Reasonable adjustments assessments
A reasonable adjustments assessment for your employee
Knowing someone needs adjustments is the easy part. Knowing which ones will genuinely help, and which are workable in the role, is harder. An independent clinician gives you specific recommendations you can put in place and stand behind.
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- Employee consent-based
What is a reasonable adjustments assessment?
It is an independent clinical assessment of how an employee's health affects their work, and of what would change that. It gives you a specific list of adjustments matched to the role, with timescales and a view on what each one is for.
It does not decide anything for you. Under the Equality Act 2010 an employer must make reasonable adjustments for a disabled employee, and what counts as reasonable is the employer's judgement: effectiveness, practicality, cost, disruption and the size of the organisation all come into it. An assessment gives you the clinical half of that picture, so the decision is informed rather than guessed.
This is general information, not legal advice.
Stop guessing what will help
When health is affecting someone's work, managers are often deciding on adjustments with no clinical view: unsure what will actually help, what is proportionate, and how to justify the decision later.
An independent assessment gives you practical recommendations tied to the person and the job, so you can act with confidence and support the employee properly.
This often looks like:
- An employee has asked for adjustments
- A health condition is affecting how someone works
- You are unsure which adjustments are proportionate
- You want recommendations you can defend
- Previous adjustments haven't worked
- You have no in-house occupational health team
How Return Well helps
Independent clinical guidance you can act on
Role-tailored recommendations
Specific adjustments matched to the person and the job, not generic advice.
Proportionate and defensible
An independent clinical basis for the adjustments you put in place.
Covers the full picture
Hours, tasks, environment, communication, phased changes and more.
Fast turnaround
A manager-ready report, usually within 5 working days of the assessment.
What adjustments actually look like
Most are small, specific and temporary. A few examples of the kind of thing a report recommends:
- Musculoskeletal: task rotation, a change of equipment, a cap on lifting or standing time, with a review date.
- Mental health: protected focus time, fewer concurrent priorities, a change to how feedback is given, a phased build back to full duties.
- Fatigue or long-term conditions: altered hours, planned recovery time, flexibility on start times, remote days where the role allows.
- Menopause: temperature and uniform changes, flexibility around sleep disruption, adjustments to meeting-heavy days.
What a report will not do is hand you a generic list. The point of the assessment is which of these fits this person, in this job, and for how long.
How this sits alongside Access to Work
Access to Work is a government scheme that can fund equipment, support workers, travel and adaptations for disabled employees. It does not pay for the adjustments an employer is legally expected to make, and applications can take time.
The two work together rather than competing. An assessment tells you what would help now, including the things you can do this week at no cost, and gives you the detail to make an Access to Work application concrete if you need one.
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 and what each one is for
- A phased plan, where the changes need to be staged
- 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.
Example
An employee with a musculoskeletal condition struggling with their role
The clinician recommended a small set of practical changes: task rotation to reduce repetitive strain, equipment adjustments, and a temporary reduction in physically demanding duties with a review date. The employer had specific actions to implement rather than guesswork.
Illustrative example: every assessment is tailored to the individual case.
FAQ
Common questions
What counts as a reasonable adjustment?
Whatever removes the disadvantage an employee faces because of a disability, as far as it is reasonable for you to provide. Tribunals look at how effective and practical it is, what it costs, how disruptive it would be, and the resources available to you. Many adjustments cost nothing at all.
Will you tell us exactly what to put in place?
Yes. You receive specific, role-tailored recommendations with timescales, not a diagnosis to interpret.
Are the recommendations legally binding?
No. They are independent clinical recommendations to inform your decision. The employment decision stays with you, and we do not give legal advice.
Does the employee have to agree to the assessment?
Yes. It needs their consent and cooperation, and they review the report before it reaches you.
What if we have already tried adjustments and they did not work?
That is one of the most useful reasons to ask. A clinician can look at why the previous set did not hold, which is often about sequencing or timescales rather than the adjustments themselves.
How quickly will we get the report?
The assessment usually within 5 working days of submission, and the report is usually within 5 working days of the assessment.
How much does it cost?
£425 for an employee who is still at work, £495 where a return to work is involved, and £695 for complex cases. No VAT is charged.
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