Management Referral Process for Staff and Professionally-regulated Students

Find out about management referral process for employees, post‑offer applicants and professionally-regulated students, for health‑related concerns.

Additional Detailed Guides

More detailed guidance is available for:

• Referring managers
• Referred employees
• Referred professionally-regulated students

On this page

• Purpose of the referral process
• Exceptions (when no referral is required)
• How to submit a referral and who can refer
• What happens after a referral
• Referring manager responsibilities
• Our service standards

Purpose of the referral process

The process supports staff, job applicants, and professionally-regulated students who may have health-related concerns affecting their ability to work or study. Workplace Health provides impartial advice to referring managers (and HR for staff referrals) to help determine appropriate support, adjustments, or further assessment where needed.

A management referral should be considered when:

• A referring manager has concerns about how an employee or student’s health may be affecting their performance or attendance at work or study.
• A job applicant (post‑offer) has disclosed a health condition, or references indicate higher-than-average sickness absence.

For broader context on the purpose and principles of referrals, managers should consult the referring manager’s guide.

An 'on-offer' referral may be made for new starters when:

• They disclose a health condition during onboarding, or
• The hiring manager has concerns based on pre‑employment information (e.g., reference patterns of sickness).

Workplace Health will assess the applicant and provide a report (with consent) to the applicant, referring manager, and HR People Partner, outlining any necessary adjustments or limitations.

If a new staff member’s role involves exposure to health hazards (e.g., laboratory allergens, human blood or tissue, or safety‑critical tasks), requiring appropriate health screening, managers should refer to our Health Hazard Identification guidance. Workplace Health will advise on required health screening based on the health hazards identified.

Exceptions (when no referral is required)

Some support routes do not require a management referral to Workplace Health:

• Ergonomic equipment or assistive technology (chairs, standing desks, adapted keyboards, assistive software): staff and managers should contact the Digital Accessibility Services team directly.
• Counselling and emotional support: staff should contact the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) provider, students should be signposted to Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

These pathways operate independently and do not require Workplace Health involvement.

How to submit a referral and who can refer

Management referrals must be made with the full knowledge of the employee or student to ensure transparency and allow Workplace Health to receive all relevant information. This enables objective and informed advice.

Referrals can be submitted by:

• For staff: line managers, HR People Partners (HRPP) or Employee Relations acting on behalf of the manager
• For students: tutors/supervisors, programme directors, programme administrators or course leads

The referring manager must hold employee status at UCL. Referrals cannot be submitted by colleagues, contractors, visitors (other than agency workers), or honoraries unless the honorary member of staff is jointly appointed by UCL and NHS Trust (section 3 of policy) where they can line manage staff and are considered “shared employees” of both organisations.

To submit a referral, managers should complete the relevant referral form and submit it to Workplace Health via MyServices.

What happens after a referral

Following submission:

• An Occupational Health practitioner conducts an assessment.
• Workplace Health may provide advice on potential workplace or study adjustments.
• Recommendations will be shared with the referring manager only with the employee’s consent.
• If medical treatment, tests, or specialist investigation are required, the individual must consult their GP — Workplace Health does not provide medical treatment.

Where adjustments are recommended, Workplace Health will send advice to the referring manager once the employee consents to releasing the information.

For information about reasonable adjustments and Access to Work for disabled staff, please read information and guidance on disabilities and accessibility. 

Referring manager responsibilities

Managers should:

• Read our Manager's Guide to Occupational Health and Referring for Advice.
• Clearly explain the reason for referral to the employee or student.
• Provide Workplace Health with all relevant information and documents.
• Consult their HR People Partner where needed (for staff only).
• Review the Workplace Health report (issued with employee / student consent) and consider any recommendations for adjustments.

Our service standards

Workplace Health aims to offer:

• Consultant physician appointments within 10 working days
• Specialist practitioner (nurse) appointments within 5 working days

Timelines may vary based on service demand and the employee’s availability. Complex cases requiring external medical reports (e.g., from a GP or specialist) may take several weeks. 

Following receipt of the employee’s consent, Workplace Health aims to release the OH report within 5 working days.