How we were created

Big occupational health providers steer away from the personal bespoke approach to workplace health. I was part of that corporate model and felt like an occupational health nurse robot. I needed to find another outlet to express my passion and add my personal touch to health and wellbeing for businesses. With that in mind, I moved away from being a trapped robot and The SKC Occupational Health Consultancy was born.

We don’t offer corporate off the shelf packages to workplace health just so you can

tick a box to acknowledge regulations are met. 

I trained as a general nurse at St Thomas Hospital London in the early 1990’s. I moved on to specialise as an occupational health, graduating with a first-class honours BSc. registering as a Specialist Community Public Health Nurse.

My career portfolio includes vocation case management and sickness absence, wellbeing physical and mental health awareness in the workplace, ergonomic workstation assessments, risk management and health screening as well as health surveillance in relation to workplace chemical and hazards risks. Through my clinical experiences I have developed a portfolio career, which incorporates practitioner work, education, research, and several published papers.

I am experienced in:

• Planning Rehabilitation Programmes to Facilitate Return to Work.
• Conducting Evaluations and Assessments of Work Skills and Capacities.
• Occupational Health physical and mental Wellbeing.
• Workplace Risk Assessments and  Health Surveillance.
• Public health advice in relation to work activities.
• Training and supporting managers manage workplace health.
• Travel Health and occupational immunisation Programmes.
• Signposting employees to specialist support services.

I demonstrate expertise in performing thorough evidence-based practice and research activities.I regularly speak at corporate events and other wellbeing conferences , sharing my passion for workplace health and wellbeing.

I am committed to developing and contributing to community public health strategies delivered in the workplace and was awarded the Queen’s Nurse award in recognition of commitment to high standards of practice and patient-centred care in occupational health.

Personal – I recently temporarily suspended my private occupational health work to return to frontline acute nursing at The John Radcliffe Oxford to assist my NHS colleagues during the Covid-19 pandemic.

I enjoy Yoga, aerobics/fitness, and modern jive. I love to bake and am still learning to play the ukulele!

I completed my general Nurse Training in 1993 before completing my conversion Nursing Degree in 1998. In 2002, I entered into the world of Occupational Health, and went on to obtain Health & Safety qualifications, as well as my Occupational Health Nursing degree at the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.    

My background covers: 

• Co-ordinating and Delivering Occupational Health services to include multiple contract management, training, medicals / surveillance / immunisation.
• Leading on specialist projects for Public / Private sector organisations
• Complex case management & Case Conference meetings (both remotely, and face to face), with multi-disciplinary consideration.
• Providing accurate and pragmatic advice on matters pertaining to Occupational Health.
• Advising on proactive interventions to reduce sickness absence.
• Advising on Rehabilitation interventions to facilitate an early return to work.
• Excellent report writing skills.

With 20 years’ experience in Occupational Health alone, I am a strong advocate in raising the profile of Occupational Health, and have become a keen “blogger”. My passion and drive for Occupational Health has resulted in me being invited to contribute on relevant publications, and to present at Health Summits. 

I strive for excellence, and in empowering individuals to be the best they can be, and I ensure that employers, and employees receive the best experience; this ethos is also extended within my role as Volunteer Ambassador for a Public Sector Charity.  

I am an active member of several professional bodies, and I sit on Specialist Interest, and Nurse Expert groups, all of which influence policy development in Occupational Health.

Some of my proudest achievements are being awarded the Queens Nurse [QN} Title in 2018, and successfully completing the QN Executive Nurse Leader Programme. My values, and commitment to high standards of care were further recognised in 2019 & 2021, where I received work based Commendation Awards.  

I enjoy social events, spending time with my grandchildren, and activities such as boxercise, and yoga; one of my favourite pastimes is me being taken for a walk, by my two beautiful Cockapoos! I also enjoy cooking, and relish the different aromas of unusual herbs and spices from around the world.

I completed my general Nurse Training in 1990 at the Foresterhill College of Nursing in Aberdeen. In 1992, after working with Offshore Medical Support, I gained my Occupational Health Nursing degree at the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. Initial OH experience was within the oil and gas industries and various offshore support companies as well as food production. Prior to moving abroad to Australia in 1997, I was involved in developing occupational health support at a local college. Time spent in Australia varied between a return to general practice as well as business support advising on travel health, pre-employment screening, and teaching first aid. For the past 20 years, my practice has been eclectic and very varied! From blue-chip companies to local seafood industries, construction to transport, and from further education to haulage.

I am experienced in:
Working closely with companies to assist with workplace risk assessments and to develop and implement health surveillance programmes unique to their needs.

Developing and supporting managers manage workplace health – both physical and mental.

Supporting drug and alcohol testing within the working environment.

Complex case management supporting rehabilitation facilitating return to work, signposting to specialist local support services where required.

Extensive report writing skills

I am a member of several professional bodies, and for the past 2 years have been actively involved with Robert Gordon University as an associate lecturer in the OH degree course, advising mainly in health surveillance and case management/report writing.

I am fortunate to live in a beautiful area in the North East of Scotland and outside of work, I enjoy relaxed walking either at the coast, in the forests, or in the hills with my dog.

Dr Katie Barber has worked as a GP in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire for over 16 years. During her GP training, after working as a junior doctor in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, she developed a particular interest in Women’s Health, completing the Diploma of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Diploma of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare during her training. She has worked in the department of Gynaecology at the John Radcliffe Hospital as a GP with a Special Interest in Gynaecology and Menopause where her enthusiasm for helping women manage various aspects of the menopause started. She has been awarded the Advanced Certificate of Menopause Care by the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare and is an Accredited British Menopause Society specialist and Menopause trainer. Katie was Clinical Lead for the NHS Menopause service at the John Radcliffe in Oxfordshire, a tertiary referral centre, until March 2021 when she became the Clinical Lead for the NHS Community Gynaecology Service in Oxfordshire. In 2022 Katie was nominated and successfully elected to the British Menopause Society Medical Advisory Council.

In October 2020, Katie founded and launched Oxford Menopause, a private Menopause service providing high-quality expert advice and management delivered by British Menopause Society Accredited Menopause Specialists. The service expanded rapidly and now employs a fellow Accredited Menopause Specialist, Dr Helen Kennedy. Helen and Katie have worked together for many years at the John Radcliffe Hospital, both in gynaecology and menopause. In October 2022 Oxford Menopause moved to its new home, The Carriage House, in the picturesque village of Ardington in Southern Oxfordshire. As a GP, Katie realised how little training she was given, both at medical school and at a post-graduate level, regarding the menopause and its management. Some women spend almost half of their lives in the peri-menopause and post-menopause, and for some, this has a significant impact on their home life, relationships, working and health. Recent publicity regarding the menopause has successfully highlighted how many women struggle to access support and advice from their GP’s and understand the role of HRT. 

Since developing her knowledge and expertise in menopause care, Katie has realised that it is not ‘one size fits all’ and that tailoring advice/therapy for women who are experiencing issues around the menopause, while providing accurate, evidence-based information and medication when appropriate, empowers women to feel confident in managing their menopause and enabling them to continue a normal, active life, whatever they choose to do.

Katie also lectures nationally across public and private sector organisations providing education and awareness of the menopause and input into employment resources and policy. She provides teaching to health care professionals including nurses, physician associates, pharmacists, medical students, GP’s and hospital doctors. She has lectured at national conferences and has provided input into parliamentary debate regarding improvements to Women’s Health.

In her spare (!) time, Katie is married with two daughters and enjoys cooking, baking, running and dog walking.

Victoria progressed into Quality Assurance in 2003 and is a member of the Research Quality Association (RQA). She gained ISO 9001 lead auditor status in 2008 with transition to the current standards in 2015 performing supplier lead audits in the UK, Europe and America, as well as training to ISO 27001, ISO 45001/3, ISO 14001 and ISO 15189/17025/22870.

She is Occupational Health Technician trained including audiometry and spirometry assessments and has certificates in Managing Occupational Health Services and Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) Managing Safely amongst others.

Since becoming a Consultant in 2019, she has seen numerous healthcare provisions through Integrated ISO certifications, the Safe Effective Quality Occupational Health Service (SEQOHS) accreditation process and Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection as well as the UKAS ISO 15189 / 22870 accreditation for Covid-19 testing.

Victoria gained her Chartered Quality Professional status in October 2020 and now enjoys mentoring other Quality Professionals within the Chartered Quality Institute (CQI) membership.

I have worked within a variety of healthcare settings for over 11 years, working in a variety of roles as clinician, operational team leader; quality standards and CQC compliance, and working within clinical education and mentoring.

These experiences have led me to work in exciting settings from Formula 1 race teams, Motorsports, Royal events and garden parties, the Cruise ship industry, and national project groups shaping healthcare systems.

I have developed a passion for individual and workplace wellbeing structures and support. I am now applying these skills within Occupational Health, from undertaking health surveillance assessments, covid swab testing, hosting wellbeing events and clinical/group debriefing, reviewing wellbeing strategies, and sharing experiences on implementing a positive mental wellbeing workplace.

Areas of interest in promoting personal development and growth include; sleep hygiene and difficulty adjusting between shifts; health promotion linked to chronic disease; alternative health strategies to promote mindfulness, positive wellness, and wellbeing; tuning into physical wellness to support optimum function and prevention of poor health and injury through functional stretching and yoga.

My Passion is baking cakes and homemade chocolates, even better when sharing these with groups of friends. I enjoy going to musicals, with a guilty pleasure of ‘We Will Rock You’ by the music of Queen, which I may have seen 8 times! I love spending time outdoors from walking to spending time on the water on my kayak.

Coaching sessions 1 to 1 with employees – helping people understand and have the confidence to express their needs, to help them manage their health with work to perform at their best.