Butterworth Laboratories

About the organisation and their occupational health requirements

Butterworth Laboratories is a fully independent contract laboratory providing analytical chemistry services to the global pharmaceutical and related industries, with their work centred around ensuring quality and safety in the production of medicinal products. Their staff includes analysts, surveyors and chemical workers, as well as employees in lower-risk and office-based roles.

Before partnering with Medigold Health Protect, their OH provision had been largely ad-hoc. With plans to expand, they were looking to move to a more structured and comprehensive model – one that would align with their strict internal compliance standards while supporting a more proactive, preventative approach to employee health across a diverse workforce.

With the primary workplace health risk being exposure to solvents, fumes and other hazardous materials, alongside some exposure to noise and musculoskeletal health hazards, access to health surveillance was also a key requirement.

The challenge

Butterworth Laboratories wanted a solution that could help them:

• Meet their compliance obligations
• Proactively manage health risks
• Extend wellbeing services across the entire workforce, not just those in higher-risk roles

The Protect solution

Given their ongoing need for health surveillance, Butterworth Laboratories chose to take advantage of the significant discount that Medigold Health offers our Protect customers on any additional services required outside the core subscription package. This enabled them to access a tailored, annual health surveillance programme for staff in higher-risk roles, while still benefiting from the unlimited access to essential occupational health services and wellbeing support included as standard with Protect.  

A focus on health surveillance

Developed with support from our dedicated Health Surveillance team, Butterworth Laboratories’ annual HS programme is built around their risk assessments, taking into account role-specific exposures and aligning fully with their compliance obligations, ensuring these are consistently met. It includes audiometry, skin and respiratory surveillance, as well as vision checks and musculoskeletal health monitoring, with assessments delivered through our national clinic network and on-site via mobile health units, offering flexibility to suit operational needs and individual staff requirements.

Integrating health surveillance with their Protect package has given them seamless access to clinical expertise, consultancy and onward referrals whenever potential issues are identified. In contrast to their previous ad hoc approach, this joined-up model means they now benefit from the reassurance of direct access to full occupational health support, without the need to engage multiple providers – enabling them to take more timely, proactive steps to manage risks.

Maximising the value of their Protect subscription

Since joining Protect, Butterworth Laboratories has seen a 75% reduction in management referral volumes (from eight in the first year to just two in 2024), reflecting a tangible improvement in sickness absence levels. This outcome stems from their effective use of our referral and pre-placement health screening services and our Duty Clinical Manager support, combined with ongoing, strategic guidance from their dedicated Client Relationship Manager.

Our case management approach has helped them implement sustainable workplace adjustments, reducing repeat referrals and supporting longer-term employee wellbeing. Meanwhile, routine pre-placement screening – which is included within their subscription cost – ensures all new starters are fit for their roles and that any required support or adjustments are in place from day one, preventing avoidable absence later on.

Regular use of our Duty Clinical Manager service has also equipped line managers with timely clinical guidance and advice, enabling them to make confident, informed decisions. This early intervention often helps managers resolve issues before a formal referral is needed, while maintaining full clinical confidentiality and compliance.

All of this has been complemented by the support the client has received from their dedicated Client Relationship Manager. Through regular review meetings and analysis of their referral data, the CRM has helped Butterworth Laboratories identify emerging trends, streamline internal processes, and maintain alignment between their occupational health strategy and business objectives – and they have consistently highlighted the quality and continuity of this account management as a key factor in their satisfaction with the Protect service.

Supporting wellbeing across the workforce

Beyond statutory surveillance and absence management, Butterworth Laboratories has placed strong emphasis on whole-workforce wellbeing. They have made extensive use of the wellbeing resources and tools included in Protect, particularly the wellbeing calendar delivered in partnership with Westfield Health. The calendar delivers monthly campaigns focused on topics such as men’s health, menopause, shift work, heart health and cancer awareness, supported by webinars, factsheets and tip sheets accessible via the Protect Employee Portal.

Building on this, the client has further enhanced their staff wellbeing offer with on-site wellbeing days delivered by Westfield, giving employees the opportunity to attend mini health ‘MOTs’ covering BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol and lifestyle checks — helping to promote engagement and a culture of proactive health management across their teams.

Why it’s worked

Butterworth Laboratories has successfully transitioned from a reactive, ad-hoc occupational health approach to a proactive, integrated model that supports all aspects of employee health and wellbeing. Their tailored Protect package combines essential clinical services with added-value wellbeing support, which has enhanced their internal health strategy without significant additional cost. They particularly value the breadth of services offered by Medigold Health, which removes the need to outsource to multiple providers and ensures consistent quality across all elements of their OH provision.

Since choosing Protect, the organisation has:

• Maintained its impressive 95% employee retention rate, with their OH services playing a clear role in supporting this.
• Benefited from timely and effective clinical guidance, with Duty Clinical Manager support enabling early, proactive intervention and reducing the need for formal referrals.
• Reduced management referral volumes year on year.
• Built stronger trust among staff, with visible, accessible OH support and confident, well-informed managers.
• Gained the flexibility to scale and tailor services as the business evolves, already drawing on additional support such as industry-specific medicals, travel vaccinations and counselling alongside their surveillance and wellbeing initiatives.

As their organisation continues to expand, they now have a robust, flexible occupational health framework in place, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration to help them build on this success and support a healthy, high-performing workforce.