Occupational Health aims for early intervention to prevent absence and hasten an employee’s return to work and full efficiency.

Did you know….

Sickness absence costs UK Plc’s over £13billion a year and costs employers £531 a year (CBI 2005) in direct costs for every worker employed. Indirect costs are likely to be considerably more (1). Long term sickness absence represents only 5% of cases, yet it accounts for 33% of working days lost.  Most workers who take sick leave will return to work within a few days, but a worker who is off work for 4-12 weeks then has a 10-40% risk of still being off work after one year (2).

Timing is fundamental to clinical and occupational management and rehabilitation, so early intervention is strongly encouraged.  These figures confirm that monitoring and managing absence is essential for organisations. Solutions for managing absence may include: –

• confirmation or exclusion of any underlying or ongoing health issue,
• management of any illness in liaison with GP / Specialist,
• support for the employee, advice regarding work modification, rehabilitation back to work, temporary relocation or assessments prior to ill health retirement.

Through the use of our Management Referral system a manager can request a member of their team be seen by an Occupational Health Specialist. Referrals to Workplace Health & Wellbeing can be at a manager’s discretion, or as part of an approach to long-term sickness absence. We recommend that episodes of sickness absence lasting over 4 weeks should be referred, or sooner if there is cause for concern. At all times individuals must be made fully aware of the reason for a referral and written consent obtained to attend an Occupational Health referral appointment.

How to refer an employee to Workplace Health & Wellbeing.

If you have not used our services before, please telephone in the first instance and speak to one of the Business Managers, to discuss the costs and type of services available. To then make a referral you will need to complete the following steps:

1. Ensure your staff member is fully informed as to why you are asking them to attend Occupational Health for an assessment.
2. Complete our management referral and consent form (please see related documents on the lefthand side of your screen). Along with any supporting documentation, such as a job description or sickness absence record, return referral forms via post to Workplace Health & Wellbeing.
3. Upon receipt of the referral and completed consent form, We will contact you to confirm the next available date of a suitable appointment.
4. You can expect a written report following the assessment, sent via post or encrypted e mail within 5 working days. There will be a delay if the Occupational Health Specialist requires additional information from the individuals GP or Medical Specialist. If such information is required, you will be informed that we have requested a report. The likely timescales for a report are normally 4-6 weeks.
5. If you have any additional questions following the initial referral, please complete a separate referral form and send to us in order for a formal reply to be prepared.

 Charges for Management Referral appointment

The charges highlighted below are our higher tariff charges for occassional, adhoc appointments.  To discuss reduced prices or contractual arrangements please contact one of our Business Manager on 01603 286667/286840.
Initial appointment with an Occupational Health Adviser is £74.00 if completed over the telephone or £84.00  for an appointment in person.
Inital appointment with an Occupational Health Doctor is £160.00 if completed over the telephone or £185.00 for an appointment in person.
The above include a full Occupational Health report, responding to the questions raised by a referring manager. It is our expectation a written report will be provided within 5 working days of an appointment. Referring managers will be informed of any expected delays in the timescale.  NB – if less than 24hours notice is provide of a cancellation or non-attendance of an appointment, the full appointment charge will apply.

Additional costs following a health assessment:

(1)CBI Statistics 2005 (see HSE website)

(2) Burton & Waddell, Occupational Health 2004