By Gillian Harrison

After 27 years in Occupational Health, most of them spent working in Scotland, I’ve had the  privilege of seeing our profession evolve beyond recognition. 

When I first started, Occupational Health was often viewed as a reactive service, focused on  statutory health surveillance, fitness for work assessments, and helping employers meet their  legal responsibilities. Those things remain fundamental. But today’s Occupational Health Nurse plays a much broader role. We are clinicians, educators, advisers, and strategic partners. We help organisations prevent ill health, improve wellbeing, and keep people healthy, safe, and productive at work. 

I believe the next chapter for our profession is the most exciting yet.

The workplace has changed

Today’s workforce is very different from the one I entered almost three decades ago. People are working longer, living with more long-term health conditions, and balancing increasing physical and psychological demands. Employers are navigating an ageing workforce, greater awareness of women’s health, neurodiversity, and mental wellbeing, all while keeping pace with changing legislation and rising expectations around employee health. 

Health is no longer simply an HR issue. It is a business issue. Organisations that invest in their people’s health see real returns: improved productivity, reduced absence, better retention, and a stronger workplace culture. Occupational Health has become an essential partner in making that happen.

Scotland’s opportunity

Having spent most of my career here, I’ve seen first-hand how Occupational Health continues to develop across Scotland. There is a genuinely progressive approach to workforce wellbeing and prevention, and a real commitment to supporting people to remain healthy and in work. 

Like the rest of the UK, we face challenges – an ageing workforce, rising long-term conditions, and a shortage of experienced Occupational Health professionals. But those same pressures create opportunities: to innovate, to embrace technology thoughtfully, and to rethink how services are delivered. I believe Scotland is well placed to help shape what comes next, and I’m glad to be part of that.

Prevention will always be better than cure

The best Occupational Health services don’t wait until employees become unwell. They  identify risks early, intervene in a timely way, and support people before minor concerns  become long-term absences. 

Whether through health surveillance, management referrals, workplace assessments, wellbeing  initiatives, or practical adjustments, the aim is always the same: help employees stay in work, and help employers protect their most important asset, their people.

AI as a tool, not a threat

Artificial Intelligence is beginning to transform healthcare, and Occupational Health is no exception. Some in the profession see that as a threat. I don’t.

AI will never replace clinical judgement, empathy, or experience. It won’t replicate the trust  built through a conversation with someone who is struggling. What it can do is reduce the  administrative burden that occupies clinicians every single day – report writing, identifying trends in health surveillance data, supporting policy development, managing appointments,  streamlining documentation. 

Less time behind a screen. More time with the people who need support. That feels like progress to me.

Making Occupational Health work for smaller businesses

This is something I feel strongly about. Too often, smaller businesses assume Occupational  Health is only for large organisations with dedicated HR teams and significant budgets. That simply isn’t true. 

As an SME ourselves, we understand what growing businesses actually need: practical, responsive advice that supports both their people and their operations, without unnecessary complexity or long-term contractual commitments. Occupational Health should be flexible, proportionate, and genuinely accessible.

A new chapter

That belief is one of the reasons I’m proud to be establishing Integrity Medical, the Occupational Health division of Integrity QHSE.

Integrity QHSE has built a strong reputation for delivering specialist consultancy across Quality, Health, Safety, and Environmental disciplines, with each area led by its own dedicated specialist. To the best of our knowledge, it is the only company in Scotland offering that level of subject matter expertise across every QHSE discipline under one roof, with established offices in Aberdeen and a new presence in Edinburgh. 

Integrity Medical completes that integrated offering. It is primarily a nurse-led service, with access to experienced Occupational Health Physician support when specialist medical input is needed. The focus is on prevention, early intervention, and practical solutions – health surveillance, management referrals, workplace assessments, wellbeing support, or physician advice, all designed to be flexible and tailored to the client. 

By combining 27 years of clinical experience with digital innovation and the responsible use of AI, the aim is to build a modern Occupational Health service that remains firmly centred on people. Organisations should choose to work with us because they value what we do, not because they’re locked into a contract.

Looking ahead

Occupational Health has never been more important. As organisations increasingly recognise the value of prevention and early intervention, the profession will continue to play a strategic role in shaping healthier, safer, and more productive workplaces. 

For me, the future isn’t about replacing clinicians with technology. It’s about giving experienced  clinicians better tools to deliver even better care. 

After 27 years, I am as passionate about this work as I was when I started. Perhaps more so, because I genuinely believe the best is still to come.