A New Starter Assessment (NSA) is the most cost-effective way to identify health problems early on so that appropriate adjustments can be put in place to support the employee in their role. About 5-10% of all new starters will have some medical issue(s) relevant to their fitness for work.
New Starter Assessments have 3 key objectives:
- Ensure compliance with the Equality Act
- Identify any relevant underlying health conditions of a new employee
- Recommend appropriate adjustments to support the employee
How does a new starter assessment work?
After you have made an offer of employment or an employee has started their role, we will complete an assessment on your behalf. This is usually done via an online questionnaire and assessed by an OHA. We will then provide you with a professional fitness to work report, advising you of the outcome and recommendations.
Where possible, we will complete these remotely to ensure a prompt and cost-effective service. On site, face to face assessments will only be offered where we feel it is necessary, or at your request.
As well as new starter assessments, Fusion can provide a night worker and clinical worker assessment service.
Why would we outsource a new starter assessment to Fusion?
Outsourcing your new starter assessment to an independent provider instead of doing it yourself will ensure that the candidate and/or the new starter can fill the form honestly. They will be in the safe knowledge that their form is being screened by a clinical professional and none of their private details will be seen by their employers. Often, when employees fulfil their own new starter assessments employees are reluctant to divulge essential information through fear, they could lose their position within the company.
Having your new starters assessed by a medically trained professional who understands medically issues and needs will ensure your employees needs are understood and met, enabling them to transition into their new positions smoothly and with confidence. Your new starter assessment report you receive from Fusion will advise you whether your new starter is fit for work, fit for work with adjustments, or not fit for work.
An important part of the screening by the clinician is to decide whether a declared condition warrants further investigation. Statistically, around 30% of the forms we receive require a confidential prebooked call between the employee and the nurse to assess how a medication/condition or disability impacts on an employee’s daily routine.
How does it work?
Our system sends an automatic link to the employee that allows them to complete the form on any mobile, laptop, or PC. Forms are screened within 1 working day with the certificate being sent out straight away unless a follow-up call is required. Follow-up calls are booked within 5 days of the form being screened, with certificates being sent out shortly afterwards.
What kind of new starter assessments do you do?
There are varying forms for different roles, to ensure all employees receive the right support in the workplace examples include:
Office worker, night worker, clinical worker with NVA for the care sector, food handler, safety critical job roles.
We can also do bespoke forms for any roles in any industry. Give us a call to see how we can help you with your new starter assessments.
Using technology to create a seamless new starter assessment process
All our new starter assessments run through our online healthcare system. This ensures we provide a fast and quality service to all our clients and never miss out on any forms we receive.
To enable the smooth running of this service, Fusion can integrate with your existing onboarding platform to remove the need to key information into two systems. (Your system and Fusions system) This takes out the HR admin time needed to provide new starter assessments through an independent provider.
Fusions system can be configured to track and chase form returns, ensuring we don’t miss any new starters. In addition, we can provide you with management information reports around your assessments for you to use internally.
