Disability
Disability and the role of the Occupational Health Service
The Occupational Health Service works with managers to advise on reasonable adaptations to ensure that the workplace is inclusive for individuals with a disability. This may require adjustments to the processes of work or the premesis to overcome barriers to succesful work. Individuals may be referred by their manager or refer themselves for advice regarding these adjustments. Management referrals should be accompanied by a copy of the employee’s current job description and employment contract. The Occupational Health Service will provide:- Advice to departments on broad reasonable adjustments to accommodate disabled employees. Alteration of buildings, CCTV etc is available from the Estates Office
- Information regarding the provision and purchase of commonly used adaptive and ergonomic equipment. A list of such equipment is available here. (For more specialist advice, for example, regarding screen readers, radio aids or minicoms referral should be made to the Occupational Health Service)
- Identification of transferable skills, training needs, and training options
- Information on local services for assistance and funding
Disabled employees are entitled to absolute medical confidentiality at the Occupational Health Service, but that this may make it more difficult to put effective adjustments in place.
Adaptive equipment should be purchased by the employing department using any available external funding (see Guidance for Management of Disabled Employees). The Occupational Health Service will sometimes loan small computer-related equipment on a short-term trial basis. If any difficulty is encountered providing such equipment, please contact the Occupational Health Service.
In complex cases employees will see the Occupational Physician (OP) for a detailed medical functional assessment. With the employee’s consent the OP may request a report from a specialist or from the employee’s GP. Medical reports from external sources may take time to obtain. The OP may liaise with the Oxfordshire Employment Service regarding more complex cases and undertake joint visits and case conferences.