What Is a Management Referral?
It’s not a GP appointment. A GP treats the patient. An OH Assessment looks at the relationship between a person’s health and their ability to fulfil a specific employment contract. Think of it as a business tool that answers three critical questions:
Can this person do the job described in their contract? How long is their absence likely to last? Are you legally required to make adjustments under the Equality Act 2010.
The assessment provides a clear, written report on what an employee can and cannot do. Our reports give you the medical intelligence to make fair decisions. If you need help interpreting the recommendations, our HR & Management Support advice line is available to guide you through the process.
Where the clinician identifies that psychological support is required to facilitate a return to work, we provide a direct pathway into our employee counselling services to ensure there are no information gaps between assessment and treatment. While a referral is for existing staff, if you are looking to assess a candidate after a conditional job offer, you may require a Pre-Placement Health Assessment instead.
Why Employers Use This Service
GP fit notes rarely give you what you need to make a confident HR decision. They’re written for the patient, not the employer. A Management Referral bridges that gap.
Manage your legal position: Get clear guidance on Equality Act obligations before making capability or dismissal decisions.
Cut absence costs: Early referral significantly improves return-to-work outcomes. Every week of delay adds cost.
Validate what you’re being told: An independent clinical review gives you the evidence to support HR proceedings or challenge questionable absence patterns.
One-Off Referrals Welcome
You don’t need an OH contract to use this service. If you’ve got one employee causing you concern and you need an independent clinical view, we can help. Many of our long-term clients started with a single Management Referral. They came back because the report was clear, the turnaround was fast, and the advice was commercially useful.
Here’s how it works for one-off referrals:
No minimum commitment: Pay for what you need. One referral, one report. No retainer, no subscription, no lock-in.
Same clinical standard: Whether you’re sending us one referral or a hundred, every case is assessed by a qualified OH clinician working to SEQOHS governance standards. You get the same quality report as our contracted clients.
Fast turnaround: Secure video consultations can typically be arranged within 3–5 working days. Reports are returned promptly, written in plain English with clear, actionable recommendations.
Simple process: Complete our online referral form, we’ll call you to discuss the case, and the assessment is booked. No procurement hoops, no onboarding delay.
When a Single Referral Makes Sense
You’re a small or mid-sized employer without an existing OH contract, and you need expert guidance on a complex absence, a capability question, or Equality Act obligations.
Your current OH provider is too slow: Waiting weeks for a report isn’t acceptable when a tribunal clock is ticking or an employee’s absence is escalating.
You’re facing a one-off situation: A difficult case that your internal HR team hasn’t encountered before: perhaps a long-term condition, a mental health disclosure, or a contested fitness-for-work decision.
You want to test our quality before committing: Many organisations use a one-off referral as a trial before moving to a retained service. We’re confident enough in the quality of our reports to let the work speak for itself.
How It Works
Step 1: You complete a referral form with specific, role-related questions. (Tip: “Is the employee medically capable of sustaining a 40-hour week involving heavy lifting?” works far better than “Are they fit?”)
Step 2: The employee is informed transparently, in line with GDPR requirements.
Step 3: A qualified clinician assesses the employee against their specific job demands. This isn’t treatment. It’s an evaluation of contractual capability.
Step 4: You receive a clear, actionable report covering fitness status, realistic return timescales, Equality Act considerations and any recommended adjustments.
Our reports are prepared in strict accordance with GMC and NMC guidelines to ensure clinical confidentiality and data protection.
Frequently Asked Questions
A GP advocates for the patient and focuses on treatment. An OH clinician provides an independent, employer-focused review of whether someone can fulfil their job contract. GP notes almost never contain the functional detail HR teams require.
Yes. It provides the medical evidence demonstrating that you sought expert advice before making a decision on medical grounds.
They can. But if they do, you’re entitled to proceed with decisions based on the information available, without independent medical mitigation.
We follow GMC and NMC guidelines. The report focuses on what the employee can and cannot do at work. We don’t share raw clinical notes or private diagnoses with the employer.
Pricing depends on the complexity of the case and the consultation format (video, face-to-face, or telephone). Contact our team for a clear quote before you commit. There are no hidden fees.
Absolutely. Many of our long-term partnerships started with a single referral. Once you’ve seen the quality of the report and the speed of the service, we can discuss a retained arrangement that gives you priority access and volume pricing. We’ve been delivering management referrals for UK employers since 1999, and our 96% client retention rate speaks for itself.
No. We accept one-off referrals from any UK employer. You get the same SEQOHS-standard clinical assessment and report regardless of whether you’re a contracted client.
