Hi, I have an employee who struggles with mostly mobility issues which means that he has to take sickness absence on various occasions.  He recently went off sick prior to the summer hols with what looks to be a prolapsed disc but has yet to receive his formal diagnosis.  

I have kept in touch during the holidays to see how he is and offer any support required.  He has his next appointment with the consultant mid September but his Consultant is saying an Operation is very likely.

He has a long employment history with us (20 years) and is looking to retire in the next 5 years.  

I am wondering when would be the best time to refer to Occ Health (do I wait until he is due to back to School?) and if I do refer him to Occupational Health I am thinking of asking if Ill health retirement could be an option due to the ongoing problems.  Do I need to discuss this possibility with the employee first - I don't want to give him further stress if he is not thinking along these lines - or can I just ask about this possibility with the Occ Health team before discussing with the employee?

Also, has anyone had any experience with ill-health retirement requests and how difficult is it to obtain the recommendation from Occ Health?

Your thoughts/assistance is appreciated.  Thanks