Occupational Health Policy

Table of contents

Read alongside

Sickness Absence Policy

1.0 Introduction

Clinical Partners seeks to encourage a working environment where everybody is able to contribute as fully as possible. Our purpose is to improve the lives of our patients, their families and those who care about them, and to be a trusted provider of mental health and medical services. We aim to do the right thing, be positive, compassionate, and ambitious.

This policy does not form part of any employee's contract of employment, and it may be amended at any time.

1.1 Occupational Health is about how work affects a person’s health and how someone’s health affects their work. The term occupational health often refers to a type of medical service that Clinical partners may want to use when an employee is struggling with their mental or physical health, to obtain independent medical opinion on their employees in order to aid them at work. Clinical Partners use an external occupational health provider to conduct OH assessments and provide recommendations to assist in getting the correct support in place.

1.2 An occupational health assessment can help the company understand what you need to:

• feel better.    

• return to work – after an absence relating to your physical or mental health.

• do your job.

• avoid anything that could cause further health or absence issues.

1.3 Clinical Partners has a duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all of our employees under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. In addition, the Equality Act 2010 outlines that individuals must not be discriminated against due to any form of disability.

2.0 Scope of policy

2.1 All employees may at times experience mental or physical health issues.

2.2 We are committed to ensuring appropriate support and assistance is provided to all employees experiencing these issues.

3.0 Purpose

3.1 The purpose of this policy is to assist with creating an open and honest workplace where line managers and employees can discuss any issues associated with mental or physical health issues and to ensure the necessary support is known and offered to employees when needed.

3.2 An employer might want to use occupational health to help:

• when an employee is struggling with their physical or mental health

• make the right reasonable adjustments for disabled people at work.

• when an employee has been off sick for a long time or is returning to work after sickness absence

• reduce the amount of time people need to take off sick.

• keep to other health and safety regulations.

• control risks to mental health, such as too much pressure at work, bullying and harassment.

4.0 Employee responsibilities

4.1 It is important that, as an employee, you prioritise your personal health and wellbeing. If you are struggling with any aspect of your role as a result of your symptoms, mentally, physical, or relating to disability, you should report any concerns you may have to your manager, or to the HR Manager, who will treat the matter with complete confidence.

4.2 In order to ensure we can provide you with the best support possible we encourage you to be open and honest in these conversations.

4.3 If your health could affect your job or be affected by the work you do, Clinical Partners can ask if you would agree to an OH assessment with the external OH Provider. The occupational health adviser carries out an assessment with you and reports back to you and Clinical Partners. Sometimes the occupational health adviser might need to get more information from your doctor. In this case, you should be told the reason and asked to sign a consent form.

4.4 You, as the employee, have the right to see the doctor's report before it is sent to the occupational health adviser.

5.0 Supporting colleagues

5.1 There is an expectation on all employees to conduct themselves in a helpful and open-minded manner towards colleagues at all times, including when a colleague may be experiencing physical or mental health issues.

5.2 Clinical Partners maintain a zero-tolerance approach to bullying and harassment and will treat any and all complaints seriously. please make your concerns known in the first instance to your line manager.

6.0 Employer responsibilities

6.1 Approachability

When responding to an employee experiencing difficulties caused by illness, mental or physical health, line managers will maintain an open-door policy so that employees feel comfortable in approaching them. They will support you to talk openly about your current situation and will not make presumptions about how it is affecting you.

We understand that you may feel uncomfortable discussing personal information with your line manager. If this is the case you are encouraged to discuss your situation with another senior member of staff, HR or via the EAP. 

6.2 Discussion

During any discussions, your line manager will consider your individual situation and evaluate if any adjustments can be made, or if an occupational health assessment would be beneficial. Your individual needs will be addressed sensitively, and confidentiality will be maintained. 

Line managers will also arrange follow up sessions in order to evaluate the effectiveness of any adjustments put in place.

6.3 Occupational Health Assessment procedure

• If you and your manager agree that an Occupational Health Assessment would be beneficial, they will work with HR to set up the assessment with our external OH provider.

• You will be asked to complete a consent form giving the 3^rd party OH provider permission to obtain information from your doctor, specialist or consultant.

• The OH provider will contact you directly and have a confidential conversation with you to understand the conditions you are experiencing, and to ascertain how best you can be supported in the future.

• The OH provider will issue a report that you and Clinical Partners would be able to view.

• The report will outline how best you can be supported and may include recommendations for reasonable adjustments to be made.

• Clinical Partners will confirm all changes to you in writing and will review these changes periodically to ensure that the correct support is being provided.

6.4 Workplace adjustments

The aim of workplace reasonable adjustments is to assist you in your daily duties, and to reduce the effect that your health issues are having on you relating to your role or working environment.

 Examples of adjustments may include but are not limited to.

• a phased return to work, for example, reduced working hours or lighter duties.

• a referral for an appropriate course of therapy, for example physiotherapy or counselling

• adjustments to their workspace, for example an ergonomic chair   

• more time off work

 Once the adjustments are agreed, they will be reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure they are having the required effect.

 Depending on the health issue, the employee's progress might need to be assessed again before a firm agreement can be made about their return to work or to full duties.

6.5 The Company is legally obliged by the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments, where practically possible, to an employee’s role or working conditions, if they are needed to remove any barrier that an employee faces in doing their job, due to a medical or mental health condition, or if they have a disability that places them at a disadvantage when performing their role and we will ensure compliance with our obligations in this regard.

7.0 Review of policy

7.1 This Policy will be reviewed every 3 years or upon a change in approach /legislation / regulation – whichever is sooner.