Life Care team collaborating in a meeting, promoting workplace health and safety.

FAQs

Find here the answers to our most frequently asked questions about our services.

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What is health screening?

Health screening is a snapshot of your health at the moment, it is not diagnostic test.  The screening checks and asessments conducted give an indication if you are at risk of developing a health condition like diabetes, or if you have safety critical readings, which might indicate you have an undiagnosed condition.

Why do I need to get it done? Is it compulsory?

Your employer will have a policy on Health Checks and Health Monitoring. Participation for some PCBU’s is not compulsory.  You are however encouraged to have a regular health check done for your own wellbeing.  It’s a benefit your employer pays for and it also helps your employer understand any health and safety concerns related to the work enviroment, PPE use and ensures your employer’s H&S obligations are met.

How long does it take?

The health screenings your employer chooses will determine the amount of time it takes to be assessed.  One health check takes 15min and a full health screening assessment is 45 – 60 minutes.

Will I get any results?

Yes, because these are health screening assessments, the results are instant.  Our Health Consultant will discuss your results with you and will offer education, guidance and support for any questions you have, especially where you may have an outside normal or safety critical reading.

How often does this happen?

Health monitoring is done periodically, usually once a year.  This supports an approach for ongoing monitoring and programmes to address health risks in the workplace.  As an employee, you get the opportunity to track your health at least once a year, with compliments from your employer.

Will my employer see my results?

No, your employer will not see your results.  They will receive a report with an indication of whether results are normal, outside normal range or safety critical.  This helps to identify where improvements can be made to protect staff against workplace related health risks.

Do I need to bring anything with me?

If you wear glasses or hearing aids, please wear them as you would normally and bring them with you. If you are having respirator fit testing done, please bring your mask with you and it is preferable you are clean-shaven. Our Health Consultant will direct you on whether to wear your accessories and/ or PPE during the screening assessment.

I just had coffee/food and/or a cigarette, will this affect my results?

Coffee and smoking can impact your blood pressure reading and sugar will impact your glucose reading. If we find you have outside normal readings for either of these screening assessments, we will retest after approximately 20 minutes.

What happens if I have an outside normal or safety critical result?

You will be referred to your GP, local audiologist or optometrist, whichever is relevant to your health result, for further investigation and diagnosis, if needed. In the case of a safety critical reading, we may, with discretion, contact your manager and Emergency Medical Services immediately in the event you need to be admitted to hospital. This is for your own wellbeing and has saved lives in the past!

I saw my GP recently, will you still write me a referral letter if my results are outside normal range?

While we understand and respect you may be under the supervision of your GP for any health risks and conditions, it is Life Care policy to refer anyone who has an outside normal range result to their GP or local audiologist and optometrist, whichever is relevant.

If I have a safety critical reading, what does this mean? I’m also nervous I will lose my job

If you have any safety critical results, this is an indication you may have an unmanaged condition, which can be detrimental to your overall health and ability to function properly at work and at home. It is our duty to refer you to the relevant medical practitioner for sound intervention.

The purpose of health screening and ongoing monitoring is to provide a measurable program that is compliant to the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, and ensures the work environment doesn’t place workers at risk and supports workers to complete their tasks with no or minimal risk to self, others, the public or the environment. This is the PCBU’s duty and it rarely leads to job-loss.

How do you catch flu?

Flu spreads through someone talking, laughing, coughing or sneezing, then ingested by touching your mouth, nose or eyes after touching something the virus-containing droplets have recently landed on.  

What are the symptoms of the flu?

Influenza is not just a ‘bad cold’. Although some of the symptoms are the same, influenza is usually much more severe, often has a sudden onset and can have much more serious consequences. 

Flu may include any or all of the following symptoms: 

  • Fever 
  • Muscle or body aches 
  • Headache 
  • Dry cough 
  • Sore throat
  • Runny nose 
  • Vomiting and diarrhoea
  • Lack of energy, – may be severe and last for two or more weeks 
Where can I find more information about flu and the influenza vaccination?

Where can I find more information about flu and the influenza vaccination?

The following NZ websites have reliable and credible information:  

What’s in the 2024 flu vaccine?

This season’s vaccine is Afluria Quad.
Included in it is egg-based quadrivalent vaccine.

  • A/Victoria/4897/2022 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus (A/Victoria/4897/2022 IVR-238): 15 micrograms HA* per dose
  • A/Thailand/8/2022 (H3N2)-like virus (A/Thailand/8/2022 IVR-237): 15 micrograms HA* per dose
  • B/Austria/1359417/2021-like virus (B/Austria/1359417/2021 BVR-26): 15 micrograms HA* per dose
  • B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus (B/Phuket/3073/2013 BVR-1B): 15 micrograms HA* per dose *HA – hemagglutinin                       

This does not contain an adjuvant, thus reducing the risk of a reaction. Adjuvant-free vaccination is the safer vaccine of choice in a non-clinical setting.

How long does it take to work?

It takes up to 2 weeks after vaccination for the body to start protecting against flu.   

How long will the flu shot last?

The effectiveness of the flu vaccine declines over time. However, it provides protection for up to 6 months on average.  

Do I have to wait between getting the flu shot and the Covid-19 vaccine?

No, they can be given on the same day. Studies show that co-administration of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines is safe and produces a good immune response.  

Where can I redeem my flu voucher?

You can redeem your Life Care flu voucher at over 400 medical centres and pharmacies nationwide.

See all the sites where you can redeem your vouchers here.

Do I need the flu shot if I have had the Covid-19 vaccine? Will the shots interfere with each other?

The flu and COVID-19 are different diseases so you need both vaccines to be protected from each one. A flu shot provides a specific ‘key’ that unlocks a strengthened immune response to protect against influenza. And a COVID-19 vaccine provides a different ‘key’ that also unlocks a strengthened immune response to protect against COVID-19. There is no master key that works for all viruses, so getting vaccinated against both infectious diseases will help keep you healthy. Getting the flu shot will not counteract the effects of the COVID-19 vaccine. 

CONTACT US

At Life Care Consultants we are available to answer any of your queries.

So please get in touch if you have a question about any of our training or health services.

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