Posted By Adrian.Durand Hi Paul, Can you please let me know where you heard about this, as I'm currently going through this process with my wife and her employer. If you can pm me a link if you have one that would be great as I need to carry out a bit of research before I speak to her company's OH dept again. Many Thanks Adrian

Posted By Adrian.Durand Hi Paul, Many Thanks for the prompt response. I'll have a look around google later for any available information. With regards to my current problems with my wife's employer, I'll probably post later with the problems I'm encountering to see if, as you suggest, anyone can offer any advice. Many Thanks Adrian

Posted By John Richards At the end of the day most GPs will avoid it like the plague, except those with a speciality in OccH. Finding something for someone to do when they have pneumonia should exercise a lot of people. Likewise broken limbs. The entire exercise in one of reducing the sickness benefit. Already being practiced by the gov in the form of the "employment support allowance medical assessment"....where a "medical professional" (ie: not a doctor....that would be Primary Medical Professional) assesses the individuals ability to work. There have been cases where individuals with severe bronchitis have been told they are fit for all types of work (and one where a guy with both legs amputated below the knee was told the same...but since the OccH company are paid less for giving someone 15 points or more (not fit for work) than for giving less than 15, it is not a surprise.

Posted By Adrian.Durand Hi All, Further to my earlier post, I'll explain the sceanrio (and sorry for it being an essay).. My wife has had back problems for the last 16 years.It has flared up occasisonally, but just over 8 weeks ago it went totally and on seeing her GP she was signed off sick. After the follow-up appointment (2 weeks later) she was signed off again, and had an urgent referral to physiotherapy. After the second sick note expired her employer referred her casae to the OH dept (the employer is a large supermarket chain. The first telephone call from the OH department obtained the required information, and the OH advisor immeidately stated that her recommendation would be for my wife to work on the checkouts. This decision was made without any medical evidence from the GP, and also the OH advisor ignored the fact that my wife is actually a Checkout Team Leader, and this role may well have been a contriobutory factor to the problem. After my wife last saw the doctor, and was signed off for another 2 weeks, another call was received fro the OH advisor, and she asked why the doctor had signed her off again, and that in her opinion she should be back at work. What needs to be noted was at this point a request had been made to the GP for information, the form had been completed and sent back in the post, but the OH department had NOT received the form back. There seems to be a problem in that the OH advisor did not want to listen to the information she was given, as in order to get to the store my wife has to drive as it is approx 4 miles away, but she has had to walk with the aid of a walking stick and has not driven since she was signed off as it was too painful. I also have to state (in the Company's defence) that the store itself has been great, with my wife's immediate managers and also the HR manager stating that she should not be back until she is totally fit for work and feels ready to return to work. Can I ask if this is the normal procedure within OH departments? How can the OH advisor make a decision without any clinical evidence or supporting documentation? Also, where would we stand from a legal point of view if the company insist that she returns to work, and the problem re-appears and is aggrevated by work. Your thoughts on this would be most appreciated. Many Thanks Adrian