Many of the large organisations in this country undertake pre-employment health screening. This is a simple step undertaken during recruitment, (after interview and offer of post in accordance with the Equality Act 2010), that benefits both employee and employer.
The first and, for many the only, stage of pre-employment screening is the completion of a Health Questionnaire. This asks questions about an individual’s medical history, any current health problems and the previous work-health relationship.
Completed in minutes and sent confidentially to our headquarters in the Astley Ainslie Hospital, this information is then assessed by a qualified nurse with years of experience in Occupational Health. The nurses can assess if there will be any health issues for the person in their prospective post and any adjustments that need to be considered. For example – considering restrictions in manual handling for people with back or shoulder problems, noting the importance of regular breaks for someone with diabetes or making allowance for people with regular hospital appointments as per the Equality Act 2010.
Further action may be recommended, such as advising a workplace assessment be undertaken or informing you of any immunisations or health surveillance needed in the future.
On occasion, further information may be sought, either by a simple telephone call to the potential employee, by requesting a report from their GP or Specialist or by asking them to attend an appointment with one of our Occupational Health Doctors. In any of these cases HR will be kept informed that there will be a delay in our response as to the candidate’s fitness for the job while we await further information, though the reason for this delay will remain confidential.
