Article Abstract:
New regulations under the Access to Medical Reports Act of 1988 effect employers and employees' rights to access medical records. Under the Act individuals have to be told in writing if a report has been requested, and they have to give prior consent before reports can be released. Only medical reports prepared by a medical practitioner for employment and insurance purposes are covered by the Act. Purely diagnostic reports, such as AIDS tests, are not covered by the Act unless they include any treatment for the diagnosed conditions. Under the Act, medical practitioners have the right to refuse to release reports to patients if they feel it would cause serious harm to the patients.
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Article Abstract:
The UK has several laws to prevent discrimination in employment on grounds that are not job-related. The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and the Race Relations Act 1976 prohibit bias against employees because of their sex, marital status or race. Northern Ireland's Fair Employment Act explicitly prohibits discrimination based on religion. Companies may ensure their compliance with non-discrimination legislation by developing and using job specifications. A job specification lists down the skills and experience needed to perform a given job. Failure to use these specifications in personnel selection can result in civil suits. Cases involving employment discrimination are discussed.
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Article Abstract:
The UK Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT), in Cain versus Leeds Western Health Authority, demonstrated the importance of treating employees within an organization on a consistent basis. The EAT stated that employees should be treated similarly, but that extenuating circumstances may cause similar situations to be handled differently. The factors to be considered when comparing two similar cases include the different levels of employees, the different types of violations, different sites, and different time periods.
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