Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Health and safetyLatest NewsWellbeingOccupational Health

Health and work assessment service could supplant occupational health

by Personnel Today 30 May 2013
by Personnel Today 30 May 2013

The Commercial Occupational Health Providers’ Association (COHPA) has expressed disquiet at comments made by welfare minister Lord Freud in April about the extent to which the Government’s proposed new health and work ­assessment and advisory service could supplant the role of existing employer-based occupational health services.

In a post on its website, COHPA said that in meetings it had held with Dr Bill Gunnyeon, chief medical adviser at the Department for Work and Pensions, he had suggested the new service, when it launches next year, will be of a voluntary nature.

“Given the limited (£50 million per ­annum) budget for the service and the existence of OH services in many companies, Gunnyeon has indicated to COHPA the voluntary nature of service. He noted that where an individual was employed by a company with an existing OH service, for example, or where they were already receiving treatment for cancer, there would be no need for them to be referred to the service,” said COHPA.

However, in an interview on ­Radio 4’s “In Business” in April, Lord Freud suggested it would be quite unusual for someone not to be ­referred to the service after they had been off for four weeks.

“There will be an expectation that in most circumstances at the four-week stage the GP will refer into the service. Most people will be expected to go to the service unless there is a very defined, specified reason for them not to go,” he said.

This, said COHPA, was “a more robust line” than that taken by Gunnyeon.

But, it added, it had been reassured by the Government that no hard-and-fast decisions had yet been made about the detail of the new service.

“We understand that [Gunnyeon’s view] remains the position, despite the somewhat stronger line from the minister (which may have arisen from a desire to emphasise the Government’s determination to get tough in addressing the problem),” said COHPA.

“In addition, the Department for Work and Pensions continues to emphasise that the detail of how the service will operate in practice has still to be worked out.”

Elsewhere in the Radio 4 interview, Lord Freud stressed that the new service would be “tightly linked” to NHS-commissioned services, but that employers would be able to spend money elsewhere. The service would, in essence, be a “gateway” to other services.

He also confirmed it would not simply be a case of rolling out the existing Fit for Work pilots nationwide – it would be a new entity.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

When questioned as to whether there might be a disciplinary element attached to it, he said: “There will be concern among some employers that some people are taking advantage of the sickness ­absence regime. Clearly, if there is an independent ­assessment, employers can take a view on where there is abuse.

“It gives people a much cleaner way of reaching assessments on what is the problem here, what should be done, and in a proportion of cases disciplinary action may be appropriate.”

Personnel Today

previous post
Eight steps to successful volume recruitment
next post
HR Director of the Year 2012: Tea Colaianni, Merlin Entertainments Group

You may also like

Number of Neet women rises but figures fall...

23 May 2025

Sighing in frustration at colleague was discriminatory, judge...

23 May 2025

Unions ponder strike action after public sector pay...

23 May 2025

Six ways to kickstart conversations about team stress...

23 May 2025

Fire and rehire: the relocation question

22 May 2025

Public sector workers gain pay rises of up...

22 May 2025

UK net migration slashed by half in one...

22 May 2025

How neuroscience can unlock employee recognition

22 May 2025

UK universities fret over fall in international students

22 May 2025

HSBC employees warned of office attendance link to...

22 May 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today