Most workplace mental health cases can be managed through occupational health assessment. However, some situations are more complex.
An employee may have been absent for a prolonged period, different clinicians may have reached different conclusions, or there may be uncertainty about diagnosis, prognosis, future work capacity or risk.
In these circumstances, access to specialist psychiatric opinion can help bring greater clarity.
Workforce Wellbeing provides independent psychiatric assessments through our in-house Consultant Psychiatrist, who forms part of our senior clinical leadership team. Unlike many providers, psychiatric expertise is embedded within our organisation rather than outsourced to external specialists.
Mental health and workplace wellbeing have always been central to Workforce Wellbeing's clinical approach. This enables employers and occupational health providers to access specialist psychiatric opinion within a coordinated physician-led occupational health service.
These assessments are designed to support workplace decision-making. They are not counselling, therapy or ongoing psychiatric treatment.
Independent psychiatric assessment may be appropriate where there is:
The aim is to provide a clear specialist opinion that supports fair, proportionate and defensible decision-making.
Occupational health focuses on the relationship between health and work. Psychiatric assessment can provide additional clinical depth where the presentation is more complex or where important questions remain unanswered.
A psychiatric assessment may help clarify diagnosis, prognosis, treatment considerations, risk, likely recovery and the impact of symptoms on work. This information can then be used alongside occupational health advice when considering fitness for work, workplace adjustments, return-to-work planning or longer-term employment decisions.
Many occupational health providers manage complex mental health referrals but do not have direct access to consultant psychiatric input. This service can therefore provide valuable support to occupational health physicians, occupational health nurses and OH case managers when additional specialist opinion is required.
For wider workplace mental health referrals, see our Occupational Health Support for Mental Health at Work service.
Referrals often involve prolonged absence, uncertainty regarding diagnosis or prognosis, conflicting medical evidence, concerns about future work capacity, trauma-related presentations, safety-critical roles or potential ill-health retirement applications.
In some cases, psychiatric input confirms existing occupational health recommendations. In others, it identifies additional clinical factors that should be considered before decisions are made.
Some referrals involve particularly complex clinical, occupational or employment considerations. See our Complex Mental Health Cases in Occupational Health page for further information.
Depending on the referral questions and available consent, the report may comment on:
Reports are written with workplace decision-making in mind and aim to provide balanced, practical and evidence-based conclusions.
The report is designed to provide clear conclusions that can be used to support occupational health advice and inform employment decisions.
An independent psychiatric assessment should clarify the clinical issues without taking over the role of the employer or occupational health provider.
The psychiatrist provides specialist clinical opinion. Employment decisions remain the responsibility of the employer, while occupational health practitioners may use the psychiatric opinion alongside workplace information when advising on fitness for work, workplace adjustments and longer-term employment outcomes.
This distinction is particularly important in complex cases where decisions may later be scrutinised.
Some workplace cases involve overlap between mental health symptoms and neurodivergent traits.
An employee may initially present with anxiety, burnout, stress-related absence or performance concerns when the underlying issue is related to ADHD, autism, dyslexia or executive functioning difficulties. Equally, neurodivergent employees may develop anxiety, low mood or exhaustion where workplace barriers remain unrecognised for prolonged periods.
Where neurodiversity appears relevant, Workforce Wellbeing can also provide specialist Neurodiversity Workplace Needs Assessments focused on workplace barriers and practical adjustments.
No. This is an independent psychiatric assessment intended to provide specialist clinical opinion. It is not counselling, therapy or ongoing psychiatric treatment.
