The name Synergee, derives from the term which means that, in any one system or interaction, the unified whole is greater than the sum of the separate parts. This refers to the universal truth that co-ordinated teamwork is a powerful mechanism for achieving success. This is the essence of Synergee. The overall approach and the productivity tools that are the core of this management system are primarily designed to maximise the capacity of the team.

Synergee is subdivided into three programs:

1. SaftiCare: is a structured approach to the design and implementation of an Occupational Health Programme, aimed at reducing health risks to employees and reducing employer liability.

2. VitaCare: is an approach to the establishment of on-site clinic facilities with a view to the delivery of work-site based primary health care.

3. OptiCare: is a wellness approach to worksite healthcare, including executive health and other products based on health promotion.

Synergee between the program areas is achieved by using CHESS:

CHESS (Computerised Health and Environment Surveillance System) addresses five main disciplines

1. Environmental (exposure) Monitoring.

2. Safety Management.

3. Medical Surveillance.

4. Primary Health Care.

5. Health Promotion and Corporate Wellness

What is Organisational Health

Issues about health impact organisations on a regular basis. HR finds these areas complex, technical and expensive. The Organisational Health model provides an integrative set of tools to deliver efficient and effective health services to an organisation.

Organisations who wish to help deliver world class services realise that health related issues in the work place are ever present, often awkward to manage and more complex to deal with due to the technicalities and the personal nature of the problems. The balance between pro-active, preventive campaigns which show little return in the short term (much like training), and reactive programmes also needs to be balanced.  This approach provides a set of tools to companies allowing for an integrative approach to health management. The integration of components of the organisational health model, make dealing with complex issues such as HIV/AIDS, comprehensive stress and wellness programmes more practical. 

Health is no longer a soft issue that can be managed in an ad hoc fashion. There are a number of key drivers which are impacting on organisations. A strategic, co-ordinated approach offers HR and organisations the following opportunities:

• Reduction in non-occupational health care costs

• Contributing to enhancing human relations & labour policies

• Meeting regulatory requirements

• Managing complex intra-departmental health issues such as stress and HIV/AIDS.

• Reduce the impact of occupational injury & diseases

• Provision of health inputs to the product offering to ensure safe use and customer confidence (product stewardship).

What are the Health Drivers

Legislation:

Herewith a short list of the many statutes that impact on health delivery and operational issues at work:

• Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and Regulations.

• Compensation of Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA).

• Employment Equity Act and it’s Codes of Practice.

• Labour Relations Act.

• Basic Conditions of Employment Act.

Financial issues:

• Health care (medical schemes)  now cost on average 10 - 12% of the total wage bill.

• Productivity issues – fewer people providing same or greater levels of outputs, therefore the value per employee grows.

• Lack of risk management to minimise losses through ill health, nor is risk management contributing to minimise labour turnover or productivity enhancement.

• Expanding liability and accountability of organisations for health related issues.

• Marketing: International reputation that the organisation will remain sustainable in the face of threats such as HIV/AIDS.

Social issues:

• Social transformation and greater expectations on employers.

• People with poor access to health care are being employed.

• World of Work is undergoing a revolution leading to increased levels of stress (as are our domestic lives)

• Greater access to illegal substances.

• HIV/AIDS.

ER issues:

• Delivery of health care is now being found on the agenda of negotiations and in some cases has become so contentious, as to cause strikes in various areas.

What is the “Organisational Health” model?
As health become more urgent and complex in organisations, an integrated approach becomes more important. The model integrates the key areas of health delivery in the work place. Numerous industrial and commercial organisations have adapted the model to meet their own health related needs.

This illustration below demonstrates the 5 core components of organisational health, with the main elements of each. These components are described below:

Occupational Health

The science of work-related injury and illness prevention, incorporating the disciplines of Occupational Hygiene, Safety and Medicine, through various strategies, including risk assessment and risk control by means of engineering away hazards, and monitoring for early signs of failure of these controls. Examples include:

• Identification, evaluation & control of risk in the workplace to minimise or prevent exposure.

• Assist with recruitment where appropriate ensuring fitness to work

• Screen for signs and symptoms of illness associated with exposure to hazards (e.g. physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic, psycho-social).

Primary Health Care

The delivery of first-level medical interventions, including curative as well as preventive, for injured and ill employees at work, and is implied to be an on-site activity. Examples include:

• Primary level medical care (minor ailment consultations and management)

• Medication management (stock control, dispensing, etc.)

• First contact trauma management

• Family planning

• Health education

Health Benefits Management & Curative Care

This includes matters such as pension or provident fund provision, statutory entitlements, such as sick leave, prenatal leave, medical aid, hospital insurance and other negotiated benefits.

Input, administrative  support and advice on:

• Recruitment assistance (people are fit for the job)

• COIDA / WCA

• Medical aid benefit design

• Medical adjudication of benefits – ensuring that employees get benefits to which they are entitled.

Provide input to trustees and HR to make decisions (medical, health & productivity issues)

Ensure benefits:

• Are medically sound

• Meet the needs of members and the organisation have been considered from the perspective of productivity and health impacts.

Deal with medical issues & interpretation of the rules. (Medical adjudication).

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
 

The delivery of support services for employees that are functioning sub-optimally due to physical, psychological and social problems, and include counselling, training, rehabilitation, and the mobilisation of statutory bodies where necessary. Examples include:

• Psycho-social support programme for employees where stressful situations are impacting on performance.

• Referral system for stressed employees

• Training managers to manage such employees effectively, so that there are alternate ways of managing poor performance besides discipline.

• Input, administrative  support and advice on:

  • Absenteeism management, including early warning systems, cost analysis.

  • Disability management.

Health Promotion & Wellness (HP)

This refers to the coordinated activities that aim for a state of health that exceeds the absence of disease, and seeks to achieve optimal mental, social and physical function. Examples include:

• Voluntary Medical Testing to identify early adverse effects of lifestyle (executive medicals, wellness screening).

• Self Management programmes, including exercise, nutrition, stress management, etc.

Who will benefit from Synergee?

An underlying philosophy of the programme design is to employ current understanding of occupational health science, using practical, valid tools and methods, to deliver programmes efficiently and effectively. This enables the medical professionals (nurses and doctors) involved to focus on their clinical skills rather than administrative red tape, maximising their capacity for making good decisions based on objective evidence. It also improves their efficiency, enabling them to reach performance targets comfortably.

Perhaps the greatest beneficiaries of the Synergee approach are the company custodians of the Occupational Health Programme. These include the managers responsible for Health and Safety, and their delegated subordinates (risk officers, human resource officers, training officers, etc.). They are reassured that a formal process is in place, with defined steps that follow a predetermined course, and that the requirements of South African law will be met. Task accountabilities and programme objectives & outputs are clear unambiguous. The programme will not ramble without direction.

The programmes are sensitive to the needs of employees, the subjects of the occupational health programmes, and employee representatives, because of programme transparency and clarity of purpose. Also, there is a focus on the clear communication of results and their implications and recommendations, cognisant of current fair labour practice.

Users that effectively employ the programmes will inevitably become the industry leaders in Occupational Health. The reason is simple – the principle of setting, meeting and re-setting standards is a central theme throughout the Synergee range – not just South African standards, but world-class benchmarks established through self-refinement. This continuous cycle of research, development and improvement seeks best practice performance, so that even when performance is adequate, new avenues are explored.

Key features

• Logical and systematic approaches to designing, implementing and managing your occupational health programme.

• Step by step instructions through documents recorded in a procedural format. These serve as a Policy & Procedure instrument, as well as a training and reference tool.

• Massive resource documentation, including an electronic Labour Law Library, Internet “Hot Site” lists, useful electronic information brochures (local plus international).

• Ongoing support and update maintenance.

What makes Synergee unique or different?

• The Synergee Occupational Health Management System is the first and only commercially available occupational health management system in South Africa. It was established because of a desperate need for a clear and practical implementation instrument to assist professionals to achieve their objectives efficiently.

• It is the product of years of practical and academic research, as well as continued refinement in the field. Due to targeting international standards, it is designed  for application in any Industry and Country.

• The programmes include real and practical tools required to accomplish the required tasks, and instructions on their use. These are packaged in a well-organised and accessible format.

• The programmes provide a continued back-up resource to users, to provide answers to the many questions, which arise during programme implementation. They continually explore new and better methods to achieve the programme objectives, as well as stay up to date with industry trends.

• Programmes are built “from the ground up”, and design “begins with the end in mind”. Hence, the components flow and integrate smoothly, with linked inputs and outputs.

• The programmes are designed to facilitate, not replace. They will integrate with whatever programme is in place.