Occupational health

[Presonus]

Just a quick one, it may not strictly be a legal question but can't seem to find anything on google.

Regarding occupational health referrals, there's a lot of information out there for people who have been referred to OH by their employer with regards to their rights as to whether they have to attend, provide info to the employer etc.

What I'm not sure about is what the situation is if the employee asks for an OH referral and this gets acknowledged but ultimately doesn't happen (i.e the manager opts to have a discussion and document the employees health concerns relating to the issue but no specific medical advice is taken) and things progress to the point where the health matter escalates. I appreciate a lot of companies especially smaller ones unlikely have direct OH access but is there any obligation on the employers part with regards to having a medical opinion on health matters if the employee requests?

[ULA]

There is no obligation on an employer to get a medical opinion however, if there is an escalating medical condition, particularly if there is any view that it could be covered under the Equality Act as a disability, then it would be good practice to refer to OH. Another thought is that they can ask the employee for permission to contact their GP or any specialist consultant and get a medical report that way.