Rick Taylor
As senior partner in a medical practice for over 20 years and an experienced occupational health practitioner, Rick Taylor has been focusing on health and professional welfare for most of his working life.

Following his years working within a hospital environment and subsequent training as a GP, Rick found himself practicing medicine in Avonmouth, the centre of Bristol's industrial heartland. Many of his patients also worked in this part of the South West and he soon became interested in the effect on his patient's health of working within a predominantly heavy industry sector.

This initial interest led him to undertake the Diploma in Occupational Medicine, which he passed in 1995, before deciding to specialise in this field whilst continuing in general practice on a part-time basis. He then went on to study for the Faculty of Occupational Medicine membership exams, which he passed in 1999, and has steadily increased his occupational medicine practice since that time leading to the inception of Taylor-Mohrs.

According to Rick the benefits of taking a proactive stance to occupational health within a business environment is manifold.

'The field of occupational health is extensive. The first and often most common area in which I become involved is sickness absence management. Early intervention and advice when employees are off sick can enable a much quicker return to work and help both the employer and employee to remain engaged in the rehabilitation process. Further guidance may be needed on a graduated return or perhaps where modifications are required to the actual working environment. I can also advise on cases where the Disability Discrimination Act is involved and what an employer's responsibilities are in regard to other legal aspects of occupational health.'

Rick's expertise extends to other areas of health and safety within the workplace and he regularly works with other experienced professionals whose skills can be applied to specific areas. These can then be tailored to client's specific requirements, from general occupational health concerns to more specialist advice such as Marine and Coastguard medicals and advice relating to asbestos or lead regulations.

With the ability to liaise with medical bodies on his clients' behalf, Rick prides himself on his ability to translate 'medical speak' into informed dialogue that is both relevant and easily digestible, as well as on the unique clarity of the personal approach he adopts with his clients.

'When I first discuss occupational heath with a business I will go and meet the people involved to ascertain their requirements. Sometimes they may be unsure as to what is required and I can then talk through their problems with them and also highlight areas I feel may need addressing. I will then work with them to develop a programme tailored to their needs, maintaining contact with the business as they develop these areas.'

His individual and hands-on way of working has led him to count a wide variety of South West and national companies amongst his client base. These include Orange Telecommunications UK, IKEA, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Rotork Contols, Columbian Chemicals, Cramer IT Systems, Radiodetection, Sharpak Plastics and Gardner Denver Engineering.

Providing a friendly, approachable service, Rick has developed Taylor-Mohrs to be accessible and responsive, providing accurate advice at an early stage before resolvable issues become costly problems for his client's business. Working as an extension of the team, he excels in building long-term client relationships which strike that all important healthy balance - improving both the performance of the organisation and its employees.