Employee Information: Referral to Occupational Health

Purpose of the referral

The OH clinician will assess your health or any potential health concerns and how these impact upon your ability to carry out your work. It also gives you the opportunity to talk over, in confidence, any concerns you might have about your health in relation to your work with an OH clinician.

Following your appointment with the OH clinician writes a report for your line manager and copies it to Human Resources (HR) and you. This is an expert opinion on your current occupational health.

The report may make recommendations, on what adjustments might make it easier and possible for you to carry out your duties safely and effectively and, wherever possible, focus on adapting the work to suit your health needs whilst taking your health condition into consideration.

Who are our Occupational Health Clinicians?

The OH Clinicians are a multidisciplinary team including, consultant physicians and nurses with specialist OH qualifications, nurses, physiotherapists, and clinical psychologists supported by an administrative team.

Why am I being referred?

Your line manager or HR manager should have already discussed the reason for referral with you.  If not, then contact the referring manager (usually your line manager or human resources) to discuss this.

The referral form provides the OH clinician with information on your job, sickness absence, health conditions and the concerns your line manager or HR manager has regarding the impact of your health and wellbeing on your role and activities. It should include any adjustments already made for you.

The initial OH assessment appointment

You will be contacted by an OH administrator to arrange either a face-to-face, MS Teams or telephone appointment.  The OH team determines what method of contact they feel is most appropriate for their assessment but will take into consideration any preferences you have where possible. Assessments usually last up to 60 minutes.

An OH clinician will ask you about any health problems or concerns you have and what treatment you are receiving.  They will also ask you to describe the work you do and any difficulties there are at work due to your physical / mental health or other reasons.  They will also ask about your life outside of work including how you travel to work.

You may be referred directly to an Occupational Health Physician (OHP) for a clinical opinion on some occasions or following another OH clinicians’ assessment for further assessment and advice.  The OHP is a doctor with specialist expertise in Occupational Medicine.

The OH clinical team may advise you to see other specialists for clinical opinion if they require further clinical information, e.g. Occupational Physiotherapist/Clinical Psychologist.

The aim is to collect sufficient information to be able to give an accurate, objective, and useful advice and an OH opinion on your fitness to do your job and any adjustments to support you in work. You may be advised to self-refer to other areas of support, e.g. your General Practitioner (GP), EAP, self-help groups.

Other information

Sometimes it is not possible to give advice and a clear opinion on your fitness after a single assessment.  The OH clinician may need information from your treating GP and/or Specialist or want to look at where you work and what you do.  They may also need to review you again to assess your progress before being able to judge when you might be ready for full duties or a return to work.

When further information from your treating GP or Specialist is required, for example about diagnoses, treatment plans, or prognosis, this will be discussed with you, and you will be given the opportunity to ask questions so that you give your informed consent and sign the necessary form for this Medical Report.

You have the right to see and comment on the report from your treating GP or Specialist before it is sent to occupational health. Access to the report will be provided by your GP or specialist. You are able to refuse for this report to be released to OH.

Follow up appointments

If a further assessment is needed, a second appointment can be arranged, and your line manager and/or HR manager informed.

Confidentiality

All clinical information you provide to the OH clinical team and the medical report obtained from your GP or Specialist is confidential: clinical and medical details are not shared with anyone else outside of the OH team without your prior agreement.  In exceptional circumstances, details may be disclosed for health and safety reasons where there is a serious risk to you or others.  You will be informed if this becomes necessary.

The report back to your Line Manager and HR Line Manager deals with the effects of your health on your fitness for work.  Clinical and medical information is only included in a report where your Line Manager needs to know the detail, e.g. for safety reasons and only after you have given your permission for this.

Can I bring someone with me to my appointment?

Yes.  A work colleague or a friend/relative can attend the assessment with you at the clinician’s discretion but it is important that they let you speak and have the time you need to discuss things.

Why can’t my GP carry out the assessment?

Your GP is the expert when it comes to treating your illnesses.  However, the OH team are much more familiar with your work and the workplace.  OH, are the experts on how your health can affect work, how work can affect your health and what can be implemented at work to help and support you in the workplace.

The Occupational Health report

Once your assessment has been completed, we will write a report for your line manager and HR manager.  The content of the report will be discussed with you at the appointment and again you will be given the opportunity to questions and get any clarification needed.

The Occupational Health Specialist may on some occasions, discuss with your line Manager and/or HR manager any recommended adjustments in the workplace before the report is forwarded but this will be discussed with you in advance.

Can I have a copy of the OH report?

Under the GDPR & Data Protection Act 2018, you are entitled to request a copy of the report at any time.  However, a copy is always sent to you automatically; please make sure OH have your up-to-date contact details.

Please see link for further information: www.oxfordhealth.nhs.uk/privacy/

OH reports may cover

• whether you have a health problem which may affect attendance or performance at work
• if so, how it may affect your attendance/performance or performance in the future
• indicate where appropriate that you may need time off for appointments or treatment
• if you are away from work, how long it is likely to be before you are ready to return to work or full duties
• recommendations and advice on phased return to work programs
• recommendations and advice on appropriate risk assessments
• recommendations and advice to your line manager and HR manager on how to support you in the workplace
• recommendations on adjustments to working practices and working hours until you have fully recovered
• Compliance with current health and safety and employment legislation.

What happens next?

Your line manager, with or without the HR manager and the OH team, may arrange to meet you to discuss the OH report and any recommendations that have been made.

Recommendations and advice given to your line manager and HR manager by OH on adjustments, phased return to work programs, duties and hours are advisory only.  Your line manager with the support of HR, decide what is reasonably practicable to support within the service.

What should I bring to the OH assessment?

• If you are taking any medication (either prescribed or not), you should make a note of the name and dosage.
• Name and address of your treating doctor and/or Specialist.
• Copies of any relevant correspondence or reports about your condition from your GP or Specialist if available.

What if I do not attend?

If you are unable to attend an OH assessment, you should inform your line manager.  Without the benefit of guidance from the Occupational Health your line manager may only be able to make decisions regarding your health at work based on the information they have available to them.

If you have to cancel your appointment, please notify your mine manager, and contact the OH administration team immediately, ideally giving 48 hours notice to arrange an alternative appointment.

Occupational Health contact details

Occupational Health & Wellbeing Department

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
Littlemore Hospital
Sandford Road
Littlemore
Oxford
OX4 4XN

Email: occupational.health@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk

Phone: 01865 902 504 (OH main office)