Date posted: 01/04/2007

Audience:

  • Staff responsible for referring cases to the scheme medical adviser
  • Staff responsible for paying the scheme medical adviser

Action: To note the new fees for 2007/08 To note the services that are now chargeable To make sure correct referral forms are being used

Timing: Effective from 1 April 2007

Background

  1. Cabinet Office Civil Service Pensions Division (CSPD) manages the contract to provide medical advice for the Civil Service pension, compensation, and injury benefit schemes. Capita Health Solutions (CHS) are currently contracted to provide medical advice for this contract.

Revised fees

  1. Attached to this EPN is a revised schedule of fees that come into effect from 1 April 2007. These have increased by 3% on last year’s prices, in line with inflation. The fees for medical review boards (Service 7) have been updated for the first time in 3 years and therefore reflect increases over this three year period.

New arrangements

  1. The contract specifies a fee for a medical retirement report only where the medical criteria is not met. CHS have additionally been providing reports, without charge, in cases where the criteria is met. We have consulted with a wide range of employers to confirm that these reports are of value and that they are willing to pay for this service. We have therefore now agreed with CHS that reports should be provided and charged for all medical retirement referrals.
  2. CHS also provide reports for injury benefit referrals which provide information that decision makers will use to make what are increasingly complex decisions. We have consulted with users who have confirmed that they are willing to pay for these reports. The cost of these reports has now been included as an additional charge at item 12.
  3. The contract provides for a charge to be made for ad hoc advice at an hourly rate (Service 14). Often CHS do not charge at all for brief telephone discussions. We have now agreed formally that CHS will not charge for any discussion that takes less than 15 minutes. Where the call lasts longer than 15 minutes CHS will charge for 15 minute units in proportion to the hourly rate.

Referral Forms

  1. We issued new standard referral forms in January 2006 (EPN135 refers) but CHS are still receiving some referrals on out of date forms. The current versions are available from our website and contain some minor changes to the original ones. Please make sure that all referrals are made using current forms.
  2. As these forms have been in place for a year we intend to review them to consider whether any amendments should be made. In particular we would like your feedback on whether the forms are user friendly or if you encounter any problems when you complete them. Please email employerhelpdesk@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk before 31 July 2007 if you have any comments to make.

Reference

This document replaces EPN147

Contacts

Enquiries about content, distribution or to receive in a different format

employerhelpdesk@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk
01256 846414
Employer Helpdesk
Civil Service Pensions
Grosvenor House
Basing View
Basingstoke
RG21 4HG

Attachments

Published:
1 April 2007
Last updated:
24 April 2023