[Closed] Any employers/HR type people..?

Depends on the employer, shirley?

We follow them up by letter, usually after the person in question has started

They should,but often won't bother. I've always done it by phone. Ask them their approach, saying you'd like to notify the referee they might be getting a call.

The reference is hardly worth the paper it's printed on and regardless of how it's solicited, the former employer won't say or pass on anything that's not 100% factual, i.e. cannot be contested.

Character references are effectively pointless as they are subjective and anything negative that is said can lead to litigation against them.