About us
Looking after Rochdale's workforce since 1963
Rochdale Occupational Health Service is an independent, not-for-profit occupational health provider. We've been helping employers keep their people healthy, safe and at work for more than 60 years.
Our story
Built to bridge a gap
We were established in 1962 and began operating on 1 January 1963, funded by a £57,000 grant from the Nuffield Foundation. We were one of only seven Nuffield-sponsored group occupational health services in the whole of Britain.
Founded as the Rochdale Industrial Health Service by six local member firms, we were created so that small and medium-sized employers could reach the kind of workplace health care that, until then, only the largest companies could afford. We've been a registered charity and non-profit-making company from the very beginning.
How we've grown
From six firms to a local institution
In our early years we grew from six member firms to more than forty, and by the late 1980s over eighty local employers relied on us.
As Rochdale's industries changed, so did we, broadening out from the cotton mills into the manufacturing, engineering, transport and logistics employers we work with today. The Nuffield grant ended in 1968, and we've been entirely self-supporting ever since.
Our heritage
Six decades in the making
A few of the milestones along the way.
Incorporated as the Rochdale Industrial Health Service.
We begin operating on 1 January, covering around 3,400 employees across six member firms.
Nuffield House opens on College Road, our home ever since.
The Nuffield Foundation grant ends and we become entirely self-supporting.
We become a first-aid training authority in our own right.
More than 60 years on, we support employers right across the UK.
Why we exist
“There is nothing in the National Health Service which caters for the continuous health supervision of the worker whilst he is actually at work.”ROHS Chairman, Silver Jubilee address, 1988
More than sixty years on, bridging that gap is still exactly what we do.
What we stand for
Independent, and on your side
We're not here to make a profit. We're here to help Rochdale's employers, and their people, stay well.
- Not-for-profit, so we reinvest in the service rather than pay shareholders
- Built for small and medium-sized employers
- Focused on keeping people healthy while they're at work
- Impartial, evidence-based advice you can trust
- Rooted in Rochdale, serving employers across the UK
Our core values
Guiding every interaction
Four values run through everything we do, guiding every interaction and building lasting trust with the people and employers we work with.
Integrity
Upholding the highest standards of honesty, transparency and ethical behaviour in every interaction with clients, partners and employees.
Innovation
Continuously improving our services by adopting the new technologies and practices that lead the field in occupational health.
Compassion
Prioritising the wellbeing and safety of employees and clients, and treating everyone with genuine empathy, respect and understanding.
Professionalism
Being reliable, adhering to the standards and duties of care set by external bodies, and taking responsibility for our conduct and attitude.
Today
Modern occupational health, same purpose
From our home at Nuffield House, our clinicians and technicians deliver health surveillance, medical assessments, absence management and first aid training, at our Rochdale centre or on your premises.
The tools and the regulations have moved on. Our reason for being here hasn't.
Our people
The people behind the service
Our small, experienced team of clinicians, technicians and support staff is what makes ROHS what it is, and many of them have been looking after local workforces for years.
Health. Training. Wellbeing.
Work with us
Whether you employ five people or five hundred, we'd love to help you look after them.