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Seeking experiences with the Occupational Health referral process

MolyMCW

I’m looking for some advice/experiences regarding Occupational Health (OH) referrals.

My partner has dyslexia and ADHD and was recently diagnosed with ASD. He has been experiencing significant difficulties at work and is currently off sick due to anxiety related to his work environment.

He requested an OH referral through work about a month ago, after discussing it with a specialist at his GP practice. He is hoping that an OH assessment could help identify appropriate workplace adjustments and support.

We also found in the sickness policy that his manager should normally have initiated an OH referral after around four weeks of sickness absence.

What I have found online mostly concerns employees being referred to OH. I haven’t found much about situations where the employer is reluctant or difficult about making the referral in the first place.

Has anyone experienced something similar?

I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thank you.

Parents

  • Hi Nicola

    Thank you for your reply and the useful links. After sending multiple emails, my partner has finally received a response that they need to have a meeting to discuss the reasons so they can align the purpose of the referral and talk about the cause. Not sure if this is appropriate for discussion as that should sit with OH confidentially and provide their independent clinical judgment? 

  • in reply to MolyMCW

    You are very correct, this is personal and sensitive information

    The employer generally needs the functional conclusions, rather than all the underlying medical detail: for example, whether the person is fit for work, whether work is affecting their health, what adjustments may help, and whether a return is medically sustainable. The ICO says that, as far as possible, the OH professional should hold the medical information and provide management with the results of the assessment, with access to medical details kept to the minimum genuinely necessary.

     The meeting is not automatically inappropriate. It could be a sensible attempt to ensure the referral asks the right questions. But its proper purpose should be to agree the factual context and management questions—not to interrogate the employee medically, predetermine the cause, or persuade them to accept the employer’s account. if its work related anxiety, perhaps related to symptoms of ADHD and or ASD, this is it, what else do they need? Your partner has disability, and he is struggling!, He need somebody there with him! And I would insist on AI transcript, you probably have capacity for this on your phone,voice to text. 

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  • in reply to MolyMCW

    You are very correct, this is personal and sensitive information

    The employer generally needs the functional conclusions, rather than all the underlying medical detail: for example, whether the person is fit for work, whether work is affecting their health, what adjustments may help, and whether a return is medically sustainable. The ICO says that, as far as possible, the OH professional should hold the medical information and provide management with the results of the assessment, with access to medical details kept to the minimum genuinely necessary.

     The meeting is not automatically inappropriate. It could be a sensible attempt to ensure the referral asks the right questions. But its proper purpose should be to agree the factual context and management questions—not to interrogate the employee medically, predetermine the cause, or persuade them to accept the employer’s account. if its work related anxiety, perhaps related to symptoms of ADHD and or ASD, this is it, what else do they need? Your partner has disability, and he is struggling!, He need somebody there with him! And I would insist on AI transcript, you probably have capacity for this on your phone,voice to text. 

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