Management Referral Guidance
Reasons for Referral
There may be many reasons for wishing to obtain independent Occupational Health advice in relation to an employee, but the most common reasons include: • L ong term sickness absence – usually defined as continuous absence of 4 weeks or more. • R ecurring short term absence – based on episodes and their frequency e.g. Bradford formula. • C oncerns over work performance – poor or reduced performance levels where there may be a health problem. • I nvestigation of work-related injury or illness – assessment and support on RIDDOR reporting and fitness to work. • S ubstance abuse concerns – assessment of suspected or admitted to substance abuse affecting work. • I ll-Health Retirement assessment – whether the scheme ill health retirement criteria are likely to be met [please note that separate arrangements exist for formal independent pension scheme opinions]
Notifying the Referred Employee
When referring an employee for occupational health advice, it is important to let them know why they are being referred and what the process involves. A short guidance note for the employee about the occupational health appointment can be downloaded here.
Completing a Management Referral Form
A standard management referral must be completed before an employee can be booked for assessment. Include as much background information as possible, include disciplinary, grievance, performance issues, current and previous absence history. Remember that the referral form can be disclosed to the employee so do not include information that hasn’t been shared already. Management referrals are usually submitted via our easy to use online portal. If you’d like to arrange a demo of the portal, please get in touch via OH@Kaysmedical.com
Common questions • Is the employee fit for work?
• What sort of adjustments may be required? • Is the employee fit to attend an investigatory or disciplinary process? • W hat can be done to reduce the risk of further health problems in the workplace?
Employee Perceptions vs. Management Perceptions
One common area of concern, particularly where there may be work-related problems suspected, is being able to determine the “truth” about causation and work. Very often an employee will express their perceptions that lead them to believe work has caused their illness, while the referring manager may have a different view and have concerns that employee perceptions are accepted at face value by the assessing Clinician. Assessing clinicians do test employee perceptions and do not take them at face value. Their role is to independently assess the situation taking into account their experience evidence based clinical practice in dealing with occupational issues and their knowledge of the workplace. This normally provides a more balanced view of the problem.
Additional Information
In a small number of cases it is necessary to obtain further medical information in the form of a report from the employee’s GP or specialist. This is only done in specific circumstances e.g... to support ill health retirement or income protection, if the employee is a poor historian or the information given by the employee during the assessment does not make sense clinically. Where this is required permission will be sought from the referring manager to action such a request, as this will incur additional cost. The reasons for the request will always be made clear to the referring manager.
Moving forward
Once the report is ready, the manager will review it and consider any recommendations or advice. The best kind of OH referral reports will offer clear solutions to problems. It should make clear recommendations and suggest potential adjustments that could enable employees to get back to work or full performance safely.
% of hours lost to sickness absence April 2018 to June 2020. ONS, October 2020. Public Sector
2.7%
Private Sector
1.7%
On average, sickness absence costs UK business £554 per employee per year. Costs of presenteeism – that is being at work but with impaired productivity - are thought to be much higher Occupational health: A guide for company directors and commissioners of services, Society of Occupational Medicine.
The larger your business, the higher your sickness rate is likely to be
8*
5.7*
3.8*
1,000+ employees
100-249 employees
1-99 employees
*
Average annual sickness rate in days
XpertHR, 14th annual survey into sickness absence rates and costs, Aug 2020.
We’d be happy to talk to you about how we can help you maintain a safe workplace and a healthy workforce. Please get in touch by calling us on 0151 317 7391 You can email us at OH@kaysmedical.com
Occupational Health Services 1 Windward Drive, Estuary Commerce Park, Speke, Liverpool L24 8QR www.kaysmedical.com
Kays Medical is one of the UK’s leading occupational health providers and has been protecting UK workforces since 1976. We also provide essential training, HR support, medical and first aid supplies.