TranslateSickness Absence
Advice following Sickness or Absence
One of the roles of the Occupational Health Service is to advise about fitness for work. The aim is to ensure that, when at work, the activities that an individual carries out and the environment in which they work, does not adversely affect their health.
The Trust policy advises managers to consider making a referral to Occupational Health when:
- an individual has been absent from work due to illness for a period of time
- An individual has several shorter absences (particularly of a similar nature) due to ill-health
- there are concerns about an individual's fitness for work when at work
- There may be health issues affecting an individuals attendance, performance or behaviour at work that are causing concern.
Your appointment may be undertaken by a Clinical Nurse Specialist or Occupational Health Consultant and may be by telephone, where appropriate, or face to face.
More information about your assessment can be found on What to Expect from Your Referral.
Where the Consultant Occupational Health Physician determines, in exceptional circumstances, that a return to work is unlikely due to mental or physical ill health, the possibility of ill-health retirement may be discussed with the individual. However, the application for ill health must be made by the individual to the NHS Pensions Agency.
A member of the HR team will be able to provide further advice.
Useful Links
Making a referral using the Cohort online Management Referral system
