A well-considered referral is the starting point for a useful occupational health assessment. You don't need to be an expert in occupational health or provide a detailed medical history. What is most helpful is a clear description of the workplace situation, your concerns and what you would like advice about.
The referral is an opportunity for the referring manager to provide their perspective and to explain the context in which the employee is working. Relevant information might include:
The reason for referral – what has prompted you to seek occupational health advice now?
The employee's role – their main duties, responsibilities and any particular demands or requirements of the role.
The impact on work – what difficulties are you seeing in relation to attendance, performance, capability or particular aspects of the role?
The current situation – whether the employee is at work, absent, returning to work or experiencing difficulties while working.
Relevant workplace factors – including changes to the role, workload, working environment or other circumstances that may be relevant.
Previous support or adjustments – what has already been tried, whether it has helped and whether there are any proposed adjustments you are considering.
Attendance history, where relevant – particularly where there is recurrent or prolonged absence.
Other relevant circumstances – for example, ongoing formal management processes or known factors outside work that may be affecting wellbeing. There is no need to provide unnecessary personal detail; this can be explored confidentially with the employee.
The questions you would like occupational health to answer – these should be specific and focused on helping you decide what to do next.
It is particularly helpful to ask questions about function and work, rather than requesting a diagnosis or detailed medical information. For example, rather than asking “What is wrong with the employee?”, consider asking “Are there any health-related limitations affecting their ability to undertake their role?” or “Would any temporary or longer-term adjustments be likely to support them at work?”. Our OH referral makes it easy for managers to ask the right questions in order to get the right advice.
A referral should also be discussed openly with the employee. There should be no surprises about why an OH assessment is being requested or the concerns that have been raised.
Clear, relevant information and focused questions allow us to understand the situation and provide thoughtful, practical advice.
