Managing absence and attendance
Occupational health referrals
Your manager may want advice about your fitness for work from occupational health. They may seek this advice at various stages of managing your sickness absence or health issues.
An early referral to occupational health may prevent a period of absence due to ill health.
Your manager might refer you to occupational health:
- to seek advice when:
- you have a health concern or condition and is continuing to work
- you are absent,
- there is the possibility of absence
- if you are absent, to establish when you might be able to return to work
- ask for guidance on your condition. For example, if it is possible that you have a disability or you are not clear about your ability to work
- to discuss any adjustments that they could make to help your return to work
- to discuss redeployment on medical grounds
- to discuss ill-health retirement
You may benefit from advice from our employee support and counselling service. It may refer you to:
- counselling
- physiotherapy
- cognitive behavioural therapy
For more details, read the employee support policy.
Report from a medical practitioner
Occupational health may request a report from your doctor or consultant. They will seek your permission first. They will inform you of your rights under the Access to Medical Reports Act 1988.
You have the right to access the report first. You must tell occupational health if you wish to do this so that they can inform your doctor or consultant.
Your manager can make decisions about your employment without your medical information, if:
- you do not allow occupational health contact your doctor or consultant, or
- you do not allow occupational health to access your report
Your manager will tell you if this is the case.
Find out how we use your data, read our privacy notice.