Occupational Health Assessment FAQ for Employees

An Occupational Health Assessment (sometimes called an Employee Health Assessment) provides independent, impartial advice to you and your employer about your health and fitness for work.

The assessment may be performed by an OH professional, a nurse trained in OH or a doctor trained in occupational medicine.

Your HR Adviser or Line Manager will usually have been the one to refer you for the Occupational Health Assessment and will have discussed the purpose of the referral with you.

The benefit to you is that it gives you the opportunity to discuss any health problems with the OH professional, and how these impact on your work.

The OH professional can look at all the circumstances, and provide your employer and you with advice about your health and fitness for work.

If you are unhappy about why you have been referred, or if you do not wish to attend the assessment, then you should discuss this further with your HR Adviser or Line Manager.

Please advise UKIM OH and Wellbeing as soon as possible if you are unable to attend your appointment. If you do not attend your appointment, your employer may have to make decisions about your employment without the benefit of OH advice.

Your consultation with our OH professional is likely to last around 30-60 minutes. The OH professional will ensure that you understand the purpose of the assessment and their role in providing independent, impartial advice.

Your consent will be sought for the assessment to proceed and you will have the opportunity to review the advice of the OH professional and give consent for it to be sent to your employer.

If a medical examination is necessary, your permission to proceed with this will also be sought.

The information given to your employer will provide advice about your health in relation to work. This is likely to include advice about your fitness for work, how this might change in the future and any workplace adjustments that might help you.

The advice may include limited clinical (medical) information, but this will only be included where it is relevant. The advice will not disclose unnecessary clinical detail regarding conditions that do not have a bearing upon your fitness for work.

The aim is to assist you and your employer to manage any health problems that are impacting upon your capacity for work.

Your OH records are maintained to the same high standard of confidentiality as hospital or GP medical records, in accordance with the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 and GDPR.

Your OH record will not be disclosed to anyone else outside of UKIM OH and Wellbeing without your consent. You can find out how we use your data here www.ukim-oh.com/Privacy Notice.

Occasionally the OH professional will seek (with your written consent) a medical report from your GP or hospital involved with your care.

This is usually necessary if the OH professional requires further clinical information about your health, (e.g. information regarding your diagnosis, results of investigations, treatment, future plans etc) prior to advising you / your employer.

The process is subject to the Access to Medical Reports Act 1988. This gives you certain rights (including a right to see your doctor's report, if you wish, before it is sent to us).

Under some circumstances the OH professional may write to your GP, with your consent, giving information about the outcome of your OH assessment. This can be particularly helpful where there are clinical findings or work arrangements that the OH professional believes your GP should be informed of.