Drug and alcohol services
BUPA Wellness offers a full solution to employers concerned about the effects of drugs and alcohol on their business. These include:
Many organisations, especially where safety is a critical factor in the workplace, have a legal obligation to prevent staff from attempting to perform tasks under the influence of drugs or alcohol. A drug and alcohol policy that incorporates screening is the main means of achieving this. Though vital for deterrence, a positive screening only identifies an established problem.
Before it becomes an established problem, drug or alcohol abuse can affect the whole focus of a person's life and work performance can noticeably suffer. We believe there is a good business case to go further and incorporate measures to support employees through counselling and rehabilitation into company policy.
Prices
| Service |
Cost |
| Policy development |
£114 per hour |
| Management drug and alcohol awareness training |
£750 per session |
| "For Cause" call out |
from £390 |
| Drug screen at a BUPA centre |
£68 per person |
| On-site screening (other than "For Cause") |
£182 |
| Counselling |
£92 per session |
Prices are valid until 31 March 2008
Development of a drug and alcohol policy
The starting point for any organisation is the development of a drug and alcohol policy and we are unable to perform drug and alcohol screening until a suitable policy is in place.
BUPA Wellness can work with you to design the ideal policy for your organisation and implement it seamlessly. We will work with you to:
- understand your organisation's culture and assess the nature and hazards of your business
- assess any previous drug or alcohol-related incidents, and recommend a strategy to reduce the risk and effects of problems in the future
- advise you on the likely risks from drug and alcohol problems and recommend a strategy to reduce the risk, plan how to implement your new drug and alcohol policy and communicate it to your staff
- ensure all your staff understand: the health benefits of a drug free lifestyle and sensible alcohol use; your policy and the support system available for those with alcohol and drug misuse problems and the penalties for failure to comply with the policy
- help you set up appropriate disciplinary procedures
- deliver a screening service from selection for random testing through to medical review of laboratory results
Employee briefing and training for managers to help identify employees with problems
When you implement your new policy you'll need to brief all your staff on the new procedures and train key staff to identify and deal with drug and alcohol misuse.
We'll work with you to develop and design training modules for managers and staff. A typical training course for key staff lasts one day and is designed for groups of 12 -15 managers. Management training is available to help:
- identify the signs of potential substance misuse
- understand the manager's role in the implementation of the policy
- ensure the agreed procedures for instigating screening can be followed with confidence
Drug and alcohol screening services
As a leading UK provider of drug and alcohol screening throughout the UK, we offer a highly flexible range of services to meet your organisation's recruitment, random testing or incident-related needs.
It is however important to note that screening will only identify recent drug use. It cannot confirm intoxication, addiction or fitness for work.
Screening must be performed according to ethical principles and be legally defensible. We are not able to provide screening services unless the employer has a policy for dealing with the results.
The usual screening medium is urine. This has the advantage of long experience in use but can be inconvenient to collect. Other media, such as oral fluid, offer ease of sample collection particularly in the workplace. Hair testing is another possibility but is mostly used in forensic settings.
We are able to offer a range of sampling methods and are happy to advise our customers in detail on the relative merits of the different media.
Pre-employment drug and alcohol screening
Many companies use drug and alcohol screening as part of their recruitment process. Pre-employment screening can confirm whether prospective employees have used drugs shortly before their assessment. Specimen collection may be done on BUPA premises or, where facilities are available in the workplace.
However, unless the employer's policy addresses a specific legal obligation, a substantial safety risk or a public expectation of probity, then denial of employment on the basis of a positive screening may be challenged and found to be unfair.
Unannounced testing
Screening of your staff may be used as a deterrent to drug or alcohol misuse. Workforce acceptance of such a programme is highly desirable before its introduction and is unlikely to be obtained unless the process is non-discriminatory. Again, the reservations above in respect of pre-employment testing apply.
Once in place, BUPA Wellness can manage a random screening programme to provide demonstrable independence in the selection process, ensure plans for specimen collection are not divulged in advance and the dignity of donors is respected.
"For cause" and "post-incident" related screening
This kind of screening is vital in safety-critical workplaces, such as the railway industry to identify whether drugs or alcohol were a causal factor in an accident or incident. This may also be justifiable where an employee appears to be under the influence of drugs or intoxicated whilst at work. Again this should only be performed under an employer's policy.
Our network of collection officers covers the whole UK mainland. We operate a 24-hour call-out service and someone can usually be at your site within just two hours.
Support, treatment and rehabilitation for employees in need
Many people with dependency problems have complex psychological and social issues as well as physical problems. Successful treatment requires a multi-disciplinary approach with the shared aim of restoring the individual to full function in work and beyond. Working with a respected healthcare company such as BUPA enables the employer to feel confident in the discretion and quality of the care its employees will receive through their employer.
BUPA Wellness is in a position to offer the individual a confidential assessment of the problem, whilst providing the employer with advice on fitness for work and the individual's motivation, engagement and progress with the treatment plan. Working with the individual's GP/NHS/voluntary agencies we can recognise treatment needs and ensure appropriate treatment is available at the most opportune time. When the individual is fit to rehabilitate to work our aim is to make the multidisciplinary approach a reality and ensure all those involved are aware of the plan for the restoration of work ability and employment retention.
Our drug and alcohol service can be combined with a BUPA Employee Assistance program, which provides free, confidential support, guidance and counselling for any personal or work-related problems. This combination of services can work particularly well in organisations where employees are encouraged to seek help.
Next steps
- Read the answers to the most frequently asked questions about Wellness drug and alcohol services.
- Call BUPA Wellness on 0845 300 8220.
- Request further information through our online form.
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