Pre-employment screening

All prospective employees should complete a medical questionnaire, which includes permission for the occupational health unit (OHU) to contact their general practitioner or hospital consultant if necessary.

Questionnaire's need to be fully completed and clear to enable a complete assessment to be made. Poorly completed forms cause delays in the medical screening process.

All medical questionnaires must be signed and dated by the applicant.

The questionnaire is submitted directly to the OHU to maintain confidentiality. An assessment is then made on the candidate's medical fitness for the proposed post. An occupational health adviser carries out the assessment.

a medical clearance may, in many incidences, be given on the questionnaire alone. This takes one to three days
some candidates are required to attend for a medical examination. This takes one to two weeks
in some cases a medical report is required from the candidates own doctor. The employing department would meet any additional cost of the medical report should it be more than £24. The department would be consulted prior to application for such a report. Costs vary and receipt of a medical report can take between two to eight weeks. The OHU will chase outstanding reports weekly.

The OHU can be contacted at any stage to see how the assessment is progressing. Following any of the above the personnel/recruitment officer will be informed of the outcome of the medical assessment.

Medical questionnaires are filed in the OHU and are confidential. Medical information can only be given out with the written permission of the employee.

Advice given will be regarding:

the candidates fitness for the post
any restrictions in the proposed duties/hours
adjustments necessary in the case of a disability
any review appointments required in the OHU.