Occupational mental health assessment
Psychological conditions may raise complex questions regarding fitness for work:
• Whether a GP’s sick note for ‘stress’ is sufficient to determine how mentally unwell and unfit for work an employee is
• If, when and how an employee may become fit again to return to work
• If, when and how a return to work process could take place
• Who in the organisation should take the lead in facilitating a return to work process
• Whether the employee is psychologically fit to attend employment-related meetings
• How to address a request for reasonable adjustments in the workplace on mental health grounds
• How to support an employee who has been through difficult life experiences, such as the death of a child/spouse or their involvement in a serious accident
• How to manage an employee with difficult personality traits
• Whether an under-performing employee has the capacity to benefit from a performance improvement programme
• Whether a performance improvement or disciplinary process may risk descending into an employee signing off sick with ‘stress’ and/or bringing a claim
• How to address a claim of disability on mental health grounds
Addressing these questions is difficult, particularly when an employee’s GP provides a non-specific sick note citing a nebulous problem such as ‘stress’ or ‘anxiety’.
Grespi offers specialist occupational mental health assessments that provide a clinically and medico-legally sound picture of the situation, clarify the likely nature, sources and dynamics of the presenting problems, and make well thought-out and commercially appropriate recommendations as to how to address them.
The mental health assessment for fitness for work comprises a detailed face-to-face consultation by a Grespi consultant psychiatrist. This is followed by report tailored to your fitness to work questions, which is usually completed within a week following the assessment consultation.
Reporting
Our 1-2 hour initial consultation can lead to one of three types of report:
Occupational Mental Health Report (25-30 pages)
For significant clinical complexity; or differing views on diagnosis; or tortuous employment-related dynamics; and/or a high potential for litigation.
General Psychiatric Report (5-7 pages)
For addressing more general questions, for example regarding diagnosis, prognosis, fitness to work/to attend employment-related meetings, reasonable adjustments, and treatment recommendations. Not appropriate for cases that raise the type of medico-legal concerns mentioned in occupational mental health report.
Brief Psychiatric Report (1-2 pages)
Suitable when an employer would like to provide the employee with the opportunity to discuss with a psychiatric specialist diagnosis, prognosis and recommendations for medical and psychological treatment. Not appropriate when there are serious concerns about the employee’s fitness for work, return to work process, reasonable adjustments and other factors listed under the other two types of report.
Following face-to-face consultation with the employee we let the employer know about our recommendation regarding the type of report and ask them to confirm their funding authorisation.
If you think an occupational mental health consultation may be needed for an employee, the first step is to request a triage telephone call.
Benefits include
Conditions we cover
Our team includes
As Grespi’s clinicians also work or have worked in the NHS at senior levels, they are fully aware of the strengths and limitations of mental health services in both the public and private sectors. This enables our clinicians to make well thought-out recommendations that clarify where, when and how the right type of treatment or rehabilitation plan can be swiftly obtained in the private or public sectors. This efficient approach prevents unnecessary and multiple referrals and delays; and it contains costs for insurers.
Our clinical reports specify
1. The nature of the claimant’s mental health conditions – much beyond simple IBD-10 diagnostic formulas
2. Well-defined clinical prognoses
3. Realistic and evidence-supported evaluations of return-to-work prospects – with or without treatment
4. Treatment and vocational rehabilitation plans, consistent with prognoses and return-to-work predictions
5. Timely update reports on the effectiveness of treatment and vocational rehabilitation plans
Our clinical reports consistently receive top rating from insurers and re-insurers.
On request, we can provide anonymised reports to demonstrate the high quality of our report-writing.
Our clinical services include
We also provide specialist assessments and treatments via Skype to claimants not based in London, or living abroad.
As the current landscape of mental health service providers varies significantly in terms of quality standards, professional accountability and clinical governance, as a claim assessor you may want to have a look at the document Wellbeing and Mental Health Service Providers Checklist which we have developed at Grespi in order to support employers and insurers in the assessment and commissioning of private mental health service providers. At Grespi we are convinced that this document is important not only in terms of the provision of high quality services to policy-holders, but also in order to preempt the possibility that insurers may be challenged by policy-holders about due diligence in commissioning mental health service providers.
Key contact
Ms Jan McKenzie, psychotherapist and clinical coordinator.
1. Wellbeing services
Most psychological difficulties do not necessarily require specialist mental health interventions and they can be minimised by wellbeing programmes.
These programmes work both pre-emptively and remedially, and typically support individuals in managing the stresses of life in and out of work proactively and resiliently; enhance their energy levels; and help them recover after difficult periods.
They include:
(*) Education and training programmes cover a wide range of areas, including:
Wellbeing services and training programmes are conducted in consulting rooms and facilities in central London.
2. Executive coaching
Employees holding senior positions at times need executive coaching to help them identify or tackle weaknesses that are holding them back at work, be they confidence issues, poor inter-personal skills or managing their time, tasks or emotions.
Others may be doing well but can accelerate their development with the help of a coach.
Grespi’s Executive Coaches have the depth of psychological insight allied to commercial acumen which they have acquired over many years of coaching training and business experience, to maximise the professional, interpersonal and leadership potential of their clients.
3. Mental health services
Core features of Grespi’s mental health services include:
Grespi provides specialist assessment and treatments for a wide range of mental health conditions and psychological problems, including:
Grespi’s clinical services include:
Clinical staff
Grespi has a large multi-disciplinary team of 70 specialists who have been working together for the past 15 years in both the private sector and the NHS. This distinguishes Grespi from private providers that operate as chambers of autonomous practitioners.
Grespi’s team includes:
As Grespi is medically-led, all our clinical services conform to the gold standard of the General Medical Council (GMC).
Grespi’s clinicians work and have worked at consultant level also in the NHS and therefore have in-depth knowledge of the landscape of mental health services in the private, public and voluntary sectors and are in a unique position to recommend the most effective clinical options.
Grespi is based in London. We also provide specialist mental health assessments and treatments via Skype to individuals who are not based in London, or living abroad.
Our staff also carry out home visits across the UK.
We are a service partner of International SOS, a worldwide organisation providing medical services to 80% of FTSE 100 companies.
How does it work?
As a first step, you may want to briefly discuss on the telephone your difficulties with Grespi’s Clinical Coordinator.
When required, the Clinical Coordinator then arranges a face-to-face assessment consultation with the appropriate Grespi’s clinical specialist – medical or non-medical as appropriate.
The assessment consultation lasts 1.5-2 hours and is followed by a brief report that will include recommendations on remedial steps.
A GP referral is not necessary. However, in keeping with General Medical Council (GMC) guidelines it is advisable that Grespi’s clinicians should inform your GP about their clinical findings, with your written consent.
Fees
Self-funding
Clinical fees applied by Grespi to self-funded assessments and treatments vary according to the clinical services provided.
The fee for a psychiatric assessment consultation varies between £320.00 and £220.00 depending on the duration of the meeting.
The fee for a non-medical assessment consultation varies between £280.00 and £200.00 depending on the duration of the meeting.
Should a clinical report be required, an additional fee will be charged, which will vary according to the nature, length and purpose of the report.
Grespi’s fees for ongoing individual psychological treatments vary according to the weekly frequency and duration of treatments.
As a reference point however, the minimum fee applied to self-funded once weekly sessions of the duration of 50 minutes is £95.00 per session.
Grespi eserves the right to adjust fees according to the type and frequency of treatments, as well as on the basis of other case-by-case circumstances.
Grespi always provides clear information about fees before services are provided.
Private healthcare insurance funding
Grespi’s clinicians are approved by all major private healthcare insurers including BUPA, BUPA International, AxaPPP, CIGNA, Allianz and many others.
Private healthcare insurance holders should contact their insurers and request an Authorisation Number for their assessment consultation with the Grespi’s insurance-approved clinician prior to the appointment.
Should further treatment be required, private healthcare insurance holders should request a further Authorisation Number from their insurers, as based on the clinical treatment recommendation provided by their Grespi’s clinician.
It is normal practice for Grespi to invoice directly private healthcare insurers.
Key contact
Ms Jan McKenzie, psychotherapist and clinical coordinator.
Request a helpline callback 
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