HR out of control?

eeeemer

Hi there!
If I'm off work on sick leave (a full-time employee with a sick cert), can my employer make direct contact with my consultant/doctor?
Thanks!

randomrb

They can get in contact all they want but your doctor shouldn't give themk any information unless you have authorised it. Double check your contract but i would be surprised if it was in it

GBX

They cannot disclose private information about a patient.

PCX

I would have thought that it was OK for them to contact the GP to check that the Cert was real and not forged. They should not be asking more than that.

Misguided1

Your doctor/consultant won't be able to do anything other than confirm the legitimacy of the cert. Unusual that HR would contact your doctor rather than via a company doctor. Nothing can be disclosed without your consent.

Glass fused light

As above, yes.
The company can contact anybody they choose in regards to you.
But for them, under the new regs medical data requires an additional layer of data protection and data handling.


The medical professional who has been contacted won't disclose any medical information (and may not even confirm that you are a patient) without your direct consent.
Also the medical professional is/ can be limited in the what can be disclosed eg the data should be limited/specific to your current condition.
It's no harm to contact the pratice and raise any concerns you may have directly with them.

If you are going to be off for a long period, it's no harm to setup a dedicated emeil address and ask HR to send you out a copy of the policy and proceedures that they will use to manage you through the process, this way both sides are aware of any specific requirements and timelines. Plus you have the opportunity to question /resolve policy issues which are aren't in line with current legistation.