Completing the occupational health referral form

Once it has been established that an occupational health referral is appropriate the referral form must be completed as soon as practical to do so. It is good practice to complete the referral as soon as is possible after the need to refer has been identified. The referral form must be accessed via the secure online portal.

If you intend to submit a referral immediately before going on leave, contact the Occupational Health Advice Line on 023 8062 6600 to talk though your referral and ensure that all the relevant referral information will be submitted.

It is good practice to provide the second/grandparent line manager’s contact details in the referral form so that the occupational health team can contact a manager who is familiar with the referral in your absence.

The referral form needs to be completed in full. Occupational Health uses the information provided in the referral to: 

• triage
• during pre-appointment
• during appointment
• for report writing

The referral forms part of the individual’s occupational health record. This is a legally protected document and is available to the individual if requested.

The online referral portal

Meddbase is the online occupational health referral and records management system and can be accessed via the secure portal.

User guide for completing the referral form

The guide will help you to use the system effectively to make the referral. It will also explain how you can save and print the referral as well as access the occupational health report.

Your username is your email address. If you have forgotten your password, you can reset this on the portal.

The online portal allows you to: 

• submit referrals
• see progress of any referrals made
• see dates of appointments booked
• access occupational health reports in response to the referral
• submit further questions about the referral via the message feed
• access a history of all referrals you have made

The Occupational Health Clinician will issue the occupational health report to you via the online portal. This means that the report is only accessible to the referring manager and EPS, with the individual’s consent.

To comply with general data protection regulations, you must not share your username or password with another person.

If you have any queries contact the Occupational Health Administration Team on 023 8062 6600.

Completing the referral form

A good quality referral is one that gives the Occupational Health Clinical Team the necessary, relevant and factual information to triage the referral then conduct an effective appointment and produce a good quality report. This will enable you to take appropriate management actions and decisions.

Discussing the referral with the individual being referred

Consider the following when preparing to discuss a referral with an individual:

• let them know beforehand that you would like to discuss making a referral to Occupational Health
• agree how best to have that conversation e.g. by phone, or in person
• explain what happens once the referral is submitted, and give/email the individual a copy of the individual guidance
• explain to them that they will be expected to attend any appointments in person, or by phone if stated
• let them know what you intend to include in the referral and offer them a copy of it. Please see the referral guide for further advice on how to print this form
• be aware that although the individual doesn’t have access to the online portal in order to see what you’ve written in the referral form, that the contents will be shared with them in the Occupational Health appointment and they have the right to obtain a copy through an access request 

Contact EPS by email [email protected] if you need additional HR support or advice.

Occupational Health triage and appointment booking

A referral submitted before noon on a weekday is triaged on the same day. Otherwise it will be triaged within the following working day.

Once the referral has been submitted via the online portal the Occupational Health Team will triage it.

The triage will make sure that the referral is appropriate and contains all the necessary information needed to conduct an effective Occupational Health appointment. A quality referral will result in a quality Occupational Health report.

You may receive a telephone call or email from a member of the Occupational Health clinical team to clarify details in the referral if necessary. In order for Occupational health to process the referral swiftly, you need to respond to the query as soon as possible. The referral will not be processed until Occupational Health has all the necessary information.

Occasionally, and after discussion with you, the Occupational Health clinical team may decide that a management referral is not the most appropriate course of action. In this case you will receive advice that may include signposting to other services.

The team will consider various factors when deciding if the individual should be seen face to face, or if a telephone appointment will be as effective. Both types of appointments are given the same amount of time and the appointment format is the same.

Factors for deciding whether the appointment should be face to face or by telephone include the following:

• clinical need may determine that a face to face appointment may be more effective
• need for a visual assessment of the individual
• unreasonable delay to appointment (either a telephone or face to face appointment is available sooner)
• geographical / location factors. For example, an individual is currently living a significant distance from the occupational health unit
• weather or other business contingency issues
• the mental wellbeing of the individual
• an individual’s mobility issues
• service reasons or operational commitments
• management or individual preference to be seen face to face

Once the referral has been triaged, it will be sent back to the Occupational Health Administration Team. The team will aim to offer the individual an appointment within 5 business days (Monday to Friday) of the referral being submitted. The team will let you and the individual know the date, time and location of the appointment via email or post if appropriate. The individual will receive a text message from Occupational Health as soon as the team have booked the appointment and another 2 days before as a reminder.

With the individual’s consent, it is recommended that the referring manager attends the final part of the occupational health appointment with the individual. Typically, this is the final 10-15 minutes of the appointment and ensures that all relevant points have been considered, ask questions and discuss the occupational health recommendations. This can help to ensure that the recommendations are likely to be accommodated within the role.

In the case of a telephone appointment or if you are unable to attend in person, you can request that the Occupational Health clinician contacts you by telephone for a conference call. Please contact occupational health 48 hours before to ensure that this can be accommodated.

Occupational Health will have communicated the date, time and location of the occupational health appointment with the individual. You should also contact the individual ahead of the appointment to ensure that they are able to attend.

If you know that the individual is unable to attend, you must advise Occupational Health at least 24 hours before so the appointment time can be reallocated. This will help save costs to the organisations and reduce overall waiting times.