Fit for Work Referral service

The Government introduced the Fit for Work advice service in December 2014.  The service provides health and work advice and support for employees, employers and GPs to help people with a health condition stay in or return to work.  Following this, the Fit for Work Referral Service commenced its roll out on 9 March 2015.

The Referral service aims to reduce the length of time that employees are off sick and enable them to manage health conditions and remain in work by providing an occupational health assessment and general health and work advice to employees, employers and General Practitioners (GPs).  The service is expected to complement, rather than replace, existing employer occupational health provision and is not designed to provide ongoing clinical care, but to get people back to work.

Sheffield and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board are the first areas to gain full GP access to the scheme.  The roll out is planned on a phased region by region basis with the intention that England and Wales will be covered by Autumn 2015, with a similar service planned for Scotland. 

Click here to read more about the service.