Policy on occupational health arrangements

Absence Notification & Certification

If a staff member is absent from their assignment due to illness or any other reason, they must comply with the company’s absence notification and certification procedure, the principles of which are as follows:

If you are going to be absent from an assignment for any reason, you must notify your Recruitment Consultant at least one hour before the beginning of your shift time; the more notice the company receives as to your absence, the better the chance that an alternative member of staff can be provided to the client to ensure continuity of care. It is not sufficient to leave a voicemail or to send an email or text message; in the event that your Recruitment Consultant is unavailable you must ask to speak with the Recruitment Manager or another member of the Recruitment team. Direct Medics has a 24 hour on-call service which diverts calls to the nominated on-call consultant, it is imperative you call as emails to individual Recruitment consultants are not monitored outside of core office hours. During sick absence it is vital that you, or in exceptional circumstances a member of your household, maintains regular contact with management to advise of your condition and the date when you are likely to resume work. This will enable the Employer to plan effective cover for the duration of your absence.

For staff working in roles meeting the Agency Worker Regulations’ 12 week qualifying period, the Company reserves the right, on giving notice, to insist on evidence from your doctor for the payment of Statutory Sick Pay, for any sickness absence. A statement of fitness for work is required for all sick absences of 8 days or more (including weekends) and, if sickness continues, at consecutive intervals thereafter.

All staff must complete a return to work interview with their Recruitment Consultant, to ensure fitness to return to normal duties or, if relevant, what adjustments may be required in order to accommodate any new restrictions.

WORK RESTRICTIONS FOR STAFF WITH INFECTIOUS CONDITIONS

All staff must have appropriate training in the control and handling of infections. This will include an appreciation of the need to prevent an infection that an employee may contract spreading to service users and other staff. All staff are required to report and occurrences of infection to their immediate supervisor on their assignment. Employees returning to work after taking holidays in high-risk locations are required to complete an update health declaration.

Each case of infection reported to Direct Medics Ltd. as per the above will be reviewed individually. The action taken will depend upon the following factors:

The nature of the disease/infection;
The likely routes of transmission of the infection;
The persons most likely to be infected;
The staff member’s particular job role
The staff member involved, specifically the degree of susceptibility to infection;
training records and the expected compliance of the staff member with these policies.

Depending upon the circumstances and in consideration of the above, staff members may be re-deployed to job duties which pose less of an infectious risk to hygiene, health and safety. Such re-deployment would be considered temporary until such time that the infection has cleared. If this is not possible, the staff member may be excluded from duties altogether until the infection has cleared.

In cases such as the above, the period of exclusion or amended duties will be determined by the company’s independent Occupational Health provider, pending an update health declaration. Proof must also be obtained in the form of a fit note from a GP.