21 Jun Five Reasons for a Referral to Occupational Health

According to ACAS Occupational health is a type of medical service for:
• supporting employees and employers
• helping wellbeing in the workplace for both physical and mental health.

Here are five reasons managers often refer employees to occupational health.

1. When either long or short-term sickness absence triggers reached. For example, this may be five occasions of sickness or eight days in a sickness procedure, and for long-term illness, the trigger may be the 28th day.
2. For planned absence such as surgery – a referral should be made as soon as it is reasonable to do so. For example, the manager may refer around the sixth week if a staff member has had a hysterectomy.
3. If a staff member reports that they are experiencing stress. The Health and Safety Executive defines stress as ‘the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them.’. The causes of the employee’s stress may be professional, personal or a combination of both. Whatever the case, this is an indicator that an occupational health assessment is advisable.
4. For mental health conditions: According to the Mental Health Foundation, 70 million workdays are lost each year due to mental health problems in the UK. It’s crucial to get employees timely help and support.
5. Medical suspension – an employee who has been suspended on medical grounds will likely require an occupational health assessment before returning to work.

So what advice may occupational health give to a manager? Well, that depends on the specific circumstances. But, advice may include adjustments to work activities, reasonable adjustments and return to work programmes. Or, in the instance, an employee is unfit to return to work in any capacity, ill-health retirement.

So there you have it – five indicators why employees may be referred to occupational health. Remember, these are only indicators – managers should address each case on its merits.