Jill
Unless your company or their insurers have a specific policy that says only a
GP can sign a person fit to return to the workplace then I would by pass the GP
and inform Human Resources and management that the person is fit to return to
the workplace with whatever recommendations your OHP has suggested. This then
becomes a management/HR issue.
If the policy does say only a GP can return them then ask your OHP to discuss
the situation with the GP and point out how ludicrous it is for a person who is
obviously fit to RTW to be sat on their bums awaiting a "consultant" to declare
them fit. In any case if your OHP is suitably qualified then they are acting in
loco of the consultant. Alternatively get the OHP to contact the consultant
direct and set out the position and ask the question.
Either way the responsibility for their health and well-being in the workplace
is OH's not the GP's or the consultant's and unless they have assessed the
workplace and the risk then they have no valid reason to not agree a return to
the workplace, unless of course the person concerned has specified they do not
wish to return for whatever reason. Again, another issue for HR/management.
Hope this helps.
Pete Judge
Cardiff Uni.
>>> [log in to unmask] 06/03/05 8:42 am >>>
Dear Members
We currently have an employee who has been off sick (post op) for the past
6 months. He has seen our Occupational Physician for a routine review and
basically he was assessed to be fit for his normal duties. However his GP
is not willing to allow him back to work until he has been reviewed by his
Consultant which is not until August. We have had similar problems in the
past where GPs will not allow return until seen by the Consultant, however
it could be a matter of months (as in this case) until they can be seen and
given the OK to return to work. I am wondering who is supposed to have
authority here? In these sorts of cases waiting to see Consultants for the
green light to return to work can be as mentioned a matter of several months
and during this time I would say a hell of a lot of Statutory sick pay is
paid out unnecessaily and this must be a tremendous cost to the government!
What are your views?
Jill Rossiter
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RCN Society of Occupational Health Nursing Conference 29 Nov 2005 to 1 Dec 2006: Call for papers at
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http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/occ-health.html
For jobs in Occupational Health, go to
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