Occupational Health Referrals For SMEs

Independent OH Assessments To Support Sickness Absence, Reasonable Adjustments And Fitness For Work Decisions

Knowing when to make a referral, what questions to ask and how to interpret the recommendations can be challenging. Kea HR can guide you through the process and help you use Occupational Health Referrals effectively as part of your wider absence management and employee wellbeing strategy. We don’t provide Occupational Health Assessments ourselves, we manage the entire referral process on your behalf and help you understand and apply the recommendations.

Why Use Kea HR Instead Of Contacting An Occupational Health Provider Directly?

Occupational Health reports provide valuable medical advice, but employers often need support before and after the assessment takes place. Knowing when to make a referral, what questions to ask and how to apply the recommendations can be just as important as the report itself.

An Occupational Health provider will usually carry out the assessment and prepare a medical report. Kea HR manages the entire referral process on your behalf, helping you obtain the information you need and use it effectively.

We can help you:

Decide whether an Occupational Health referral is appropriate.
Select the most suitable Occupational Health provider for the circumstances.
Prepare the referral paperwork and obtain employee consent.
Draft tailored management questions to obtain meaningful medical advice.
Review and explain the Occupational Health report.
Advise on reasonable adjustments, phased returns and workplace support.
Support absence management, capability procedures and return-to-work planning.
Help you implement the recommendations and determine the most appropriate next steps.

Rather than simply forwarding a report, we help you understand what it means, how it applies to your business and how to use the recommendations to manage employee health issues fairly, confidently and effectively.

When Should You Consider An Occupational Health Referral?

Occupational Health referrals can provide valuable independent advice when an employee’s health is affecting their ability to attend work, perform their role or return to work following a period of absence. Common situations where employers benefit from an Occupational Health assessment include:

Long-term sickness absence: where you need guidance on likely timescales for recovery and return to work.
Repeated short-term absence: where there may be an underlying health condition contributing to attendance concerns.
Mental health concerns: including anxiety, depression, burnout and other conditions affecting workplace performance or attendance.
Stress-related absence: particularly where workplace factors may be contributing to the employee’s health.
Reasonable adjustments: where you need advice on supporting employees with disabilities or long-term health conditions.
Return-to-work planning: including phased returns, temporary adjustments and fitness-for-work assessments.
Capability concerns: where an employee’s health may be affecting their ability to carry out their role safely and effectively.

If you are unsure whether an Occupational Health referral is appropriate, we can help assess the situation and advise on the most suitable next steps. You can also read our guide: When Should SMEs Use Occupational Health?

How Kea HR Manages Your Occupational Health Referral

Arranging an Occupational Health assessment involves much more than simply booking an appointment. To obtain meaningful medical advice, employers need to decide whether a referral is appropriate, select the right Occupational Health provider, ask the right questions and understand how to apply the recommendations in practice.

Kea HR manages the entire referral process on your behalf, providing practical HR support before, during and after the assessment. Our aim is to ensure you receive clear, relevant medical advice that helps you make informed decisions whilst supporting both your employee and your business.

Our Occupational Health Referral Service includes:

Discussing your situation to understand the employee’s role, health concerns and the issues you need help resolving.
Assessing whether an Occupational Health referral is appropriate or whether another approach may be more suitable.
Selecting the most appropriate Occupational Health provider based on the circumstances and the type of assessment required.
Preparing the referral documentation and obtaining the information needed to support the assessment.
Drafting tailored management questions to ensure the report provides practical answers to the issues you need to address.
Guiding you through the employee consent process and explaining how the referral will be managed.
Reviewing the Occupational Health report and explaining what the recommendations mean in practice.
Advising on the next steps, including reasonable adjustments, phased returns to work, attendance management, capability procedures and ongoing employee support where appropriate.

Rather than simply forwarding an Occupational Health report, we help you understand how the recommendations apply to your business and support you in using them to manage employee health issues fairly, confidently and effectively.

The Occupational Health Referral Process

We aim to make the Occupational Health referral process as straightforward as possible. From the initial discussion through to implementing the recommendations, Kea HR will guide you every step of the way.

Step 1 – Initial Discussion

We’ll discuss the employee’s role, the health concerns, any absence history and the issues you need help resolving. This allows us to understand your objectives and determine whether an Occupational Health referral is appropriate.

Step 2 – Assessing The Situation

We’ll consider whether Occupational Health is the right solution or whether the matter can be managed through existing attendance procedures, welfare meetings or other HR processes.

Step 3 – Selecting The Right Occupational Health Provider

If a referral is appropriate, we’ll recommend the most suitable Occupational Health provider based on the circumstances, the type of assessment required and any specialist expertise that may be needed.

Step 4 – Preparing The Referral

We’ll prepare the referral documentation, help you obtain the employee’s consent and draft tailored management questions to ensure the Occupational Health Adviser understands the issues you need addressed.

Step 5 – Occupational Health Assessment

The Occupational Health provider will arrange the assessment with the employee. This may take place by telephone, video consultation or face-to-face, depending on the circumstances and the provider’s recommendations.

Step 6 – Reviewing The Report

Once the report is received, we’ll review the recommendations with you, explain what they mean in practice and answer any questions you may have.

Step 7 – Supporting Your Next Steps

We’ll help you apply the recommendations appropriately, whether that involves reasonable adjustments, a phased return to work, attendance management, capability procedures or ongoing employee support.

A Fully Managed Service

Our involvement doesn’t end when the Occupational Health report arrives. We continue to support you in interpreting the recommendations and making fair, informed decisions that balance the needs of your employee with the needs of your business.

Choosing The Right Occupational Health Provider

Not all Occupational Health providers offer the same services. The most appropriate provider will depend on the employee’s circumstances, the type of advice required and how the assessment is best carried out.

For example, some cases can be dealt with effectively through a telephone consultation, whilst others may benefit from a video consultation or a face-to-face assessment. In more complex situations, it may be appropriate to refer the employee to a clinician with specialist expertise in areas such as mental health, musculoskeletal conditions or occupational medicine.

Occupational Health assessments may be carried out by:

Telephone consultation.
Video consultation.
Face-to-face assessment.
Specialist Occupational Health clinicians where appropriate.

Kea HR works with a network of trusted Occupational Health providers and will recommend the most appropriate option for your particular circumstances. Our aim is to ensure you receive practical, relevant medical advice that helps you manage the situation effectively rather than simply arranging the first available appointment.

By selecting the right provider from the outset, we can help ensure the assessment addresses the issues that matter most to your business and provides meaningful recommendations that support informed management decisions.

Drafting Effective Referral Questions

The quality of an Occupational Health report depends, in part, on the quality of the questions asked. General questions often result in general answers, whereas well-drafted management questions provide practical advice that helps employers make informed decisions.

Rather than simply asking whether an employee is fit for work, Kea HR works with you to identify the specific issues you need help resolving. We prepare tailored referral questions based on the employee’s role, the circumstances of the absence and the decisions you need to make.

Depending on the situation, we may ask Occupational Health to consider questions such as:

Is the employee likely to meet the definition of a disability under the Equality Act 2010?
Are any reasonable adjustments recommended to support the employee at work?
Would a phased return to work be appropriate and, if so, over what timescale?
Are there any temporary or permanent restrictions that should be applied to the employee’s duties?
Is there an underlying medical condition that may be contributing to the employee’s attendance or performance?
Is the employee fit to attend formal meetings, including capability or disciplinary meetings?
Is there any medical reason why the employee cannot carry out specific aspects of their role?
When is the employee likely to be fit to return to work, and should a further Occupational Health review be considered?

By asking the right questions from the outset, we help ensure the Occupational Health report provides clear, relevant advice that supports practical decision-making rather than simply answering general medical questions.

Understanding The Occupational Health Report

Receiving an Occupational Health report is not the end of the process, it’s the beginning of the next stage. Whilst the report provides valuable medical advice, it is for the employer to decide how that advice should be applied in the workplace.

Occupational Health professionals make recommendations based on their medical assessment. They do not make employment decisions. It remains the employer’s responsibility to consider the recommendations alongside the operational needs of the business, the employee’s role and their legal obligations.

Kea HR helps employers understand what the report means in practice and how it can be used to support fair, informed decision-making. We can advise on:

Whether reasonable adjustments should be considered.
Implementing workplace adjustments and temporary restrictions.
Planning phased returns to work.
Managing ongoing attendance and sickness absence.
Capability procedures where an employee is no longer able to carry out their role.
Whether further Occupational Health reviews may be appropriate.
Planning welfare meetings and discussions with the employee.

Every situation is different. We help you interpret the recommendations in the context of your business and work with you to identify practical, proportionate next steps that support both the employee and your organisation.

Our aim is to ensure that Occupational Health advice is not simply filed away, but used effectively to support confident management decisions and achieve the best possible outcome for everyone involved.

Fees

Occupational Health provider fees vary depending on the type of assessment required, the clinician involved and whether the consultation takes place by telephone, video or face-to-face. Provider fees typically start from £225.

In addition to the Occupational Health provider’s fee, Kea HR charges for the time spent managing the referral process. This may include assessing whether a referral is appropriate, selecting the most suitable provider, preparing the referral documentation, drafting tailored management questions, reviewing the Occupational Health report and advising on the recommendations. Kea HR fees typically start from £60.

Every case is different, so we’ll discuss the likely costs with you before any referral is arranged. You’ll receive a clear quotation for both the Occupational Health provider’s fees and our own support, ensuring there are no unexpected charges.

Tell Us About Your Situation

Tell us a little about the employee and the situation. We’ll review the information and get back to you to discuss whether an Occupational Health referral is appropriate and explain the next steps.

Prefer To Talk First?

Have a question about Occupational Health or would rather discuss the situation before completing a referral?

Speak directly with our CIPD-qualified HR expert with 30+ years’ experience.

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