Don’t want my line manager to know…

[Usernamechanged25]

i have been off work with depression . Occupational Health have written to my psychiatrist for a report (I wanted to be helpful and stupidly signed a consent form).. My psychiatrist has said that they intend to send Occupational Health a copy of the initial report they did for my GP.,This includes details about a horrific sexual assault I was subject to as a child (amongst other more recent and I would argue relevant things- bullying at work etc). I feel horrified that this may be shared with my line manager and potentially even more widely distributed (he is a terrible gossip). Is there anything that I can do? I don’t think I could beat to go back if he found out, it’s so personal and I don’t believe it’s directly relevant (although I know past trauma can impact upon more recent experiences and how we react ) I really don’t want my manager to know.

Makes me feel physically sick and my skin crawl. Help!!

Can you get an appointment with OH and ask them to clarify what will and will not be shared with managment? Ethically they should only advise managment of anything essential pertaining to your work, but I can absolutely understand your fears. I am so sorry you went through that.

Gosh how difficult for you OP. In the immediate, I would email your psychiatrist and revoke consent with immediate effect. Then speak to OH to understand in more detail what would be shared and how. Then proceed from there.

I am sorry for what you have been through.

That doesn't need to be shared. They don't need to know the reasons why. They could just say childhood trauma. Don't let OH re traumatise you.

Thank you. To be honest I just don’t trust that it won’t be shared . OH are not very organised and have sent things to my employer and not me (by accident) before.

i really wish I hadn’t discussed it with the psychiatrist and definitely not signed the consent form.

I think I may have to resign. I just can’t bear the thought of it being discussed.

I agree with @porridgecake - contact HR for reassurance. Certainly in my role of line manager within an HR setting the information/advice from OHS was incredibly discreet even when I had been provided with specific information by the employees themselves eg sexual assault or termination of a pregnancy etc.

I am also sorry you experienced these events and you are now anxious about how your information will be shared.

Can you ask the psych to write a letter instead, outlining the broad issues/ your diagnosis without going into the specific details and share that instead?

Agree that you need to contact the psychiatrist immediately to withdraw consent, and then ask for a letter from the psychiatrist which does not go into detail. Good luck x

Withdraw *consent

Do you have an appointment with OH? You can ask them what information is disclosed to work.

Thoigh even of you don't -OH wont included medical detail in their letter to yoir HR.

Wording would be along the lines of "Ms Usernamechanged25's sick leave absence is due to genuine medical reasons" then if you are fit to work and details of how long you might be absent and if they want to have a review of your case again. (A repeat review generally only occurs where its long term sick leave absence and there's no return to work date )

Your manager will be told whether you are fit to work or not and if there's a return date or not.

Medical information will only contain vague detail if it affects the work. Such as a broken arm for someone who works in a warehouse lifting hravy objects. HR will know the person can return but must have light duties.for a certain amount of time.

Only time details get included in the OH letter to HR is if you consent to it. Then even if you do, HR shouldn't send that info to mangers.

Thank you for your replies. The psychiatrist has written a letter and wants to attach their initial assessment as an annex. But it contains so much detailed and quite graphic information (to be honest I wasn’t pleased at the time and could barely read the copy). I would be horrified to think people in work were aware of it.

My work place has quite a hostile environment (largely why I’ve been off). They dont do a lot to maintain confidentiality and HR are not very approachable. I could try speaking to OH and HR but worried about making it difficult.

I've had a few OH reports sent to me from HR for members of my team. They have been very detailed and in all honesty OP, I think you need to cut this off at the source to prevent your very personal information being released to HR and possibly your manager.
Speak to your psychiatrist this morning and withdraw consent and request only essential medical facts are included.

I'm sorry for what happened to you.

I'm sorry did you just write that OH sent your work things that were meant for you?

Do you mean medical documents or things like appointment time detail?

Oh are medical professionals and therefore can see medical records (at least certain people in the OH office can.) But they cannot inform your work without your consent.

I think in that case, write to the psychiatrist with your concerns. Telephone their secretary first and tell them written request is coming.
OH and HR services vary. OH should be bound by condidentiality standards, but I can understand your anxiety.
IMO there is no need for the psychiatrist to share so much detail with OH. All they need to do is a letter stating that you have a genuine, diagnosed illness and what the treatment and expected course is likely to be.
OH should then extrapolate what the implications on your work/ attendance will be. That is all your manager needs to know.

Unless you are being sensationalist (which on this thread is cruel) your HR have breeched GDPR.

As have OH if they have passed that information on to HR in order to allow them to tell you.

@AnImaginaryCat my post is not sensationalist. OP thinks she may have given consent for lots of personal information to be given and I've advised to withdraw that consent and clearly state only essential facts are included.
OH have not breached GDPR by passing on the report to HR. OH are an external company and only provide the report, it's then up to HR and myself to implement any agreed suggested changes.

Thank you. Yes I’ve seen this done and , as a line manager, received reports with a level of detail I didn’t think was necessary.

In my case OH have already accidentally released a report to my employers that was meant for me (to confirm that it could be shared). I didn’t want to make a fuss but it does make me worried about their information handling. I think if I do want to prevent my employer knowing what happened I will have to ask the Psychiatrist not to release it. I’m just not sure on what grounds I can do that and if I will get into trouble with work?

I really don’t think that level of detail is necessary for my employer to understand I have depression, that the Equality Act applies (which the Psychiatrist has confirmed it does) and some reasonable adjustments are needed (she has made suggestions).

if she really feels she needs to disclose the report I am at a loss as to what I can do other than leave? People knowing that level of detail about what has happened makes me feel physically ill. I couldn’t sit opposite them in a meeting : just couldn’t do it.

You say "very detailed" report. Do you mean medical information? Which is what the OP is worried out. If the detail wasn't medical then you are being sensational as this will cause stress for the OP thinking her report be passed around like a tabloid.

So if your HR have given you very detailed information about something such as childhood sexual abuse of one of your reports the HR have breeched GPDR. Passing medical information on is a breech of GDPR.

The physicist is sending a medical report to another doctor (OH) and thats what the OP has consented to. The OP has not consented to OH giving information to her HR department.

Stop trying to derail the thread.

I've clearly explained what can be passed on, and suggested OP reviews the consent.

Throwing around words like "tabloid ", you clearly have misunderstood my post. Back off.

I'm not derailing the thread. You've said you receive "very detailed" reports from your HR. You didn't mention if the report that pertained to gave consent for that. You haven't even said what sort of detail it was. You are allowing the OP to have the impression it is a standard amount of detail.for a line manager to get told and that details of her abuse will be given to her line manager.

Medical detail cannot be passed on without specific consent. That's a different consent to OH requesting medical records from another medical professional.

Your childhood abuse has nothing to do with your work @Usernamechanged25. They will not and cannot be told anything about it. OH doctor needs to know more information than your work does in order to assess how long you may be absent from work. But please contact OH and ask what info will be sent on to your work.

In reality anything OH tell your HR and anything your HR tell your line manager, you should be told about. If you aren't you can make a FOI request

I am very sorry you are going though this.

If an employee has given consent for the OH letter to be released to HR and the OH Policy/absence procedure says OH reports will be shared with line managers, the GDPR legislation has not been breached.

Clearly OP, there had been a breach of trust and confidence between you and the OH provider. The request from OH to your own medical adviser should have received your consent. The OH report should receive your consent before it is sent to your Employer and you have the right to veto anything you don't wish to be shared. If you don't allow any information to be shared or to co-operate at all with OH, then your employer has the right to make a reasonable decision(s) in relation to your employment (termination or adjustments) without that information.

Between the lines, what I am reading here is that you don't like or respect your line manager and you don't trust HR who you consider unapproachable. You also have concerns about OH. In addition you raise concerns about workplace bullying and have been on sickness absence for some time.

For many reasons it seems you are unhappy at work. Let it go OP. Move on. Work makes up a huge part of our lives and being miserable in a job isn't worth it.

I am sorry for your trauma.

Talk to the psychiatrist and explain that you need them not to go into lots of detail in the letter. Explain why.

Your medical information is your own, and it is ultimately your choice as to who it is shared with. If you revoke consent for your psychiatrist to share details they will have to abide by that. I would take a double approach though. Write to the psych, telling them in clear specific terms that you do not consent to them sharing the report they have made, and that you want advance copy and approval of anything they do intend to share. Write to OH and complain about their poor data management, and say that you also don't consent to them sharing anything on your behalf until you have seen it and approved it.

I live with someone with depression, and have suffered muself, so I know it's tough getting through this kind of stuff with depression. If you have someone close to you who you can trust, ask them to help you, because you need to stand up for yourself here, and exercise the rights you have. You're not asking for anything wrong, you're asking for your reasonable level of privacy to be respected.

Can you withdraw your consent?

Contact your psychiatrist and ask for only the letter to be sent, not the initial report to GP.

Tell OH that you wish to see the report they compile before it goes to your employer.

You can also withdraw all consent to share information but the risk is OH make decisions without all the medical facts

The psychiatrist has written a letter and wants to attach their initial assessment as an annex.

Tell the psychiatrist NO to enclosing the original assessment. Problem solved.