2,000
Health Assessments Completed
Supporting the Maritime and Coastguard Agency
Our client
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) are a 24-hour 365-day maritime and coastal search and rescue emergency coordination and response service operating across the United Kingdom and internationally. The MCA is one of the four executive agencies that make up the Department for Transport.
The MCA also produce legislation and guidance, and provides certification to ships and seafarers, while promoting maritime standards and minimising the maritime sector’s environmental impact. The MCA’s vision is to be a world-leading organisation developing, promoting, and enforcing safety at sea, ensuring their people, customers, and the planet are protected.
The Agency’s motto is "Safer Lives, Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas.” To actualise this vision, the MCA understands the importance of a long-term strategy that sustains and optimises a high quality of health and well-being for its employees who work hard to accomplish the duties and responsibilities of this salient cause.
The Challenge
The MCA consists of 1,150 staff and 3,500 volunteers. The MCA can be expected to deal with over 35,000 incidents in a single year across almost 250,000 square kilometres. Furthermore, with around 17,000 kilometres of coastline, the UK has one of the longest coastlines in Europe.
The HM Coastguard alone comprises over 300 coastguard rescue teams and connects 10 Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCCs) around the UK from Falmouth to Shetland.
The MCA is an immense and wide-reaching organisation and with the great scale of the project, number of employees and volunteers involved and locations to target, there comes a series of challenges in executing a cohesive occupational health programme and strategy. Some of these include:
- Logistical challenges – Most MCA stations are remote locations which requires flexibility from the provider, a smart approach to scheduling, and detailed planning.
- Large number of employees, volunteers, and stations – As mentioned, MCA has an obligation to serve all the UK, efficiently and quickly and with that comes the requirement for a significant and flexible resource.
- Specialised Expert Advice – Due to the unique nature of the employee’s work and roles, the occupational health provider requires a clear understanding of their environment and its occupational hazards.
- Fast mobilisation – The MCA operates constantly under the weight of a ticking clock, with response time being a vital component of their efforts. And thus, the provider must be responsive to prove a successful partnership.
- Post-COVID Difficulties - The easing of coronavirus restrictions in 2021 led to remote medical assessments being moved onsite with little time for transition. It also saw an influx of visitors to the coast, increasing the overall number of incidents, and making health and safety measures even more necessary for employees.
Tackling these challenges requires preparation, experience, and strategic insight into Occupational Health, one that can meet the MCA’s expectations. RPS has spent decades building an arsenal of these exact tools and knowledge.
With over 20 years of expertise in Occupational Health, a partnership with RPS ensures the MCA can achieve its ambitious vision and maintain the highest health standards for their employees from their stations across to the farthest ends of the sea.
RPS’ Role
RPS were awarded an initial 3 year contract to develop and provide a comprehensive range of occupational health services covering an area of 11,000 miles of coastline for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. This contract was awarded through our long-established partners, Healix International.
RPS conducted a comprehensive analysis assessing the MCA’s specific needs which included a study of employees’ medical, social, and occupational history, a probe into environmental factors and a systematic evaluation of possible health risks. Using this, RPS Occupational Health provides a comprehensively managed occupational health service personalised and designed to meet their professional needs. RPS supports the agency in fulfilling its principal requirement of complying with the legislative framework and duty of care as a responsible employer with the right knowledge, tools, and support.
RPS Occupational Health has developed a proactive, structured programme that enables the MCA to demonstrate their collective commitment to their employees' well-being. This programme includes:
- A database to collate the health records of employees and streamline the recall process for employees as medicals become due.
- An assessment of health standards with defined performance indicators.
- A system of Triage and Management of referrals.
- Medical assessments delivered on site.
- Wellbeing support
- Mental health support though Healix International
RPS Occupational Health covers Coastguards, Search and Rescue teams, Inspectors, Maritime Law Enforcement, Operations Officers, Engineers, Analysts, Volunteers, HR, Managers, and Administrators across the MCA.
The RPS Occupational Health team consists of an Account Manager, Occupational Health Physicians, Occupational Health Advisors, Occupational Health Technicians, Clinical Managers and Client Coordinators working directly with the who collaborate closely with the MCA Human Resources (HR) team and Health & Safety Teams.
The Impact
Within 6 weeks of initial discussions, RPS mobilised Occupational Health services across the MCA. Since February 2022, RPS has completed a full review and rewrite of The MCA Health Standards
1,000
Employees Assessed
3,500
Volunteers Assessed
300
Coast Guard Stations
Along with these numerical successes, RPS has seen various other positive advancements in their partnership with the MCA.
- A comprehensive Health Standards Medical programme developed which captures everyone within the organisation.
- Developing a footprint of employee and volunteer health to enable targeted and meaningful wellbeing initiatives.
- Identified key factors affecting health enabling employees and volunteers to improve health outcomes at work and in personal life.
- Engaged with and developed close working relationships with key stakeholders, creating trust and confidence in the OH service.
- Cost management and containment through professional relationships developed on the ground (i.e., sending Technicians as foot passengers on ferries and a contact arrives to pick up the staff), proving cheaper and more sustainable than driving.
“This is the best Occupational Health service we have ever had.” Says the Head of HR Operations for the MCA, Joy Hackwell .
The Goal
This partnership exemplifies how effective cost planning, a sustainable approach and a personalised study of the client’s needs can lay the ground for a long-term resilient health and wellbeing programme for employees, one that can improve their performance at work and their overall well-being at work and in their personal lives.
RPS Occupational Health intends to continue to further enhance its partnership with The Maritime and Coastguard Agency and build on the excellent rapport that exists between the two parties. RPS aims to collate more data, cover more ground across stations and various departments, and work to improve the health and wellbeing of each individual in the organisation.
Caroline Pearson
Divisional Customer Services Director
“With deep expertise founded on over 20 years’ experience, RPS manages the occupational health and wellbeing of our client’s employees, to help them perform at their best. Underlying everything we do is a dedication to deliver and enhance the lives of the clients and communities we work with."
