Working Health Services Scotland
If you or your employees have a health condition impacting work, they could benefit from Working Health Services Scotland (WHSS).
WHSS provides free and confidential advice and health support for the self-employed and people working in companies with less than 250 employees.
About WHSS
The service aims to help:
- employees manage their condition and remain at work
- a return to work if a period of sickness absence occurs
- prevent further periods of sickness
Who it helps
You don’t need a diagnosis. If you are experiencing difficulty with your mental or physical wellbeing, we can support you if:
Who can refer
We can accept the following types of referrals:
- self
- employer
- GP
- Health Professionals
- partner organisations
How it helps
Employees will be assigned a case manager to help them through the process. A case manager will:
- complete a comprehensive assessment
- develop an action plan
- co-ordinate treatment
- liaise with GPs, if required, and other relevant professionals
- liaise with employers where required
The case manager may also provide signposting to services for help and advice on issues such as:
- housing
- employment
- debt management
Where necessary, the programme can provide quick access to:
- counselling
- physiotherapy
- occupational therapy
All treatments and interventions are delivered in local community venues whenever possible.
Contact
WHSS has appointments from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday. You can refer yourself, or be referred, and book an appointment using the WHSS website.
Additional work place support for longer-term absences
If you or an employee have been, or is likely to be, absent for 4 weeks or longer, find out more from our Supporting a return to work page.
Role of the employer
As an employer, you have an important role to play in supporting your workers to:
- remain in work when experiencing ill health
- encourage them to return to work as soon as possible from a period of absence
WHSS is a free and confidential service for your member of staff. But we encourage you and your workers to engage in open and honest discussions about what would help them remain in or return to work before you refer them to WHSS.
Staff with health conditions can explain:
- how their condition impacts upon their work
- what would help them to continue to work, some temporary or permanent adjustments to their work activities or routine may be enough to keep staff in employment