Case Conferences in Occupational Health

What is a case conference?

A case conference is a face to face, or virtual, meeting between the employee (and Mackenzie friend or union representative if requested*), an Occupational Health (OH) professional, generally an experienced OHA (nurse), the line manager and an HR representative.

A case conference allows the health issues, which OH may already have provided guidance to the employer and employee via written reports, to be further discussed, to enable common understanding and facilitate progression towards a solution agreeable to all parties.

Case conferences (facilitation meetings) are an effective tool to assist in resolving or averting long-term problems with fitness for work and can help to improve understanding and assist in decision making and empowering all parties.

When should an employer consider utilising a case conference

Case conferences may be of particularly help in cases regarding long-term sickness absence; inability for a return to work to be achieved despite adjustments, limited progress in anticipated recovery timescales, challenges with facilitating a return to work due to workplace issues or complex physical or mental health conditions or to assist in general understanding of the health impacts.

Case conferences will ONLY be undertaken by Insight Workplace Health following the provision of a written (OHA or OHP) report.

Who should attend a case conference?

The following should normally be present at the case conference:

• The employee

• *The employee's representative

• The line manager

• A human resources (HR) or health and safety (H&S) representative

What happens during a case conference?

Case conferences are normally arranged with at least seven days' notice for the employee and can be arranged face to face or virtually (Teams) depending upon clinician availability. Generally, they will be organised at the request of the line manager or HR representative but may also be suggested by the OH clinician, for example in cases where individuals have been seen on multiple occasions with limited progress in recovery or management of their symptoms.

The employer should ensure that the employee is fully aware of why their occupational health care is progressing to provision of a case conference and what will happen during the meeting (see below), prior to making any booking via the portal.

A case conference may last about 2 hrs (2 x 1hr meetings). It will be chaired by an experienced OH clinician, who will contact the employee prior to the case conference taking place to ensure that there is clarity about the potential issues and what information may be shared with the wider meeting in due course. Typically, this will allow the clinician to obtain an update on any relevant health/clinical information and to clarify what health information may need to be discussed (shared) during the meeting. Only information which the employee consents to sharing with the employer will be disclosed by the clinician within any discussion.

During the Case Conference it is recommended that a maximum of 3 key issues are discussed, to avoid overwhelm and ensure that sufficient time can be allocated to each of the issues.

The OH clinician will make appropriate clinical notes during the consultation; however, no report will be generated, the employer may wish HR to arrange for minutes to be taken to record any key decisions taken during the meeting.

The outcomes of the meeting need not be pre-determined and may depend on the discussion undertaken during the meeting, relevant objectives and the expectations of employer and/or employee.

IMPORTANT:

Where a case is particularly complicated or if previous meetings between the employee and HR/managers have broken down. Please contact IWH before arranging a Case Conference

Discussing emotive topics can be challenging, where meetings become emotional short “time out” breaks can be arranged (within the allotted timescale) as required.

Considering a Case Conference?

Case conferences can be a valuable tool where progress has stalled, health issues are complex, or there is a need for clearer understanding and collaborative decision making.

If you are unsure whether a case conference is appropriate, or would like to discuss a specific case before making a booking, our team at Insight Workplace Health can provide guidance on next steps.

All case conferences are facilitated by experienced occupational health clinicians and are only undertaken following the provision of a written occupational health report.

Contact Insight Workplace Health to discuss case conference facilitation.