It may well have been a long, hot, summer in the United Kingdom, but that didn’t stop the Occupational Health Assessment Limited team from continuing to lead on HR, absence management, and employment news themes. A short selection of our Summer 2026 press coverage is provided below;
Women’s health in the Workplace
Our Practice Director, Claire McCusker, penned two long-form (and linked) articles for HR & Benefits magazine on women’s health in the British workplace.
Part 1 looked at female health across the career life course, whilst Part 2 looked at supporting older women in the workplace.
Expansion of the team with “unique” appointments
Occupational Health Assessment Limited Managing Director, Magnus Kauders, welcomed two important – and unique – new talents to our clinical team in September.
The appointments of Professor Alan Hawley CBE OStJ FFOM and FRCP and Dr Alice Penn MBChB DOccMed DRCOG DIPDERM show our commitment to recruiting the best talent available. This story was covered by several key publications including HR News.
What to look for in the October Budget?
In his monthly column for Employer News, our Brand Ambassador, Steve Herbert, considers what changes John Healey may announce in his October Budget speech, and what impact those changes could have on the worlds of employment and employee benefits.
Overwhelming support for Fit Note improvement trials
The government are to launch four – all slightly different – trials across four different geographical regions with the aim of improving the existing system of Fit Notes. Research undertaken by Occupational Health Assessment Limited suggest that there is overwhelming support from HR professionals for these trials, and this article from HR News includes the thoughts of both Magnus Kauders and Claire McCusker on this important development.
Absence: Incidence v Impact
Whilst employee illness absence is experienced less frequently at small and medium sized employers (SME), the impact of each absence is often far greater. For SMEs have fewer resources to cover the workload of the absent employee. This article from the Occupational Health Assessment Limited website considers this issue and looks at proposals that may help smaller employers with this challenge.
The Chancellor’s proposed end to consultation culture?
The new Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Healey, has suggested that the government may look to curtail consultations in a bit to speed up the implementation of new government-led legislation. Yet the audience at the third of our 2026 quarterly webinars in September were less keen on these proposals. Coverage of our findings can be found here on the HR & Benefits website.
Budget Changes: Pensions Salary Sacrifice
Three out of four employers are unprepared for changes to pension salary sacrifice, and few have started work on this exercise. This research by Occupational Health Assessment Limited took place in September and was covered in full by Corporate Adviser magazine this month.
“Unboxed” podcast episodes
Our Brand Ambassador, Steve Herbert, also doubles as a podcast host for HR & Benefits Magazine. The podcast covers a wide range of HR and payroll topics and speaks to some of the leading voices in UK employment. Recent episodes include:
- The Fair Work Agency: What is it, and what does it mean for HR and Payroll teams? | Listen to the Podcast on Spotify
- Neil Carberry OBE speaks to ‘Unboxed’ | Listen to the Podcast on Spotify
- The Pensions Equity Group | Listen to the Podcast on Spotify
That’s probably enough content for one post. That said, the Occupational Health Assessment Limited team will, of course, continue to round-up our key news coverage later in the year.
About Occupational Health Assessment Ltd
Occupational Health Assessment Ltd is an SEQOHS Accredited and Certified B-Corp nationwide occupational health provider.
We provide rapid access to expert occupational health support for businesses right across the United Kingdom. Appointments are available nationwide within two days.
With a unique occupational health assessment service, night worker health assessments, fitness certifications and access to clinics in Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Coventry, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Northampton, Nottingham, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Reading, Sheffield, Southampton, Stoke, Surrey and more, the business provides high quality, expert medical advice.
Please contact us for further information or assistance.