Ill Health Retirement and Pension Services

Allowing you to submit referrals swiftly and securely through our online portal

Whether you’re requesting an assessment for an active or deferred member, or a pensioner review, our user-friendly online form can be used for all ill health retirement referrals and allows you to provide us with all the information we need to process the case as efficiently as possible.

You can upload consent forms; job descriptions; any forms and certificates that the Occupational Health Physician will be required to complete following the assessment; and copies of previous occupational health or medical reports to support the application.

If an applicant is suffering from a terminal or life-limiting condition, their case will automatically be escalated to ensure that it is dealt with as a priority.

Your HR Teams will be able to easily track the progress of all IHR cases and receive outcome reports securely via our online portal.

Our knowledgeable advisers are on hand to support you at every step

Our dedicated Pensions Team have considerable experience of dealing with various private and public service pension schemes and will be available to support you at every stage of the process by:

• providing guidance on the completion of scheme-specific application forms
• carefully reviewing all referrals to identify whether additional medical evidence is required and requesting relevant GP/consultant reports or arranging occupational health consultations as necessary, to ensure our physicians have all the information they need to conduct a thorough assessment
• liaising with our Reports Team to ensure that any medical reports requested are regularly followed up and returned as soon as practicable
• ensuring that all cases are handled sensitively and progressed as swiftly as possible, particularly those where there is reduced life expectancy
• providing regular progress updates and supporting with any queries
• offering guidance on and assisting with the appeals process in the event that a decision is disputed

Providing your pension trustees with robust reports and decisive recommendations

Our specialist Occupational Health Physicians act as medical advisers to multiple private occupational pension schemes across various industry sectors, as well as various public service schemes, including the NHS, Teachers’, Police, Firefighters’ and Local Government Pension Schemes.

With expert knowledge of the particular definitions of incapacity and qualifying criteria specific to each of the schemes we work with, including those with tiered benefits packages, our doctors will play a key role in helping your trustees make robust, informed decisions on your employees’ eligibility for early release of their pension due to ill health or injury.

They will provide you with a concise, easy-to-read report based on a thorough review of all available medical evidence, confirming their decision and clearly explaining the reasons for their recommendations.

Our doctors are based throughout the UK and registered with the majority of pension schemes and local pension authorities, so no matter where your employees are based, you can be confident that we’ll be able to offer them access to a professional, independent assessment.

Improve your successful application rate with appropriate claims

Our aim is always to try to help our clients keep their employees in work, safe and well so in every case, before advising on an individual’s eligibility for early ill health retirement, we will seek to determine whether all other options have been exhausted.

As well as gathering up-to-date medical reports from their doctors, we may also undertake a consultation to assess the employee’s functional ability, to evaluate whether there are any further treatment options available or any additional workplace adjustments that their employer could introduce to support their rehabilitation and continued attendance at work. Where redeployment is an option, we will also consider the employee’s potential capability to perform alternative work.

This objective approach ensures that only those individuals who meet the strict qualifying criteria laid out by most pension schemes proceed to apply for ill health retirement, reducing the number of employees going through what can be a very challenging process inappropriately and helping to save you time and money.