Workplace health is becoming a shared responsibility
The Keep Britain Working review, published in late 2025, set the direction: employers, employees and the health service sharing responsibility for health at work, with employers focused on prevention and early intervention. A proposed Healthy Working Standard and stay-in-work planning point the same way.
With statutory sick pay now starting from day one of absence, the case for managing health at work well is both clearer and more pressing. A considered set of policies, backed by occupational health, is the practical place to start.
Find the policies your organisation needs
Every employer needs a core set of workplace health policies, shaped by your people, your risks and your circumstances. Tick what applies to build your checklist, then download it as a tailored report.
Clinically led by our occupational health team · framework reviewed July 2026, next review January 2027
Your people
Your risks & exposures
Health & life circumstances
Your policy checklist – 3 policies
These three appear for every employer. Tick what applies on the left and policies specific to your people, your risks and your circumstances will be added here. Open any policy to see what it should include.
Equality Act 2010 · Employment Rights Act 2025 (statutory sick pay from day one) · GOV.UK fit note guidance · ACAS guidance and the ACAS Code on disciplinary and grievance
Equality Act 2010 · Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 · HSE stress and mental health guidance · ISO 45003:2021 · BS 30480:2025 · DHSC Suicide prevention strategy for England 2023 to 2028
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 · Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 · HSE Management Standards · ISO 45003:2021
How we help you develop your policies
A process that gives your team the content and clinical input to develop its policies, and the clinical services behind them.
Understand
We start with your organisation – your workforce, sector and risk profile, and what you already have in place.
Review
We check your current policies and contracts against the law and tier one guidance, and find where the gaps are.
Prioritise
We identify the policies that matter most for your size, sector and risks.
Provide the content
We give you the clinical content, the key points to include and first-tier references to build each policy around.
Deliver the services
Where a policy relies on a clinical service – surveillance, a stress risk assessment, testing, assessments – we deliver it.
Keep it current
We track legislative change and flag what affects your policies.
We flag what is changingThe changes shaping policy now
The live developments we are tracking for clients – and building into the frameworks we develop.
Employment Rights Act 2025
Commencing in phases through 2026 and 2027 – from day-one sick pay and family-leave rights to stronger protection for new and expectant mothers, plus menopause and gender-equality action plans for larger employers.
Harassment – “all reasonable steps”
The duty to prevent sexual harassment rises from “reasonable steps” to “all reasonable steps”, with liability for third-party harassment, from October 2026.
Fit note reform
Reform is under way, with a full government consultation expected to follow the recent call for evidence – part of the wider shift towards stay-in-work and return-to-work planning.
Extreme temperatures
The HSE is reviewing the Approved Code of Practice for the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, which may sharpen expectations on managing heat and cold at work.
Domestic Abuse (Safe Leave) Bill
Before Parliament, this would introduce paid safe leave for victims of domestic abuse, as already exists in Northern Ireland.
Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023
In force from April 2025: a day-one right to up to 12 weeks’ neonatal care leave, with statutory pay for eligible employees – one to reflect in family-leave and absence policies.
Policy development FAQs
The questions HR and people leaders ask most.
It's the process of creating or reviewing the policies that govern health at work – sickness absence, mental health, drug and alcohol, menopause and more – so they meet current law and good occupational health practice. Medwyn provides the clinical content, the key points to include and first-tier references for each policy; your HR and legal advisers hold the final documents.
Both. Some organisations come to us with no formal policy in place; others have policies that need updating to reflect current legislation and best practice. We give you the occupational health content, the key points to include and first-tier references either way – for a policy built from the ground up, or a review and refresh of what you already have – and advise on the right approach for each. Your HR and legal advisers hold the final documents; our role is to shape them.
A clinical evidence base alongside the legal one. Employment-law advice tells you what a policy must contain; our input adds what good occupational health practice looks like in the same policy – so a mental health policy reflects current thinking on early intervention and referral pathways, not only the legal position. It means the policy you build is practical and defensible, and works for your people day to day.
For a single policy, we can usually turn the occupational health content and references around within 5–10 working days of our first discussion; a policy built from the ground up typically takes a little longer, around 10–15 working days. For a full suite, we agree a phased programme and timeline at the outset.
As a general rule, every two to three years – or sooner if there is a significant change in legislation, organisational structure or workforce profile. We can build a review schedule into your occupational health programme so policies stay current without you having to track review dates.
Yes. A policy is only useful if managers understand it and apply it consistently. We can support implementation through manager briefing sessions, employee awareness communications and, for specific policies such as drug and alcohol or menopause, training workshops.
Yes – both are areas where many employers have no formal policy yet. We provide the content and clinical input for neurodiversity policies covering ADHD, autism, dyslexia and other conditions, and for reasonable adjustments policies that set out a clear process for identifying, implementing and reviewing adjustments under the Equality Act.
We work across a range of sectors and tailor every policy to the specific regulatory environment. For example, drug and alcohol policies for safety-critical industries need to reflect different testing thresholds and procedures than those for office-based environments. The content we provide reflects the requirements relevant to your sector.
Related services
The services that put your policies into practice:
Mental health & neurodiversity
Assessment, training and organisational support behind your mental health, stress and neurodiversity policies.
Learn more →Health surveillance
Legally compliant, risk-based surveillance programmes – the delivery behind your surveillance policy.
Learn more →Absence management
Independent OH advice on fitness, adjustments and return to work – the engine behind your absence policy.
Learn more →This page is general information for employers and is not individual medical or legal advice.
Ready to develop your policy framework?
Talk to us about the occupational health content and input to help your organisation develop the policies it needs – tailored to your size, sector and risks, and supported by the clinical services behind them. We answer enquiries within 3 working hours.