The Council and Board

The SOM Council

The Council is the representative forum to influence and debate the issues affecting the occupational health and medicine profession. Members are:

  • SOM Regional Group Chairs
  • The SOM Education Lead - Professor Kaveh Asanati
  • The Occupational Medicine Journal Editor - Dr Steve Nimmo
  • SOM members of the Board - as per below
  • Chief Executive - Nick Pahl

The SOM Board

The Board is made up of members as authorised by the Constitution, who are trustees of the Charity. Members are:

  • The President (Chair) - Dr Shriti Pattani
  • The Immediate Past President - Dr Jayne Moore
  • The President Elect - Dr Lanre Ogunyemi
  • The Honorary Secretary - Dr Rae Chang
  • The Honorary Treasurer - Dr Sheetal Chavda
  • The Chair of the SOM Council - Dr Victoria Mason
  • Other Trustees - Professor Neil Greenberg, Shaun Davis and Jonathan Gawthrop

The Board has established a Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, reporting to the Board. Details below.

Policy

SOM is a leading voice on occupational health and wellbeing of people at work in the UK and around the world. SOM develops policy positions on occupational health and wellbeing in the workplace, consulting with members in the process. We also regularly meet and write to ministers and pose parliamentary questions. Governments and other bodies also regularly consult SOM on policy issues relating to occupational health. Examples of policy responses are here:

In 2020, SOM produced a Strategic paper on the 'Scale up of OH' services. In 2019 SOM hosted two summit meetings for OH - one on the workforce and another on the OH team and model of working.

In 2021, SOM welcomed the Health is everyone's business consultation response and as part of the levelling up agenda, SOM is calling for universal access to occupational health. SOM's position as to how this could be achieved is here. There is a recording of a recent summit on Universal Access to Occupational Health here: part 1, part 2, part 3. Slides 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (the event was covered by Personnel Today here).

A report on the mental health of nurses and midwives was launched in 2020, following a report on the mental health of doctors in 2018. SOM also works with a range of international networks and partners including the International Occupational Medicine Society Collaborative (see www.iomsc.net), ICOH and the World Health Organization. A position paper on remote working will be launched in 2020.

Recent Past Presidents

  • Dr R Cordell - 2015/6
  • Dr S Coomber - 2016/7
  • Dr P Williams - 2017/8
  • Dr D McLoughlin - 2018/9
  • Dr W Ponsonby - 2019/20
  • Prof A Harriss - 2020/21
  • Dr J Moore - 2021/22

View full list of Past Presidents here.

Diversity and Inclusion Task Force

SOM launched this Task Force, reporting to the Board, in 2020. It is chaired by Dr Sheetal Chavda. Emma Persand is vice chair.

The Task Force has produced an inclusion directory (on the members website) and carried out unconscious bias training for Board members. Discussions have occurred across SOM key groups on this issue. Links have been made with a number of organisations such as the BMA and the King's Fund. Presentations have occurred at a PHE/SOM webinar and a number of national conferences. As an organisation, SOM has carried out a self-assessment to ensure inclusion of our diverse membership in all services and activities.

SOM's Statement of Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion is here.

Minutes of the meetings are as follows:

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