Your manager or employer requires an assessment and opinion about your health and fitness for work. This can be for a variety of reasons, which they will discuss with you, including:
The consultation itself normally lasts between 30 and 45 minutes.
The OH Practitioner (Dr or Nurse) will ask questions about you and your health. This will include information about your current health problems including symptoms, investigations and treatment.
The OH Practitioner will also seek to understand how your health problem affects you in general and your fitness for work. They may need to gather information about previous health problems and general lifestyle where relevant.
This depends on the nature of your health problem and why you have been referred.
The information provided to the OH Doctor or Nurse is sent back to your company, as with any other nurse or doctor. Your manager will probably already be aware of the broad nature of your health problem, e.g. from GP medical certificates or from previous discussions you have had with them. We will only disclose medical information with your prior consent.
OH will provide a report to your line manager and/or HR with any recommendations and guidance about your health and fitness for work following the appointment.
The OH Practitioner will advise you of the broad outline of the OH management report at the end of your appointment. You will be asked if you would like to see a copy of this before it is sent back to your company. Additional services such as counselling or physiotherapy may be recommended, dependent on your employer’s local arrangements.
A further appointment may be suggested for you to review your progress.
In some cases the OH Practitioner might consider that requesting further medical details from your GP or Specialist will assist in providing the best possible OH advice to management.
In these circumstances your written consent is required before we can write to your General Practitioner/Specialist.
In cases where an application for Ill Health Retirement appears likely, report(s) from your medical practitioners will definitely be required.
You will not be expected to pay for any medical reports requested by us.
Your manager is likely to want to discuss the report provided by the OH Practitioner with you, in particular any recommendations or advice which may help you to continue in work or return to work, for example, to agree a return to work rehabilitation plan with you or some specific adjustments to your job or equipment.
