a medical graduate of University College Dublin. He trained in Occupational Medicine in Beaumont Hospital and IBM. Dr O’Connell is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland in General Medicine and Occupational Medicine. Dr O’Connell has also completed specialist training in Public Health Medicine. He is the current Director of Professional Competence, Faculty of Occupational Medicine, Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, and is also a past dean of the faculty.
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Dr Renée Moloney graduated from University College Dublin. She spent many years working in laboratory and clinical medicine which included gastroenterology and travel medicine before focusing on Occupational Medicine. She is on the Specialist register of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine. Dr Moloney has worked as an Occupational Physician in both the private and public sectors which included St James’s Hospital and the HSE, Eastern Region.
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Dr Donnelly is a medical graduate of University College Dublin. He is on the Specialist Register in the Division of Occupational Medicine. He has previously worked for an NHS healthcare trust in the UK, and as a medical advisor for the Health and Safety Authority of Ireland before joining the Civil Service Occupational Health Department.
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Dr Lim is a medical graduate of Trinity College Dublin. As a specialist in the division of Occupational Medicine, she has extensive experience in adult medicine having worked in St. James University Hospital, Mater University Hospital and the National Rehabilitation Hospital. She is a Fellow of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine and a member of the Royal College of Physicians, London. She worked in Beaumont Hospital, CIE and private occupational health practices prior to joining the Civil Service Occupational Health Department.
RN HDipOHH
Monica Donnelly qualified as a general nurse in Limerick University Hospital and then completed her Higher Diploma in Occupational Health and Hygiene in NUI Galway. She has previously worked in occupational health for John Sisk Construction, Hertz Europe, Roche Pharmaceuticals and Aughinish Alumina. She has most recently worked in Mater Hospital Occupational Health Department prior to joining the Civil Service Occupational Health Department.
RN RM BNS DipSHWW
Mary Maguire did her initial nursing training in the Mater University Hospital. She has experience in midwifery and emergency medicine having worked as a Clinical Nurse Manager in the Mater Hospital emergency department. She has worked both in the Gallagher Group and Diageo Occupational Health Departments before joining the Civil Service Occupational Health Department.
RN HDipOHH
Sinéad Brady qualified in adult nursing from the Royal Free Hospital, London. She completed a Higher Diploma in Occupational Health and Hygiene in NUI Galway. She worked as an Occupational Health Nurse in Intel before joining the Civil Service Occupational Health Department.
Why have I been referred to the CMO’s office?
All cases of absence from work due to sick leave are now automatically referred by HR to the CMO's office/CSOHD after a maximum of 4 weeks duration. This is a requirement of the sick pay scheme. The purpose of this is to assist workplace rehabilitation, or to advise on the medical aspects of individuals experiencing difficulties with regular attendance at work. This is in keeping with international best practice. Applicants for ill health retirement are assessed for permanent medical incapacity for their current occupation. Attendees also include employees requiring preventative workplace health surveillance (e.g. hearing tests) immunisations (e.g. Hepatitis B immunisation).
What if I cannot attend my consultation?
Employees who cannot attend their appointment for medical reasons should immediately contact the CMOs office/CSOHD so that their appointment can be rescheduled. We will endeavour to give you an appointment date as close as possible to your original date if this is appropriate. Should you choose not to avail of the opportunity of an occupational health assessment, your employer will have to make decisions without occupational health advice. Please note that the decision on whether a consultation is face to face or telephone based is for the CSOHD doctor/nurse to make. Certain types of referrals are only seen face to face.
What if I already have a date to resume work as advised by my doctor?
Employees who have already returned to work or have arranged a return to work date within the next week should contact their HR Department. They can then advise the CMO/CSOHD as to whether an appointment is still required.
What should I bring to the consultation?
If you are on multiple medications, can you please either bring them along or else write a list of their names, strength and dose. It would also be helpful if you bring along contact details for your GP or hospital doctor. We see individuals unaccompanied, in order to enable an open dialogue between our clinical staff and the employee to be held in confidence. There are no waiting room facilities in reception or in our department for accompanying individuals or children. Therefore it is not possible to attend here with accompanying individuals or children. If you have a mobility problem, you can contact us in advance and we will do out best to facilitate you.
What happens when I arrive at the CMO’s office?
When you arrive at entrance to the building on 90 North King Street, please press on the intercom located at the entrance to the building. The building reception staff will check your name against the register of expected visitors. The building reception is open between 9.00am - 1:00pm and 2:00pm - 5:00pm. While in the ground floor reception area, you will be asked to sign in and you will be given a visitor badge. The reception staff will direct you to the appropriate lift which will take you to the 5th floor of the building where the CMO's office is located. When you exit the lift on the 5th floor, please proceed to the reception which is sign posted. Please press the bell at the reception desk to speak to one of our administrative staff members to inform them that you have arrived. The doctor or nurse will then bring you to a consultation room .
What do I do with the consent form?
A copy of the consent form will be enclosed with the leaflet provided to you by your HR department. Can you please complete the consent form and give it to the doctor/nurse at the start of your consultation. If you have any queries or concerns relating to the consent form, please feel free to discuss this with the doctor/ nurse at the start of the consultation. This consent form allows us to conduct the consultation, to issue advice to your department on the outcome of the interview which usually involves a comment on your fitness for work. The consent also allows for the doctor or nurse to contact your treating doctor confidentially to discuss your health issues.
In the case of a Telephone Consultation, we will start by obtaining your consent verbally and we will document this.
How is the consultation conducted?
The doctor or nurse will take a medical, social and occupational history. A physical examination is conducted if necessary. This is an opportunity for you to discuss your health in relation to your work. You have an important contribution to make to your assessment and we strive to give medical advice based on best occupational health practices. Following the appointment, written advice is forwarded to your personnel section. This generally includes our opinion on your fitness for work, whether treatment is fully optimised, a likely timescale for a return to work, and any temporary work modifications which may be helpful for a successful return to work. Please note that we do not have any role in relation to interpersonal issues/grievances/whistle blowing etc in the workplace. Please also note that we have no role in adjudicating or advocating in relation to transfers or locations of work. Your consultation is about medical issues only.
Will the consultation notes and my medical details be kept confidential?
Medical details are strictly confidential. Any information not already disclosed will not be discussed with your employer without your permission. The standards of confidentiality that apply are the same that apply in a hospital or GP Practice. Medical records can only be released to any third party at the request in writing of the employee, or in exceptional circumstances, as part of a legal or ethical requirement. On occasion, medical reports may be confidentially forwarded to another health professional if an outside referral is requested such as in the case of an appeal of ill health retirements advice given by the CMO's office. Your occupational health file is stored securely in our department and is not shared with any other individuals outside the department. All relevant legislation relating to GDPR/ Data Protection and Freedom of Information will be complied with.
Why have I been asked to ask my doctor for a medical report?
A medical report or copies of specialist reports are requested from your doctor to outline your medical diagnosis, treatment and progress. You can decline this request, but we can only give medical advice based on the information available to us. If a medical report is requested from your regular treating doctor/specialist(s), it should details your full name, date of birth and employing department. Alternatively, we may ask your permission to confidentially contact your doctor to discuss your case. Please note that the responsibility for any payment for medical reports rests with the employee.
What about accessing my personal information or complaints following my consultation?
A copy of our medical advice to personnel can be obtained from your employer. They do not need to seek our permission to release this and our advice is freely available to you. Please request this from them directly. If you wish to see your CMO medical records, you can request this under GDPR/data access by writing to us or emailing us. Can you please specify what part of your record you wish to obtain, and provide your full name, address and mobile phone number in case we need to contact you. All relevant legislation relating to GDPR/Data Protection will be complied with.
The address for making a data access request is Civil Service Occupational Health Department, 90 North King St, Smithfield, Dublin 7. Our email address strictly for data access only is occupationalhealthdataaccess@per.gov.ie .
We do not enter into correspondence about your case via email. In certain circumstances we may require you to provide additional evidence of identify.
Please note that we are the Civil Service Occupational Health Department. The Department of Health Chief Medical Officer and the HSE Chief Medical Officer are entirely separate offices. If you need to contact the Department of Health CMO's office, their number is 01-6354000.
Any queries following an appointment/receiving a copy of our advice should be addressed to HR. If you wish to make a formal complaint, please advise us of this in writing only. We will then send you a copy of our complaints procedure and our complaints form. Our address is Civil Service Occupational Health Department, 90 North King St, Smithfield, Dublin 7.
“Thank you for your help so far, it has made my journey to recovery so much easier”
HEO, Department of Social Protection
“Thanks for your words of encouragement and advice during my recent illness”
CO, Office of Public Works
“I discussed the case with the CMO doctor who was extremely pleasant and highly engaged in knowing about my patients case”
Consultant Cardiologist
“Having gone through the administrative & health requirements for a Consultant post in Ireland, it gives me great pleasure to say that I was particularly impressed by the Occupational Health Nurse. She was efficient, thorough and capable”.
HSE Consultant
“Your sensitivity, kindness and genuine concern touched me so much during my medical”
EO, Revenue Commissioners
“Just a note to say thank you for your kind words and listening when we met- it was above and beyond”
Prison Officer, Irish Prison Service
“I want to express my gratitude to you for how you handled my case. I could not have gotten through that time without your understanding and help”
CO, Revenue Commissioners
“Thanks so much for all your help and support. I’m back at work and loving it”
HEO, Department of Social Protection
“You were informative and professional in all dealings with our staff and there was extremely positive feedback to your visit and the service provided”
Office of the Controller and Auditor General
“I just wanted to say thank you for your time and help over the last few months. I’m back to work and all is well”
CO, Public Jobs
The CMO’s office was recently awarded SEQOHS accreditation. SEQOHS stands for Safe, Effective, Quality Occupational Health Service. It is an international accreditation scheme for occupational health services. Almost 200 occupational health services internationally have achieved this standard. SEQOHS accreditation is a formal recognition that an occupational health service operates to a high standard.
The scheme is managed by the Royal College of Physicians of London on behalf of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine. SEQOHS is also endorsed by the Faculty of Occupational Medicine, Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.
Our preparation for this accreditation took approximately 18 months and involved a detailed onsite inspection by occupational health specialists. Following the initial award of accreditation, we are required to demonstrate that we have maintained the required standards on an annual basis. A complete review is conducted every five years.
Our accreditation ensures that we are a modern and efficient service which operates in line with best international occupational health practice.
SEQOHS requires audit of procedures for business probity; confidentiality; qualifications, training, experience and supervision of staff; maintenance of facilities and equipment; quality assurance procedures; implementation of national guidelines; relationships with employers and patients, etc.
The use of an occupational health service accredited by SEQOHS provides assurance through independent validation and that the service satisfies the SEQOHS Standards for safety, effectiveness and quality.