Rehabilitation

• Background
• HSE guidance
• More guidance
• Professional bodies – contact details
• Financial help and advice

Background 

The type and severity of the disease will determine whether an employee can remain in work. If the employee is fit to work, it’s important that they have no further contact with the substance that’s causing the problem until a proper assessment has been made. If the employee has occupational asthma, the employer may have to give them other tasks, at least on a temporary basis, until changes in working practice or new controls are introduced. There may be cases where an employee’s symptoms are so bad that they have to take time off work to recover. If a period of absence is needed, it’s important for the employer to work with the employee to manage their return to work. As a last resort, the employer and/or employee may have to consider if the employee needs to change their job. You can get an overview of key considerations in the rehabilitation process in Work and health: changing how we think about common health problems. Also, see the TUC’s approach to rehabilitation.

HSE guidance

The HSE has a return-to-work factsheet for health and safety professionals, and one specifically for managers.

• a factsheet on sickness absence and return to work
• Return-to-work steps
• Managing sickness absence
• Managing sickness absence and return to work
• Small business sickness absence advice
• Managing sickness absence flowchart
• Tax rules when purchasing occupational health support 

More guidance

• An absence management tool - designed by the CIPD, ACAS and HSE
• The Return To Work Knowledge Base - a resource designed to assist people to overcome injury and get back to work
• Managing attendance and employee turnover - advice from ACAS
• Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development factsheet on rehabilitation, with lots of helpful tips
• Rehabilitation and you - a guide to rehabilitation services in Scotland

Professional bodies – contact details 

British Society for Allergy & Clinical Immunology

17 Doughty Street, London WC1N 2PL

www.bsaci.org

info@bsaci.org

Case Management Society UK

PO Box 293, Sutton SM1 9BH

t +44 (0)870 850 5821

www.cmsuk.org

info@cmsuk.org

Commercial Occupational Health Providers Association

PO Box 6873, Wellingborough NN8 1ZP

t +44 (0)1933 227788

www.cohpa.co.uk 

info@cohpa.co.uk

Faculty of Occupational Medicine

6 St Andrew’s Place, London NW1 4LB

t +44 (0)20 7317 5890

www.facoccmed.ac.uk

fom@facoccmed.ac.uk

Institute of Occupational Medicine

Research Avenue North, Riccarton, Edinburgh EH14 4AP

t +44 (0)870 8505131

www.iom-world.org

info@iomhq.org.uk

Society of Occupational Medicine

6 St Andrew’s Place, London NW1 4LB

t +44 (0)20 7486 2641

www.som.org.uk

admin@som.org.uk

Financial help and advice

Under certain circumstances, employees can qualify for government funding for adjustments to their work environment that would help them return to and remain in work.

Directgov explains…
‘If you feel that the type of work you do is affected by a disability or health condition that is likely to last for 12 months or more, ask the Disability Employment Adviser (DEA) at your local Jobcentre Plus office about Access to Work. They can put you in touch with your closest Access to Work Business Centre to check whether you’re eligible for help.’ Jobcentre Plus has more…

HM Revenue and Customs has a range of advice, including a calculator for statutory sick pay.