An organisation intending to implement the Medical Assessment Guideline may need specific focus on HR/IR to ensure that it is adopted effectively. There are four key areas to consider;
- Conduct a Review. Determine in your organisation whether there will likely be IR issues by reviewing procedures and staff employment contract arrangements and consulting with union or related organisations that may be interested in the application of the Medical Assessment Guideline. Also, review the contractual arrangements with contracted service providers to determine whether IR is likely to be an issue.
- Identify Issues. If there are issues identified, then your organisation will need to decide how to address these issues, including whether and how to consult with relevant union organisations. Consider sufficient and timely consultation, HR considerations and consultation, whether or not it applies to contractors and also the management of medical records.
- Put Procedures in place. How to deal with medical assessments that have restrictions and employees that are unfit for their role. How to deal with refusal to undertake the medical assessment or parts thereof e.g. blood test for cholesterol and sugar/urine analysis. How to manage and undertake dispute resolution. Implementation of a Patient Authorisation Form and clarity of how results will be used
- Be considerate. It’s likely you’ll need to consider each IR or union situation on its merits with a case-by-case approach.
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