Guidelines for Referral to the Council’s Occupational Health Adviser or Medical Adviser
(Version one 1.4.00)
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Management Referrals
3. Assessment by the Occupational Health Service
4. Reports to the Manager
Appendix 1 – Referral to Occupational Health Pro-forma (pdf)
1. Introduction
One of the functions of the Council’s Occupational Health Adviser is to assist managers in the management of sickness absence, and to assess employee medical fitness for work. For such support to be of optimum benefit to managers, the quality of communication between managers and the occupational health service is crucial, not only in terms of feedback from Occupational Health following assessment of employees but also in relation to information provided by managers when initially referring employees. These guidelines are intended to help managers gain the most appropriate assistance following referral to Occupational Health.
1.1 The main areas associated with Occupational Health are as follows:
Fitness for work assessments. The aim of this assessment is to ensure that an employee, or potential employee, undertaking certain duties (e.g. driving, night working, lifting, confined spaces etc) is fit to carry out their job.
Health surveillance. Depending on where you work you may come across a variety of health hazards such as chemicals, noise or infectious disease. Employees in certain posts will be required to undergo regular health checks to ensure that any health problems, as a result of exposure to hazards at work, are identified early so that corrective action can be taken.
Sickness absence management. Employees may be referred to occupational health by their Managers for a number of reasons, including review following sickness absence, or to assess likely duration of absence.
Immunisation advice. It is important that staff whose work involves potential exposure to infection are immunised against infectious diseases in order to protect their own health and that of others. Advice is available through the Occupational Health Adviser (OHA).
Workplace assessment. Following Risk Assessment or a visit from a Health and Safety Adviser, advice regarding workplace adjustments necessary to prevent ill-health effects may be required from the OHA.
Health education/promotion.
Policy development and advice.
Employee counselling. It may be necessary to seek advice regarding counselling from the OHA in conjunction with the Council’s Personnel Policies.
Disability. It may be necessary to seek advice regarding an employee or potential employee who has a disability.
Self Referrals. An employee may have personal or health problems which they may wish to discuss directly with the Occupational Health Adviser.
2. Management Referrals
Following advice from Personnel, managers may wish to refer employees to the occupational health for a number of circumstances which may include:
- Long term sickness absence.
- Recurrent short term sickness absence.
- Concerns regarding work performance and fitness for duties.
- Alcohol and drug related problems.
- Concerns that employee health may be affected by hazards to which they are exposed to at work.
2.1 Area Personnel Advisers are responsible for arranging all appointments with Medical Advisers or the Occupational Health Adviser. Managers can assist this process as follows:
- Collate the details of the employee’s current sickness absence and any historical information (e.g. previous referrals).
- Consider whether a referral is appropriate. Managers must ensure that they have consulted the Council’s Absence Management Policy, and that what is being proposed is in line with this. Please seek advice from the Personnel Services Section if there is any doubt.
- Discuss the case with the Occupational Health Adviser, if appropriate.
- Complete the referral form.
- Discuss the referral with the employee, including the reasons for the referral and any concerns. Where an employee does not consent to the referral, please seek advice from the Personnel Services Section. It is important to note that employees are required to comply with a referral provided it is appropriate.
- Send the completed form and any additional information to the Personnel Adviser who will then if deemed appropriate forward the information to the Occupational Health Adviser or Medical Adviser.
2.2 In all cases of referral, the quality of information provided to the Occupational Health Adviser or the Medical Adviser will have an impact upon the quality of guidance subsequently provided. It is important therefore that the following information is provided in writing to the Occupational Health Adviser or Personnel Adviser using the referral pro-forma attached.
- Employee personal details – name, date of birth, home address, date of appointment to post.
- Employee job title, job description and any particular significant aspects of the post, which it is felt the Occupational Health Service, should be aware of.
- Employee sickness absence record for at least the preceding two years.
- The reason for which the manager is making the referral and the questions they are seeking to have answered.
- Any other information regarding the employees performance in their duties which may be considered relevant.
- Confirmation that the employee is aware of the referral. It is particularly important that an employee should sign the referral form.
2.3 Where a manager has more information than can be encompassed within a referral proforma then a covering letter of supplementary information sheet should be attached. In circumstances where the Manager feels there is further objective information which they do not wish to commit to paper but which they would like to convey, the Occupation Health Adviser can be contacted by telephone prior to the referral or appointment.
3. Assessment by the Occupational Health Service
Following the receipt of a request from a manager, personnel will confirm to the manager and the employee the date of the appointment. The Occupational Health Adviser or Council’s Medical Adviser will:
- Review the information provided by the manager.
- Elicit further information from the employee
- Carry out any appropriate examination relevant to the employee’s health problems.
- Subject to the employee’s written consent, obtain, if necessary, further medical information from the employee’s own General Practitioner or Hospital Specialist.
- Determine the advice that will be offered to the manager and advise the employee of this.
- Arrange a follow-up appointment if required.
3.1 Occupational Health Advisers are bound by the same rules on medical confidentiality as all other members of the medical profession. These rules are designed to protect an individual from the release of personal confidential information to non-medical personnel without the individual’s express written permission. The Occupational Health Adviser adheres to those principles and this is considered vital to protect the professional integrity of the Service and to maintain confidence in those that have been referred to Occupational Health. Patient confidentiality will be maintained at all times.
A report to the referring manager will therefore only include the amount of medical detail allowed by the referred individual. Generally such a report will include no medical detail, but rather general information on the practical implications of the health problem in question. A manager will therefore have enough information to take the appropriate action required.
3.2 This system conforms to acceptable best practice in terms of occupational health and conforms with relevant UK legislation regarding access to medical records and medical reports.
4. Reports to the Manager
Having assessed the employee the Occupational Health or Medical Adviser will send a report to the referring Personnel Adviser which will endeavour to offer the following guidance.
- Whether or not the employee is suffering from a health problem which will have an impact upon their fitness to carry out their duties. Where there is no medical evidence or any medical problem to account for an employee’s absence record, then this will be clearly stated.
- The likely duration of any period of absence or, if it is not possible to be precise about this, the minimum likely period of absence.
- Where the employee becomes fit to work, whether it will be on return to full duties or whether limitations should apply.
- If limitations will apply, whether these limitations are likely to be temporary or permanent.
- What steps could be taken to assist with an individual’s return to work, e.g. a period of part time work?
- If an individual will not be fit again for normal duties, the nature of other types of duties for which they will be fit.
- That retirement on the grounds off ill health is recommended or that it is likely that this will be the recommendation and when such recommendation is likely to be made.
- The likelihood of ongoing episodes of sickness absences, whether such episodes may be of long or short duration and the period of time during which such absences are likely to occur.
- Whether the employee’s health problem may in any way be related to their duties.
- Arrangements which have been made for further review of the employee.
- Any additional information required from the manager to assist in making a recommendation or prior to subsequent review.
- A meeting will be arranged with the referring manager if felt appropriate.
- A workplace visit may be required if felt helpful prior to making any recommendations.
On receipt of the Occupational Health Report, the manager should discuss the outcome with the Area Personnel Adviser prior to meeting with the employee and take such action as is appropriate in the circumstances and with due regard to legislative requirements and Council policies and procedures.
4.1 The Occupational Health Adviser can be contacted at:
Area Education Offices
Achany Road
Dingwall
Tel: 01349 868740 (General Office)