Referrals and assessments are intended to provide occupational health and support on sickness absence for employers but as part of a government paper published last month it was confirmed that there has been a low take-up of the assessment services.
The guidance states that as of 15 December 2017 if an employee has been unfit for work for four weeks or more then their GP or employer will be able to refer them to a government occupational health service. There will be some transitional provisions in place before the assessment services end in England and Wales on 31 March 2018 and on 31 May in Scotland and it will still be possible to access the helpline, website and web chat service. It is hoped that this will allow employers, employees and GPs to access general health and work advice, as well as sickness absence support.