Employment medicals and fitness for work
Wednesday 17 November 2010, Belfast

Programme

9.00	Registration and coffee
9.15	Welcome and introduction Dr John Ballard editor, Occupational Health [at Work]
9.20	Pre-employment questionnaires and screening – research and practice Dr John Ballard editor, Occupational Health [at Work] Who does pre-employment health screening and why? Quality assurance Health assessments and disability Mental health – discrimination and prejudice
10.00	The law part one: pre-employment health checks and medicals Diana Kloss, barrister The Equality Act 2010 Age, sex and disability discrimination Employment law Health and safety law – special cases Human Rights and Data Protection
10.55	Coffee
11.10	Fitness for work, fit notes and good practice Dr Nerys Williams, Department for Work and Pensions Employment medicals – who benefits? Current practice and pitfalls Making the most of fit notes Statutory medical examinations Wellness and wellbeing Medical standards (and obesity) Employment medicals – the future
12.00	Discussion Forum An interactive question and answer session – your opportunity to discuss the issues that currently concern you with the morning’s speakers. Pre-submitted questions are welcomed.
12.25	Lunch
13.25	An evidence-based approach to pre-employment and pre-placement health assessments Dr Ira Madan, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College, London Why do we need pre-employment screening? Is it effective? Ethical issues Streamlining the process
14.15	The law part two: fit for work? Legal compliance and better practice Diana Kloss, barrister Assessing unacceptable absence Medical assessment in long-term absence management Termination and retirement on health grounds Disability – assessment and reasonable adjustments Employment tribunals Mental illness and depressive disorders Drugs and alcohol Statutory health and medical screening General health screening
15.20	Final questions
15.30	Close of conference

 

About the conference

This one-day seminar from The At Work Partnership examines the topical issues of employment medicals, general fitness for work and the use of pre-employment questionnaires and health checks. It is designed to ensure that you fully understand all of the legal and practical issues surrounding these areas – and how these impact on your day-to-day work. It will highlight the importance of the Equality Act 2010 which prohibits most pre-employment health screening before the conditional job offer and will therefore have a major impact on recruitment practice across all sectors.

Practical and up-to-the-minute sessions will be combined with interactive discussion and debate. Dr John Ballard opens the day by examining recent evidence on the use of pre-employment health screening. Our legal expert Diana Kloss then provides an indepth examination of the legal issues surrounding pre-employment health screening, including the implications of the Equality Act 2010. Later in the day, Dr Ira Madan discusses the findings of a recent review of pre-employment health screening of NHS staff, and its far-reaching recommendations for streamlining the process in the future.

In our focus on fitness for work, Dr Nerys Williams looks at good practice in employment medicals, including the new fit notes, and the role of medical examinations and medical standards in fitness for work and potential future trends. Diana Kloss concludes the day with an examination of the legal issues surrounding fitness for work. The seminar is designed to discuss some of the most significant issues relating to employment medicals and fitness for work, and to provide guidance in areas of particular concern to professionals and employers. An interactive discussion forum allows you time to ask the speakers questions on issues that affect your work. You will come away from this conference with an in-depth knowledge of how to comply with the law and achieve best practice in the important topics raised during the day.

This conference is designed for:

• occupational health professionals
• human resource managers
• recruitment and attendance managers

The conference will be of great value to all professionals, consultants and advisers who are charged with the responsibility of managing pre-placement and ongoing fitness-for-work issues, attendance and disability at work.

How will attending this training day benefit you?

You will gain:

• an up-to-the-minute understanding of how the legislation and case law relating to employment medicals and fitness for work impacts on your responsibilities and your day-to-day work. You’ll be certain of your obligations, and how to comply with them.
• an in-depth appreciation of the best practice relating to managing and conducting employment medicals.
• an understanding of how practice is likely to change in the future in the light of the Equality Act 2010.

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