GDPR changes to occupational health & wellbeing service referrals

March 16, 2018

On 25 May the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will come into force and despite Brexit negotiations it will apply to the UK.

The GDPR will have a significant impact, so it is important to begin preparing now. This act will replace the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998. Failure to comply with the provisions of the GDPR may lead to greatly increased monetary sanctions for the Trust.

In preparation for GDPR, managers will need to obtain verbal or written consent from employees, before referring to the Occupational Health & Wellbeing Service (OHWBS).

The online management referral form will be updated on 2 April to reflect these changes. As part of the form, the referring manager will need to provide assurance that the employee has given consent for their personal information to be shared with OHWBS. In the absence of this consent, the OHWBS will not be able to accept the referral and an appointment will not be offered to the employee.

We ask that all managers introduce the process of obtaining consent with immediate effect in preparation for the changes in April 2018.