Health Referrals

Staff or students with health concerns that affects their work or study may be referred to the Occupational Health Service. Conversely, if work or study is affecting a student or member of staff’s health, they may be referred.

Staff can be referred by Human Resources Partnerwith whom managers will need to liase.

Students can be referred by a member of staff within their school.

Staff and students can refer themselves to the Service.

Staff Referrals (management referral)

Staff can be referred for an assessment where;

  • There is concern that they may have work related health problems or that their health is being aggravated by work tasks
  • There are difficulties coping on return after being absent - following a serious illness or injury or due to a disability
  • There may be underlying ill health or disability contributing to performance issues
  • There is long term or frequent sickness absence.

If you are unsure whether a referral is appropriate please contact Occupational Health Services for further advice.

These assessments are an opportunity for the person to discuss health and work-related issues in confidence with an occupational health professional.

A management referral form is required. To get the best advice from OH, the referral will need to include enough detail for an appropriate assessment to be made and should contain full details of the individual, their job description, attendance record, an outline of the problem and the advice required.

Staff referrals can be made by your Human Resource Partner so you will need to discuss this with them. The referral and the reasons for it must also be discussed with the member of staff before they are referred so that everyone understands the purpose of the referral.

After the assessment an occupational health report will be provided to the individual, a copy will be sent to Human Resourses Partner and the named line manager with the staff member’s consent.

The individual has the right to refuse referral and to refuse consent to the sending of reports, however the individual must be aware that further managerial decisions and actions may have to be made without the benefit of Occupational health advice.

Referring Students

Students can be referred for an assessment where:

  • There are concerns that health problems are affecting a student’s studies
  • There are concerns that a student’s studies are having adverse effects on their health;
  • Where there is a request for an extension for a piece of coursework, or special requirements needed for assessments (exams etc.) for which a health assessment may be indicated.
  • Where there are mitigating circumstances that may have had an effect on a student’s academic performance for which a health assessment may be required

If you are unsure whether a referral is appropriate please contact Occupational Health Services At Waterloo Place for further advice.

These assessments are an opportunity for the student to discuss health and work-related issues in confidence with an occupational health professional.

To make a referral please read complete a Referral Form. To get the best advice from OH, the referral will need to include enough detail for an appropriate assessment to be made and should contain full details of the individual, an outline of the problem and the advice required. For more information please read the Guidance for referral document.

The referral must be discussed with the student before they are referred so that everyone understands the purpose of the referral.

After the assessment an occupational health report will be sent to the referrer/tutor with the students consent.

The individual has the right to refuse referral and to refuse consent to the sending of reports, however the individual must be aware that further managerial decisions and actions may have to be made without the benefit of a medical assessment.

Self-referrals

Staff and students can self-refer to the Occupational Health Service in confidence and there will be no report or contact with Human Resources Partner/line manager or the School/tutors without consent.

Further Information

Consent and Confidentiality

In line with the General Medical Council guidance and ethical standards of practice, prior to the report being issued, the individual will be offered the opportunity to view a draft copy of the report. consent will be obtained to release the report. If the individual feels that the report contains factually incorrect information this should be highlighted to the OH clinician for appropriate alterations or corrections to be made. The individual cannot insist upon the OH clinician’s opinion being altered.

OH records are maintained to the same high standard of confidentiality as hospital or GP medical records, and in accordance with Data Protection. An individual’s OH record will not be disclosed to anyone else outside OH without the individual’s written consent.

Missed Appointments

A huge number of appointments are wasted each year simply because they are missed. We always experience a high demand for appointments and when a client does not attend this is a wasted opportunity for another client to have seen us.

Please make sure that you keep, rearrange or cancel your appointment - the earlier that you cancel the better. If you have no other choice but to cancel your appointment please let us know as soon as possible.