A management referral is for any employee regardless of their status within the company. An employee could be in a safety critical / physical role or an office-based role and both may need a management referral.
An employer could also refer a new starter – if the employee has any medical conditions or there be any queries regarding if the employee has any restrictions or recommendations in their role, the employer would be able to refer them for a management referral as soon as the employee started with the company. This would be especially helpful if the employee has any conditions that would fall under the Equality or Disability act as the Occupational Health Nurse or Physician would be able to advise any recommendations or restrictions that would be specific to the employee.
What happens during the appointment?
The referral is just a consultation that will be a one to one talk with the OH Physician / Nurse regarding your case. If your referral is due to a physical condition you may be asked to do some small exercises such as raising an arm, grip strength test or something relevant to your case. This appointment can be completed either face to face or remotely.
At the moment in time, due to COVID19 this is being carried out remotely either via zoom or telephone.
During the appointment, the Occupational Health Physician and the employee will discuss the matter/s that have resulted in the management referral being raised in great depth, they will talk about the employees work history and any exposure in their previous job roles and any pervious injuries the employee may have had this includes personal injuries. They will also talk about the employee’s personal hobbies and interests this is to gage the individual employee as some hobbies may impact on the employee’s ability or fitness to undertake certain aspects of their job role e.g. if the employee fell off their motorbike although this is not the companies fault they may no longer be able to do any heavy lifting.
The Occupational Health Physician will listen to the employees concerns and take into consideration the job role that the employee is in. They will discuss whether the employee has any outstanding medical conditions or whether they are prescribed any medication that may affect their ability, fitness or safety in carrying out their role.
Anything that is discussed within the appointment is highly confidential and the employee has the right to ask the Occupational Health Physician / nurse not to disclose certain topics in the report. Thus being said does not mean the employee can change the clinical opinion on whether they have restrictions or recommendations.
Do I need anything to prepare for the appointment?
If the appointment is a face to face appointment you may need to travel to a local clinic so planning ahead to get to the appointment in plenty of time will be required because if you are late there is a chance you may miss your appointment and will have to wait until another appointment comes through.
For a remote assessment you will need access to a device that can stream video calls with sufficient microphone, camera and audio use. Other than getting yourself to the appointment or a device to connect to a remote consultation you do not need anything further to prepare yourself the appointment.
The OHP should already have your consent form and should already have a management referral form with the background information on the case from your employer which should have been discussed with the employee.
What happens after the appointment?
After the appointment, the Occupational Health Physician will write a detailed, in depth report specific to the employee. This report will contain information regarding the matter/s that has been discussed during the appointment. The report will outline any issues or concerns raised during the appointment.
It will also highlight any advice, restrictions or recommendations that are deemed appropriate for the employee that should be considered by the employer. The report will then be sent to yourself before your employer or at the same time as your employer depending on your consent. The report will be password protected, for confidentiality and data protection purposes.
Unsure if you need a management referral? What is a management referral? Check out our first blog here https://www.healthscreenuk.co.uk/what-is-management-referral/ or contact us on 01455 243700 or email us at admin@healthscreenuk.co.uk
