Return to Work Interview Form

What is a return to work interview?

A return to work interview is a short private meeting between a manager and a staff member after sickness absence. Hold it on their first day back, or soon after. The aim is to welcome the person back, offer support and check they can work safely, since care staff must be able to do their tasks after reasonable adjustments.

The form is written for care homes, home care and supported living, with a check for each service type.

What the form asks

Part A logs the dates, the shifts missed and whether the absence was reported in line with your sickness procedure. Part B records the reason in the person's own words, along with any self-certificate or fit note and the advice it gives.

Part C asks whether the absence was linked to work, through an accident, an infection caught at work, stress or a concern about practice. It sets out the RIDDOR rules from HSE:

• Report a work accident that stops someone doing their normal duties for more than 7 days in a row

• Those 7 days leave out the day of the accident but include weekends and rest days

• Report within 15 days

• More than 3 days off normal duties is recorded, not reported

Part D checks fitness to return. It asks about any medicine that could affect driving or moving and handling, and whether the person meets your infection control return rules after an infectious illness. Then come the service checks. Care homes ask whether an outbreak affects the return date, home care checks the person can drive safely and manage a full run of visits, and supported living checks they can support each tenant, lone shifts included.

Adjustments and the absence record

The Equality Act 2010 includes a duty to make adjustments for disabled people. Part E records changed duties, hours or equipment, a phased return plan and a date to review them. Be careful with triggers. Take HR advice before you count absence linked to disability or pregnancy towards any trigger or warning, and note the next step in Part F. The staff member can add comments and ask for a copy.

Before you use the return to work interview form

Add your sickness absence procedure, your absence triggers and your occupational health contact. Take HR advice before using it in any formal process. Health information is special category data, so keep the form in the confidential part of the staff file.

Work accidents also go in your Accident & Incident Log. The infection questions rely on the return rules in your Infection Prevention & Control Policy & Procedure.