Types of Occupational Health Assessment
Management Referral
The most common type. Triggered when a manager or HR professional needs an independent clinical opinion on an employee’s fitness for their specific role. Covers capability, absence prognosis, recommended adjustments and Equality Act 2010 obligations. The output is an employer-focused report with clear, actionable recommendations. Available as a one-off referral or as part of a retained OH contract. Full detail on our management referral page.
Fitness for Work Assessment
Determines whether an employee can safely perform the physical and cognitive demands of their role. Often required for safety-critical positions, drug & alcohol testing or roles involving driving, working at height, confined spaces or operating machinery. The assessment considers both the employee’s current health status and the specific hazards of their job. The report confirms fitness, identifies restrictions or recommends temporary or permanent adjustments.
Return to Work Assessment
For employees coming back after a period of sickness absence. The assessment evaluates whether the employee is ready to resume duties, whether a phased return is appropriate and what workplace adjustments might be needed to support a sustained return, in line with Acas guidance on managing absence. Particularly important after long-term absence, mental health conditions, musculoskeletal injuries or surgery. A return-to-work assessment prevents premature returns that lead to relapse and repeated absence.
Capability Assessment
Used when there are concerns about an employee’s long-term ability to fulfil their contract. This is typically part of a formal capability process and provides the medical evidence HR needs to make decisions about redeployment, contract adjustment or, where necessary, termination on health grounds. The assessment must be fair, evidence-based and compliant with the Equality Act 2010, particularly where the employee may meet the legal definition of disability.
Equality Act Assessment
Specifically focused on whether an employee’s condition meets the definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010 and what reasonable adjustments the employer should consider. This is not a simple yes-or-no question. The assessment considers the nature and duration of the condition, its impact on day-to-day activities, and the practical adjustments that would remove or reduce workplace disadvantage. Getting this wrong exposes the employer to tribunal risk.
Ill-Health Retirement Assessment
Required when an employee’s health means they can no longer work in any capacity and early retirement on health grounds is being considered. The assessment provides the medical evidence needed to support an application to the pension scheme. For public sector employers, this often needs to meet specific criteria set by the pension fund (e.g. NHS Pension Scheme, Local Government Pension Scheme, Teachers’ Pension Scheme). The clinician must confirm that the employee is permanently incapable of their role and, in some schemes, any comparable employment.
Pre-Placement Health Assessment
Conducted after a conditional job offer to ensure a new starter can meet the health requirements of the role. Covered in detail on our dedicated Pre-Placement Health Assessment page.
How Our Assessments Work
Referral: The manager or HR team submits a referral, either through our online portal or by contacting our booking team directly. The referral should include the job role, the health concern, specific questions you need answered and any relevant background. One-off referrals are accepted without a contract.
Assessment: A qualified OH clinician conducts the assessment via secure video consultation, telephone or face-to-face at one of our nationwide clinic locations or at your premises. The format depends on the nature of the health issue and your preference.
Report: You receive a clear, employer-focused report addressing each question raised in the referral. The report provides functional recommendations, not just a diagnosis. It tells you what the employee can and cannot do, what adjustments to consider, and what the likely prognosis is for attendance and performance.
Turnaround: For one-off referrals, assessment is typically within the same week. Reports are returned within 3–5 working days of the consultation. For urgent cases, we offer expedited turnaround.
Why the Type of Assessment Matters
Requesting the wrong type of assessment wastes time and money. A management referral that asks generic fitness-for-work questions when the real issue is Equality Act compliance will produce a report that does not answer the question HR actually needs. A return-to-work assessment conducted too early, before the employee is clinically ready, leads to a premature return and a second period of absence.
When you refer to MCL Medics, our clinical team will review the referral and confirm the most appropriate assessment type before proceeding. If the referral questions suggest a different type of assessment would be more useful, we will advise you before the appointment takes place. This is part of the clinical governance that comes with a SEQOHS-accredited service. Find out more about MCL Medics and our commitment to clinical quality.
What Makes Our Assessments Different
SEQOHS accredited: Our OH service meets the independently audited Safe Effective Quality Occupational Health Service standard. This means consistent clinical quality regardless of which clinician conducts your assessment.
Directly employed clinicians: Every assessment is conducted by a clinician who works within MCL Medics’ governance framework. You are not referred to a third-party associate network where quality varies by location.
Employer-focused reports: Our reports are written for HR and management decision-makers, not for GPs or other clinicians. Clear language, functional recommendations and direct answers to your referral questions.
Integrated clinical pathway: If an assessment identifies a need for counselling, physiotherapy or further clinical support, the referral into our employee counselling services or physiotherapy and MSK pathway is direct. One provider, one governance framework, no information gaps between services.
Since 1999: We have been conducting occupational health assessments for UK employers across government, energy, construction, healthcare, facilities management and professional services for over 25 years.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a clinical evaluation of the relationship between an employee’s health and their work. The assessment is conducted by a qualified OH clinician and produces a report with recommendations for the employer. It is not a medical examination, a diagnosis or a GP appointment. Its purpose is to help employers make informed, fair decisions about fitness, capability, adjustments and return to work.
When an employee’s health is affecting their attendance or performance. When you need medical evidence to support a management decision. When an employee is returning from long-term absence. When you need to assess Equality Act obligations. When fitness for a safety-critical role needs confirming. When ill-health retirement is being considered.
No. MCL Medics accepts one-off referrals from any UK employer. You receive the same SEQOHS-accredited clinical assessment and report regardless of whether you hold a retained contract. Many clients start with a single assessment and move to a retained arrangement once they have experienced the quality.
A management referral is a type of occupational health assessment. It is the most common type, triggered when a manager needs an independent opinion on an employee’s fitness for their specific role. Other types of OH assessment include fitness-for-work, return-to-work, capability, Equality Act and ill-health retirement assessments. Each serves a different purpose and produces a different report.
The consultation itself typically takes 30–60 minutes depending on complexity. The full process from referral to report delivery is usually 5–7 working days for routine cases. Same-week appointments are available for one-off referrals and expedited turnaround is available for urgent cases.
The employee’s full medical details are not disclosed to the employer. The report contains only the information relevant to the referral questions: fitness, capability, recommended adjustments, and prognosis. This is in line with NMC and GMC confidentiality guidelines and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
An employee can decline to attend, but this may have implications under their employment contract. If they do attend but withhold consent for the report to be shared, the employer receives a report stating that the assessment took place but consent for disclosure was not given. The employer then makes decisions based on the information available to them.