NHS "should provide occupational health"

The system of NHS hospitals providing occupational health services to local employers should be expanded, according to health secretary Alan Milburn. He has proposed the creation of a new agency, NHS plus, to market such services, which are already provided by a small number of hospitals to small and medium-sized employers.

Health union MSF welcomed Milburn's announcement. MSF's head of health, Roger Kline, said: "This is a great opportunity for the NHS to show its undoubted expertise in this field and eradicate the insidious perception that only the private sector can provide a first-class service to employers".