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PRO INSTALLER SEPTEMBER 2015
PRO BUSINESS
@proinstaller1
HOW IT WORKS
Revise and update if necessary
Eligibility criteria
— Is the person you are referring
in employment and absent
from work?
GP
– GP conversation leading
to employee consent
to referral to health
professional
Employee
– 4 weeks off work
(or expected to reach
4 weeks off work)
— Will the person be absent from
work for four weeks or more?
GP
or
2 working days
5 working days
Health professional Health professional
–Phone assessment – Face to face
assessment
–Holistic
assessment
Employer
– Conversation with
Employer/Employer
Occupational Health
leading to referral
– Agrees to working with
health professional
– Consent to referral
Personalised
Return to Work
Plan agreed
– Consent to
share with a
GP/Employer/
Employer
Occupational
Health
– A stepped
approach
– Case
management
And/or
Employer
Employer/Employer
Occupational
Health/employers
contacted (subject
to consent) to help
form/deliver Return
to Work Plan
Delivery of:
– Actions in
Return to
Work Plan*
– Case
management
Success
– Employee
returns to
work
– Ongoing
support
available via
portal and
advice
— Does the person have a
reasonable prospect of
returning to work?
— Not eligible if an employee has
been through the service in the
last 12 months
— Do they consent to referral?
*Subject to the agreement
of all parties involved
If you are interested in finding out more about Fit for Work then call our advice line, or visit our website
England and Wales
Scotland
0800 032 6235
0800 019 2211
0800 032 6233 Welsh language (Llinell Gymraeg)
www.fitforworkscotland.scot
www.fitforwork.org
HOW IT WORKS
Within two working days of a
referral, the employee concerned
will receive an in-depth consultation with an occupational health
professional who will explore all
of the issues that might be preventing that person returning to
work. This will include work-related and wider personal issues
as well as health matters.
The Return to Work Plan will
direct employees towards services
that will help them overcome
any obstacles keeping them away
from work. If the employee gives
consent, Fit for Work professionals can also work directly with
employers to help the patient
achieve a return to work. The
Return to Work Plan can replace
the need for doctors to issue fit
notes, thereby relieving pressure
on GPs’ time. Support from the
new service lasts for up to three
months.
With individuals collectively
estimated to miss out on £4billion
a year in lost earnings, the service
is intended to offer a pragmatic
approach for those struggling
to return to work. Fit for Work
takes a holistic or ‘biopsychosocial’ approach, which takes into
account the full range of work,
health, and non-health/non-work
issues that are preventing a return
to work.
Several academic studies over
recent years have shown that prolonged absence from work damages people’s social and financial
well-being, as well as their health.
The research also shows that the
longer someone is off sick, the
harder it is for them to get back
to work.
Rosamond Roughton, Director
of NHS Commissioning, said:
“NHS England welcomes ‘Fit for
Work’, as an opportunity to support people working in England
and Wales who currently have
no access to expert occupational
health advice. This service will
help GPs provide holistic care to
their patients, while reducing the
pressure of ill health associated
with managing people who become long term unemployed.”
Commenting on the Fit for Work
roll-out, Welfare Reform Minister
Lord Freud said: