Ill Health Retiral - information for managers

The referral document Referral for Assessment of Ill-health leading to Early Retirement on Medical Grounds should only be used to assess if the current health of an employee would meet the criteria required by their pension provider to be considered for early retirement on the grounds of ill- health (IHR). The employee will have to be assessed by the Occupational Health Physician (OHP) who is approved by the individual pension schemes to do this.

The potential for unsuccessful application as an outcome will require discussion with Human Resources, the manager concerned and the employee as effectively the individual will have been deemed unfit for further work. This will require the OHP assessing the individual and considering the medical evidence available, and only after this will the OHP be able to decide if support for such an application can be given. The OHP opinion will be indicated to the individual concerned and they will then have to consent to the evidence being presented to their pension provider for assessment.

NB Where GP/Specialist medical reports require an excessive fee this charge may be passed to the school. e.g. anything above £40-80.

Completing the form

The person making the referral should ensure the referred employee is aware of the referral and it's purpose.

The completed form should be sent in confidence either electronically or by internal mail to the Occupational Health mailbox where it will be passed to the relevant adviser for your area.

Confidentiality

The Occupational Health Unit is staffed by registered health and accredited specialists in Occupational Health, who provide a confidential service.

This means that personal information is treated in medical confidence, and will not be shared unless the employee gives consent.

The exception to this is where Occupational Health are given information which is considered to pose a significant risk to health and safety of the individual or others.