YOUR GUIDE TO OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH (OH) REFERRAL AND ADVICE

Employers have a duty of care to their employees, which means that they should take all steps which are reasonably possible to ensure their health, safety and wellbeing.

Your manager will refer you to Occupational Health (OH) if they have any concerns about the effects of work on your health or, if you have a health issue that is affecting eitheryour fitness to carry out your roleor attendance at work. A referral may be necessary for long-term sickness absence, intermittent short-term sickness absence or for help and support with health concerns at work. In addition, you may be referred to Occupational Health if you require health surveillance under Health & Safety regulations or following an accident at work.

The purpose of the OH referral is to get advice on your fitness to work, or otherwise, to be at work either in your full role or with adjustments. The aim is to support you in remaining at, or returning to, work or if your manager is concerned that you may be unwell and unfit for work. Following the referral, your manager will be provided with OH advice to help manage the sickness absence and assist you with any health concerns at work.

Please refer to the Managing Sickness Absence Procedureand Occupational Health Referral Form.

Yourresponsibilities include:

  • Comply with your obligation to attend any appointment with OH. If you do not engage with the process, decisions may be made without the benefit of OH advice;
  • Discuss any health concerns that may affect your work or work that is affecting your health, with your line manager and ask to be referred;
  • If you feel unable to discuss your health concerns with your line manager, speak to their line manager. Exceptionally, contact your HR Adviser/Officerfor advice regarding a referral which may be done by another manager or by HR;
  • A referral may be a series of appointments as OH advice is likely to change over time;
  • Work together with OH and your manager to resolve any health concerns that affect your fitness to carry out your role or where your role or duties are affecting your health.

Managementresponsibilities include:

  • Refer the member of staff to OH if there are concerns about either health affecting their ability to fulfil their role or their role impacting adversely on their health. This is part of a manager’s duty of care to their member of staff;
  • Discuss the reason for the referral with the member of staff before the referral is made;
  • Ensure that the member of staff is fully aware of the reasons and the process for the referral before it is sent to OH;
  • Provide OH with the requested information and documentationfor the referral (the clearer and more specific the questions that you ask, the better advice you will receive);
  • Seek advice from HR about the report and any suggested workplace adjustments;
  • Discuss the report with the member of staff and determine appropriate actions;
  • Seek clarity from OH if the advice given is unclear or causes concern;
  • Provide feedback to OH in advance of review appointments, on progress made, adjustments facilitated, or whether there are continuing matters of concern that require further assessment by OH;
  • Keep HR regularly informed on the progress of the case;
  • Maintain regular contact with staff who are on long term sickness absence and/or in hospital;
  • Maintain confidentiality of any information.

Occupational Health responsibilities include:

  • Ensure that appointments are made within acceptable timescales;
  • Ensure that reports are provided in a timely and effective manner to all relevant parties;
  • Provide considered, clearand practicalhealth advice for managers and staff, taking into account the impact of occupational sick pay arrangements for individuals.

Human Resources responsibilities include:

  • Provide advice for managers on how to make a referral taking into account the purpose, specific questions regarding the concern and the relevant information required;
  • Provide advice to members of staff about a referral to OH,if necessary;
  • By exception, complete a referral to OH for a member of staff where the manager is unable to do so;
  • Assist managers and staff to review the report and the advice given including suggested adjustments or other recommendations made by OH. This may include phased return to work, reduced hours or tasks, medicalredeployment, ill health retirement, application of the Managing Sickness Absence Procedure, signpost to the Employee Assistance Programme etc.;
  • Monitor occupational sick pay entitlement and advise the member of staff, manager and OH accordingly.

Making a referral

A referral to OH must be made using theOH Referral Formto ensure that all the relevant information is provided. It is essential that OHunderstand the reason for the referral and have the relevant information to ensure that objective occupational healthadvice can be provided and is based on a full understanding of the health concerns.

The referring manager will discuss the referral with you and send to OH, copied to you and HR. On receipt of the referral, OH will determine the appropriate response which may include one or more of the following:

  • An appointment with an Occupational Health Nurse;
  • An appointment with an Occupational Health Physician;
  • Workplace assessment;
  • A request to your GP or specialist for a medical reportand an appointment.

You will be advised of your appointment arrangements by email or letter if you are off sick or do not have access to an email account, and this will be copied to the referring manager and HR.

OH will prepare a report for the referring manager following your appointment, copied to you and to HR.

If you do not attend your appointment, Occupational Health will notify your line manager. You will be expected to explain the reason for non-attendance to your line manager (or HR if they have completed the referral) and OH and a further appointment will be arranged.

OH Report

The report will provide information and advice regarding your fitness for work and is separated into Health Aspects, Work Aspects and Response to Specific Questions. It may include:

  • The broad identification of a health concern that may impact on work;
  • How the medical concern has or is likely to impact on your fitness for work including current and future performance or attendance;
  • Suggested adjustments to either your role or work environment that would facilitate your fitness for work;
  • The duration of any adjustments, where known;
  • Expected timescales to return to your normal role;
  • An indication of whether the provisions of the disability aspect of the Equality Act 2010 applies;
  • Whether there is a need for further investigation or medical report from your GP or specialist;
  • Your current ability to participate in HR procedures;
  • Future prognosis to maintain attendance, and if appropriate, whether medical redeployment or ill-health retirement is a consideration;
  • Further appointment dates, case management information or rehabilitation programmes where appropriate.

If your consultation is with Occupational Health and you wish to see the report prior to its distribution, you will have 5 working days to do so. In that period, you will be able to request corrections to factual errors. However, if you disagree with a medical opinion in the report, the Occupational Health is not obliged to change the opinion.

Key Points

Appointments with Occupational Health are held in confidence. Information that the employee wishes to be maintained as confidential will bemanaged in accordance with the General Medical Council (GMC) good practice guidance on confidentiality in handling patient information (April 2017).

Private and confidential medical information may include OH recommended adjustments, but any information on which the advice is based will not be divulged without your consent. The only exception to this will be if the OH Physician/Nurse considers that it is necessary to breach medical confidentiality, in line with the guidance provided by the GMCand the Nursing and Midwifery Council. This usually means that OH believe that there is a threat to the safety of others or that the employee may be a risk to themselves.

Recommendations made in the report will be considered depending on business need and decisions will be made by your manager in conjunction with advice from HR.

HR Staff Guide to OH Referral v3 Dec 2017