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Work Doctor OH

Management Referrals & Case Management

Face-to-Face
Remote / Online

Clinical advice in line with Occupational Health standards, combined with HR best practice.

Management Referrals When an employee’s health impacts their work or work impacts health, clear actionable advice is essential for everyone involved. Our Management Referral service provides employers with expert, impartial advice and considerations for solutions to an employee's fitness for work. We offer a comprehensive assessment to understand the situation, provide an independent opinion, and help you make informed decisions that support both your employee and your business.
Expert Advice
Impartial Perspective
Independent Opinion
Informed Decisions
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Service Details

What Is a Management Referral?

A Management Referral is a process where an employer formally refers an employee to an Occupational Health (OH) professional for an independent assessment. This service is designed to address a wide range of work-related health issues, including:

  • Long-term or frequent sickness absences

  • Suitability for a new role or redeployment

  • Adjustments or restrictions needed to support an employee

  • Ill health retirement or disciplinary processes

  • Performance or capability concerns linked to health issues

Each referral involves a detailed, one-hour-plus assessment with a qualified OH clinician. This includes a thorough review of the employee’s occupational and clinical history, a relevant examination, and a final report with a clear opinion on their fitness for work, all in response to your specific questions.
Key Benefits
  • Clarity and Expert Opinion with actionable adjustments and recommendations
  • Informed Decision-Making
  • Supports Employees
  • Reduces Risk
  • Outline of duty of care to employer
Who Is This For?
  • HR Professionals
  • Business Leaders & Managers
  • Business directors and key decision makers

Pricing

Our pricing is structured to provide flexible options based on the depth of assessment required:

Management Referral

Remote

£295

The service is £295 for remote assessments with full report and action plan. Discount is available for business accounts and OH providers, please contact us to discuss

Management Referral

Face-to-Face

Contact for Price

The service is dependent on travel time and complexity of the case

Complex Referral

Case-by-Case Basis

Contact for Price

For cases with complex histories, multiple issues, or specific industry requirements.

Case Conference

If meetings are needed with multiple stakeholders to provide context and additional support. (Ongoing Support)

Price on Consultation

For long-term cases requiring continuous support and follow-up.

For F2F assessments please contact us to discuss cost including travel.

Discounts are offered to other OH providers or business clients who use our services regularly, please contact us to discuss this further.

Book Your Management Referral

Consultations are with an Occupational Health Clinician and last up to an hour or more including report
Book the appointment online using our live diary below
Click here to download our management referral template please complete this to provide full information about your referral
Our referral template has a list of recommended questions for you to choose from- if the case is more complex or if the case needs more than 8 questions then we recommend booking a double appointment. You will be advised of this prior to confirmation.

Questions

Yes, the clinical information shared by the employee during the assessment is confidential and only relevant information is shared with the employer without the employee’s consent. The report provided to the employer is a summary of the occupational health opinion, focusing on fitness for work, necessary adjustments, and a recommended return-to-work plan or alternative options.
A GP’s sick note (Fit Note) focuses on the employee’s health condition and states whether they are “fit for work” or “not fit for work.” There is limited advice on adjustments for work or phased returns. An occupational health referral provides an expert, detailed independent opinion on the employee’s health in relation to their specific job, offering practical advice and recommendations for the employer to consider.
You should consider a referral when an employee’s health is impacting their work or if work is impacting health, performance or attendance. This includes cases of long-term or frequent short-term absences, concerns about an employee’s mental health or capability, health & safety risk assessment or when an employee is returning to work after a significant illness or injury.
An employee cannot be forced to attend a referral. However, a refusal may impact the employer’s ability to support them. In such cases, the employer can make a decision based on the information available to them, which may include the employee’s sick notes and a discussion about their fitness for work. This can also be done without any information from the employee, if ‘reasonable’ attempts to obtain such information and opinion have been explored and exhausted.
Just good practice — it is a key part of fulfilling the employer’s legal and ethical duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Equality Act 2010. It is important to adhere to these obligations to avoid the risk of discrimination against health. Occupational Health provides objective medical advice on fitness for work, identifies potential disabilities, and recommends reasonable adjustments to support a safe and fair return to work. Importantly, in the event of an employment tribunal, there is a clear expectation that the employer will have sought expert Occupational Health input as part of a fair and reasonable management process. Failure to do so can be interpreted as neglecting duty of care or failing to make reasonable adjustments, which can significantly weaken the employer’s legal position.

Employment Tribunal cases consistently show that one of the biggest mistakes employers make is managing health-related issues without occupational health advice.

Under the Equality Act 2010, employers must avoid discrimination arising from disability and make reasonable adjustments where appropriate. Tribunals frequently ask: what did the employer know, and what should they reasonably have known? Employers who fail to seek Occupational Health input are often found to have acted on assumptions rather than evidence.

ACAS guidance reinforces this, advising employers to obtain medical advice where health affects attendance, performance, or conduct. Where this guidance is not followed, tribunals often view procedures as unfair — even if the employer’s intentions were reasonable.

Our management referral service provides clear, doctor-led advice to support fair, defensible decision-making. We help employers understand:

  • Fitness for work
  • Whether a condition may meet Equality Act criteria
  • Practical, role-specific reasonable adjustments
  • Likely prognosis and review timescales

 

This creates a clear audit trail and demonstrates that decisions were informed, proportionate, and fair.

Employment Tribunals don’t expect employers to be doctors — but they do expect employers to ask doctors.

Our management referral service helps protect your business while supporting your employees properly.