Making a referral

What should I prepare before making a referral?

Before you make a referral, it’s important that you have clear reasons for why a person is being referred. We recommend following the steps below to ensure you have covered everything needed to make a successful referral.

• Ensure your employee is fully informed. Explain why they are being referred, what the appointment involves, and who will see the referral.
• Gain explicit consent before submitting. An employee cannot be referred without full consent. Equally a manager or employee cannot refer themselves.
• Provide accurate employee contact details, including a correct mobile number, and enable SMS alerts at the onscreen prompt (as this will allow Optima Health to send reminder texts).
• Confirm availability in advance and record times the employee cannot attend – for example working patterns, carer responsibilities, shifts etc.
• Choose the correct business unit in the dropdown within the Optima Health referral portal to avoid misleading management information (MI) to MOD.
• Avoid adding unnecessary attachments or comments the employee may dispute; all referral content is visible to them on request.
• If involving HR or additional managers in the referral, ensure the employee knows exactly who they are by their name and job role.
• Standard “Occupational Health Advice” referrals only accept one reason for referral. For multiple health conditions affecting performance or attendance, managers should contact the relevant DBS HR Casework team or DE&S HR Casework team to arrange an extended appointment.
• As a manager, set a calendar entry to remind the employee of the appointment at least three working days beforehand.
• Ensure they understand the requirement to cancel or rearrange early within 48 hours (2 working days).
• Check they have a confidential space, especially for telephone appointments.
• If using a mobile phone, ensure it is switched on, has a signal, is usable in the designated work area, and is not set to silent mode.
• For telephone consultations, the employee must be available 20 minutes before and after the scheduled time with their phone switched on and have signal.
• Remind the employee to bring ID for an in‑person appointment when attending an Optima Health Ltd clinic location.
• When using the booking system, please coordinate with the employee to determine the most suitable times and dates for the appointment, ideally booking alongside the employee. If the line manager is uncertain, they may opt not to use the booking system, allowing Optima Health to arrange the appointment directly with the employee.