Occupational Health Nurse and Physician Referrals

Independent Occupational Health Assessments for Employers

YPCHealth provides occupational health nurse and occupational health physician referrals for employers across the UK.

Our service supports managers, HR teams, health and safety professionals and compliance teams who need independent advice about an employee’s health, attendance, fitness for work or ability to carry out their role safely.

Following the assessment, the employer receives a clear occupational health report with practical advice on workplace adjustments, return-to-work planning, rehabilitation and any further support that may be required.

Discuss an Occupational Health Referral

How Can an Occupational Health Referral Help?

An occupational health referral can help employers understand how an employee’s health may affect their work and how their job may affect their health.

A referral may be useful when an employer needs advice about:

fitness for work;
sickness absence;
return-to-work timescales;
phased returns;
temporary or permanent workplace adjustments;
repeated short-term absence;
long-term health conditions;
mental health concerns;
performance issues linked to health;
safety-critical duties;
possible redeployment;
ill-health retirement;
complex or conflicting medical information.

The occupational health clinician provides independent medical and functional advice. The employer remains responsible for employment and operational decisions. An occupational health nurse can manage many routine and moderately complex management referrals.

The nurse will assess the employee, consider the demands of their role and prepare a written report for the employer.

An Occupational Health Nurse Can Help With:

long-term and repeated sickness absence;
return-to-work planning;
phased return recommendations;
musculoskeletal conditions;
anxiety, depression and work-related stress;
menopause-related symptoms;
migraines, fatigue and chronic pain;
diabetes and other long-term conditions;
workplace adjustments;
performance concerns with a possible health cause;
support following surgery, treatment or a new diagnosis;
reviewing whether previous adjustments are helping;
signposting to further treatment or specialist support.

Recommendations may include changes to duties, hours, shift patterns, workload, breaks, communication, supervision or the working environment.

ADHD and Neurodiversity Workplace Assessments

Our occupational health nurse can assess employees with diagnosed or suspected ADHD where their symptoms may be affecting them at work.

This is not an ADHD diagnostic assessment. It is a workplace assessment focused on the employee’s role, strengths, difficulties and support needs.

The assessment may consider:

concentration and distractibility;
organisation and time management;
prioritising tasks;
memory and information processing;
managing deadlines;
communication with managers and colleagues;
sensory distractions;
workload and shift patterns;
how medication or fatigue may affect work.

The nurse can then provide a tailored workplace support plan.

Possible recommendations may include:

written instructions;
clearer priorities and deadlines;
regular structured check-ins;
quieter working areas;
reduced sensory distractions;
electronic reminders and planning tools;
protected focus time;
additional preparation time;
agreed communication methods;
support with workload planning;
Access to Work or ADHD coaching;
scheduled reviews of the adjustments.

The aim is to help the employee work more effectively while maintaining appropriate workplace standards.

Occupational Health Physician Assessments

An occupational health physician is a medically qualified doctor with experience or specialist training in occupational medicine.

Physician referrals are usually most appropriate for complex, high-risk or medically contentious cases.

An Occupational Health Physician Can Help With:

complex fitness-for-work decisions;
prolonged or medically complicated sickness absence;
safety-critical roles;
neurological conditions;
cardiac conditions;
seizures, blackouts or unexplained collapse;
medication that may affect workplace safety;
severe or complex mental health conditions;
possible permanent incapacity;
ill-health retirement;
conflicting medical evidence;
suspected occupational disease;
cases involving significant employment or safety consequences.

A physician may also review cases that have been escalated by an occupational health nurse.

Which Occupational Health Clinician Is Most Appropriate?

routine management referrals;
common mental health concerns;
musculoskeletal problems;
long-term health conditions;
return-to-work planning;
repeated absence;
straightforward workplace adjustments;
ADHD and neurodiversity workplace assessments;
monitoring an employee’s progress.

An Occupational Health Physician May Be More Suitable For:

medically complex cases;
safety-critical roles;
neurological or cardiac conditions;
serious medication concerns;
ill-health retirement;
possible permanent incapacity;
conflicting medical opinions;
suspected occupational disease;
cases with significant safety or employment implications.

You do not need to decide which clinician is required before contacting us. We can review the referral and advise whether a nurse or physician assessment is likely to be most appropriate.

Examples of When to Refer an Employee

An occupational health referral may help where:

an employee has been absent for several weeks with no clear return date;
an employee is returning after surgery or treatment;
repeated short-term absences may have an underlying medical cause;
ADHD symptoms are affecting organisation, deadlines or concentration;
anxiety or depression is affecting attendance or performance;
a health condition may be affecting workplace safety;
a driver or machinery operator has experienced a blackout or seizure;
an employee has requested workplace adjustments;
redeployment or capability is being considered;
an employer needs an independent medical opinion;
an employee believes work is worsening their symptoms.

What Does the Employer Receive?

Following the assessment, the employer will receive an occupational health report that may address:

current fitness for work;
functional limitations;
workplace adjustments;
return-to-work timescales;
phased return recommendations;
restrictions on specific duties;
whether further treatment or evidence may be helpful;
whether a review assessment is recommended;
whether physician escalation is required;
whether the condition may have a substantial and long-term impact at work.

The report will focus on information relevant to the employee’s role and the questions raised in the management referral.

Remote Occupational Health Assessments Across the UK

Many occupational health nurse and physician assessments can be completed remotely by secure video or telephone appointment.

This allows YPCHealth to support employers and employees throughout the UK without unnecessary travel or delay.

Where a face-to-face assessment, workplace visit or additional testing is required, this can be discussed separately.

Why Choose us?

We provide flexible and independent occupational health support for businesses that may not have access to an in-house occupational health team.

We offer:

occupational health nurse and physician referrals;
UK-wide remote assessments;
clear and practical reports;
support for routine and complex cases;
tailored workplace adjustment advice;
ADHD workplace assessments;
fitness-for-work advice;
return-to-work planning;
escalation from nurse to physician where required;
responsive support for managers, HR and compliance teams.

Our aim is to provide practical advice that supports employee wellbeing while helping employers manage attendance, safety and operational requirements.

Discuss an Occupational Health Referral

Every case is different. Before arranging an assessment, we can review the referral and advise whether the employee is more likely to need an occupational health nurse or occupational health physician.

To discuss a referral, please provide: