Occupational health for small businesses
Occupational health for small businesses, without a contract
One difficult employee case should not need an annual contract. Return Well gives smaller employers an independent clinical assessment and a plan they can act on, at a fixed price per case, with nothing to sign up to.
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- Registered, verified clinicians
- Independent & impartial
- GDPR-compliant
- UK-wide
- Employee consent-based
Can you get occupational health without a contract?
Yes. Most providers will take a single referral, and Return Well only works that way: one case at a time, at a price you see before you commit, with no retainer, minimum volume or notice period.
There is also no general duty on an employer to have an occupational health provider at all. Some industries have specific health surveillance duties, for noise, vibration or hazardous substances, and those are a separate matter. What the law does expect is that you consider reasonable adjustments for a disabled employee, and that you act sensibly on what you know about someone's health. An independent assessment is how most employers get the information to do that.
This is general information, not legal advice. Your HR adviser or solicitor can tell you where you stand on a particular case.
Built for employers with no in-house occupational health
Traditional occupational health is shaped around larger organisations: annual contracts, retainers and minimum volumes that make little sense when you need help with one person, once.
Return Well works the other way round. You submit a case when you have one, we choose a clinician for it, and you get a report you can act on. If a year passes without another case, you pay nothing in between.
This often looks like:
- You have no in-house occupational health team
- One employee is off sick, or struggling at work
- You need clinical input occasionally, not continuously
- Contracts, retainers and minimum volumes do not suit your size
- You want guidance you can act on and defend
- You want to know the price before you commit
How Return Well helps
Independent clinical guidance you can act on
Pay per case
No contract, retainer or minimum volume. A fixed price per assessment, shown before you submit.
A clinician chosen for the case
We select the clinician on what the case needs, rather than whoever happens to be free.
Remote, UK-wide
Assessments are by video or phone, so where your employee lives makes no difference.
A plan, not a diagnosis to interpret
Practical recommendations a manager can act on, in plain English.
What you actually receive
One report, written for the person who has to act on it.
- A summary of the situation in work terms
- What the employee can and cannot currently manage in their role
- Specific adjustments, with timescales
- A plan for returning to work or staying in work, where one is needed
- Guidance for the line manager
- A review point, so you know when to look at it again
The report is about work. Personal clinical detail shared in confidence stays out of it.
Who carries out the assessment
Return Well's clinicians are independent, and registered with the relevant UK statutory regulator, such as the HCPC or NMC, or an accredited register such as the BABCP. The network includes occupational therapists, occupational health nurses, mental health nurses and CBT psychotherapists.
- Registration checked on the public register before a first case
- Professional indemnity insurance checked
- Every report checked by Return Well before it is released
- Your employee reviews the report and can ask for factual corrections before it reaches you
What it costs
One fixed price per case, set by the situation. No VAT is charged: the price shown is the total price.
- Workplace Wellbeing Assessment, £425. For an employee who is still at work but struggling.
- Return-to-Work Assessment, £495. For someone coming back after absence.
- Complex Workplace Assessment, £695. For long or repeated absence, several conditions at once, or a return that has already failed.
We grade the case when you submit it, so you see the price before you pay.
How it works
- Submit the case. It takes about 10 minutes.
- We select the clinician, usually within 1 working day.
- The assessment takes place remotely, usually within 5 working days of submission.
- Return Well checks the report, then your employee reviews it.
- The report is released to you, usually within 5 working days of the assessment.
Example
A 40-person business with one employee off long term
The employer had no occupational health provider, and no intention of signing up to one for a single case. They submitted on a Monday, the assessment happened that week, and the report set out a four-week phased return plus two adjustments the manager could make straight away. One fixed fee, and nothing to cancel afterwards.
Illustrative example: every assessment is tailored to the individual case.
FAQ
Common questions
Can we use occupational health without a contract?
Yes. Return Well is per case only. There is no contract, retainer, minimum volume or notice period, and nothing to pay between cases.
How much does it cost?
£425 for a workplace wellbeing assessment, £495 for a return-to-work assessment, and £695 for a complex case. No VAT is charged, so those are the total prices, and you see the price before you pay.
Is this the same as occupational health?
It covers the part most smaller employers actually need: an independent clinical view of how health is affecting work, and what to do about it. Return Well does not provide statutory health surveillance, pre-placement medicals or an on-site service. If you need those, a traditional occupational health provider is the right choice.
Who carries out the assessment?
Independent clinicians registered with the relevant UK statutory regulator, such as the HCPC or NMC, or an accredited register such as the BABCP. We check registration and insurance before a clinician's first case.
How quickly can it happen?
The assessment usually within 5 working days of submission, and the report is usually within 5 working days of the assessment, once we have checked it and your employee has reviewed it.
Does our employee have to agree to it?
Yes. The assessment needs their consent and their cooperation, and they see the report before you do. If they decline to release it, we tell you that the assessment took place and that release was declined. The fee still applies, because the work has been done. That is section 7 of our terms.
Can we use this alongside our existing occupational health provider?
Yes. Some employers use Return Well for cases where they want a faster, or differently qualified, opinion.
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