What Happens When an Employee Is Referred to Occupational Health?

When an employee is referred to occupational health, it can feel like a formal or worrying step. For HR teams and managers, it can also be the point where a sensitive situation needs clearer guidance.

An occupational health referral is about understanding how an employee’s health may affect their work, what support may be needed, and how the employer can make informed decisions.

However, the referral itself is only one part of the process. The real value comes after the occupational health advice has been received, when HR and managers need to turn recommendations into practical workplace support.

That is where AptoLink fits in. Occupational health may identify what support is needed from a health perspective. AptoLink helps employers understand how that support can be implemented effectively in the workplace through workplace assessments, ergonomic reviews, DSE assessments, accessibility assessments, assistive technology and practical workplace adjustments.

An occupational health referral is usually made when an employer needs professional advice about how health is affecting work.

This could include:

• long-term sickness absence 
• repeated short-term absence 
• return to work after illness, injury or surgery 
• mental health, stress or burnout concerns 
• disability or a long-term health condition 
• pain, fatigue or reduced ability to carry out duties 
• concerns about fitness for work 
• uncertainty around workplace adjustments 
• a need for phased return advice 

ACAS explains that employers may use occupational health to help make decisions about workers who are struggling with physical or mental health, reasonable adjustments, long-term sickness absence, return to work, absence reduction and workplace health risks. 

For HR and managers, the referral can provide structure. It gives a clearer view of what may be affecting the employee and what support may be appropriate.

Before referring an employee to occupational health, HR or the manager should explain why the referral is being made and what the process is intended to achieve.

The employee should understand:

• what concerns have led to the referral 
• what questions occupational health is being asked 
• what information may be shared 
• how the assessment will take place 
• what may happen after the report is received 

This matters because being referred to occupational health can feel unsettling. The employee may worry that the referral is part of a disciplinary process or that their job is at risk. Clear communication helps position the referral properly: as a way to understand health, work and support needs.

A good occupational health management referral should be work-focused. It should explain the employee’s role, duties, working pattern, absence history where relevant, adjustments already tried and the questions HR needs answered.

During an occupational health assessment, the employee will usually discuss their health in relation to their work. The assessment may take place by phone, video call or in person, depending on the provider and the situation.

Occupational health may ask about:

• the employee’s health condition or symptoms 
• treatment or recovery 
• job role and daily duties 
• absence and return-to-work position 
• barriers affecting work 
• support already in place 
• whether adjustments may help 

The focus is not usually general medical treatment. The focus is how the employee’s health affects their ability to work and what the employer may need to consider.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) notes that someone’s ability to do their job can be affected by health conditions, whether or not those conditions are caused by work, and that employers should have policies and procedures for managing sick leave and return to work. 

After the assessment, occupational health will usually provide a report to the employer, subject to the correct consent and process.

The report may include advice on:

• whether the employee is fit for work 
• whether they may be fit with adjustments 
• whether a phased return is recommended 
• any temporary restrictions 
• likely timescales 
• whether workplace adjustments may help 
• whether further assessment is needed 
• when the situation should be reviewed 

This report can be extremely useful, but it is not always a detailed implementation plan.

For example, an occupational health report may say that an employee would benefit from ergonomic support, assistive technology, flexible working, reduced workload, accessibility changes or a DSE assessment. But HR and managers may still need to understand exactly what that means in the employee’s day-to-day role.

Mark, one of AptoLink’s senior assessors and trainers, shares his personal experience and observations.  

“ One of the biggest issues I often encounter when reviewing Occupational Health reports is that they don’t always take organisational constraints into account. For example, recommendations may include technologies that cannot be used within the business for security reasons. It’s not that equivalent solutions can’t be approved – more that the specific products suggested are not compatible with internal policies.

This can create challenges for both the organisation and the employee. The colleague may feel frustrated that the recommendations aren’t being implemented exactly as written, and managers may be unsure how to translate those recommendations into something workable. 

In many cases, the workplace assessments I produce partly involve implementing the intent of the Occupational Health advice, but using hardware and software that are approved – or can be approved – within the organisation”. 

ACAS confirms that an occupational health report might recommend adjustments, but it is up to the employer to decide whether to put recommendations in place, taking account of organisational needs and legal obligations.

This is often the point where AptoLink becomes most useful.

Occupational health may identify that workplace support or adjustments are needed. AptoLink helps employers work out what those adjustments should look like in practice.

For example:

• “ergonomic support may help” becomes a practical workstation, chair, desk, screen, keyboard or mouse recommendation 
• “assistive technology should be considered” becomes identified software, hardware and training 
• “adjustments are recommended” becomes a clear workplace adjustment plan 
• “support is needed for a visual or hearing impairment” becomes a practical assessment of barriers, tools and communication needs 
• “a phased return is recommended” becomes a more workable plan for tasks, workload, equipment and review dates 
• coaching support is recommended” becomes practical one-to-one guidance around time management, organisation, coping strategies, managing anxiety and building confidence at work.

AptoLink’s workplace assessments look at the employee, their role, workstation, working environment and technology in detail. This complements occupational health, which focuses on the impact of the health condition or disability on the employee’s ability to work

Occupational health and AptoLink are not alternative services. They support different parts of the same process.

Occupational health helps employers understand the relationship between health and work. A workplace assessment looks at the practical working situation: the role, tasks, equipment, technology, environment and barriers.

Occupational health referral	AptoLink workplace assessment
Assesses health and fitness for work	Assesses workplace barriers and practical support needs
Provides medical and occupational advice	Provides practical workplace adjustment recommendations
May advise that adjustments are needed	Identifies specific equipment, software, tools or working methods
Supports sickness absence and return-to-work decisions	Supports implementation of practical workplace solutions
May recommend specialist workplace input	Delivers DSE, ergonomic, accessibility and neurodiversity assessments

This is the key difference. Occupational health may say that support is needed. AptoLink helps define the support and make it workable.

The occupational health report should not be the end of the process. It should be the start of a clear action plan.

Employers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments so workers with disabilities, or physical or mental health conditions, are not substantially disadvantaged when doing their jobs. ACAS also advises that reasonable adjustments are specific to the individual and can include changes to the workplace, working arrangements, equipment, services or support. 

This is why broad recommendations often need practical follow-up. A statement such as “consider adjustments” or “provide ergonomic support” is useful, but it may not be enough on its own.

A workplace assessment helps HR understand what should actually be put in place.

One of the most common mistakes is treating the occupational health report as a tick-box exercise. The report is received, filed, and little practical action follows.

Other mistakes include:

• delaying action after recommendations are made 
• not discussing the report properly with the employee 
• assuming generic adjustments will work 
• failing to review whether support is helping 
• overlooking home or hybrid working setups 
• not arranging a workplace assessment when recommendations are too broad 
• expecting occupational health to specify every practical detail 

AptoLink helps close the gap between “adjustments recommended” and “adjustments working in practice.”

An occupational health referral can give HR and managers the clarity they need when health is affecting work. It can support decisions around absence, return to work, fitness for work and possible adjustments.

But the referral is only one stage.

The most important question is what happens next.