Diana Kloss’s latest blog looks at implications of a Court of Appeal decision which held an employer liable for actions of a GP providing pre-placement medical examinations.

In current occupational health practice, in-house directly employed OH departments are becoming less common and independent OH providers are taking over. OH professionals, especially nurses, may be directly employed in-house or by an independent provider but physicians and allied health professionals like physiotherapists are often appointed as independent contractors.

In Various Claimants v Barclays Bank, the Court of Appeal held the bank could be liable for actions of a GP performing medical examinations of job applicants, even though the GP was an independent contractor.

Read the full blog: Vicarious liability for independent contractors providing OH.