The University of York is committed to a policy of equal opportunities and recognises the duties specified under the Equality Act 2010.

The following procedure is designed to determine the individual's fitness for their job role and to identify any appropriate reasonable adjustments or equipment which may support the individual to perform their role, as well as any safety measures including on-going health surveillance.

Scope

This document will apply to all new staff and any existing staff offered a new post within the University from the date of implementation.

Principles

All medical and personal information provided by employees will be held confidentially by the University Occupational Health Service and will be subject to the provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018 (GDPR), Medical Reports Act 1988, the common law duty of confidentiality, GMC Guidance on Confidentiality 2009 and the NMC (Nursing) Code of professional standards 2024.

Information from this form will only be released to others with the employee's consent. If health issues come to light which may impact on the employee's ability to carry out the role, the Occupational Health Adviser will advise the recruiting manager accordingly, subject to the legal requirements and guidance governing confidentiality and consent.

If adjustments are required to the duties of a job or to the workplace for health and safety reasons, or where adjustments are necessary for personal protection, information about the adjustments required may be divulged to the individual's line manager.

We may contact the individual to discuss their responses to the health questionnaire or to arrange an appointment with them if this is considered appropriate.

With the consent of the individual, a copy of any advice resulting from the assessment, including any appropriate adjustments, will be returned to the recruiting manager and made available to HR on request. The original form will be retained confidentially by OH.

If queries or concerns should later arise regarding the employee's fitness to perform any aspect of their role, including any impacts of health on work or impacts of work on health, line managers may refer the employee to Occupational Health for further assessment and advice.

The Procedure

Where possible the health screening procedure will be conducted electronically, with all relevant links to questionnaires provided to managers and new employees at the appropriate stages.

Summary of the process

Recruitment to new posts will involve evaluating successful applicants against the health screening requirements of the post they will occupy.

When a new employee is recruited, they will receive an email link to the health declaration form to complete.

The recruiting manager will receive an email link to complete a form that asks about potential health issues (hazards/risks) associated with the post and any appropriate health surveillance requirements. Occupational Health requires both forms to be completed in order to progress any assessment.

When this has been evaluated, we may contact the individual for more information and/or to inquire regarding any support needs at work. We will arrange a medical or health surveillance appointment with the individual as appropriate and/or issue notification of any advice resulting from the assessment/consultation to the recruiting manager.

Alternatively, if no further action is required, the health declaration is simply stored on file by OH.

The process in detail

Food Hygiene

The University's obligations in relation to Food Hygiene legislation and guidelines require specific food hygiene health screening. This should be carried out by the recruiting department during the recruitment process for these contracts. Should there be any query regarding the fitness of the applicant for the post, they should be referred to the Occupational Health Adviser for further advice.

Hazard Breakdown

The health screening process is not a replacement for departmental risk assessment of hazards. Additional advice is available from the Occupational Health Adviser and/or the Health, Safety and Security Department if required.

All hazards listed should be subject to departmental risk assessment and the necessary controls and health surveillance. This includes ensuring that these are in place and notified to the Occupational Health Adviser by the recruiting manager.
Health surveillance will be provided by Occupational Health to employees covering areas such as:

• respiratory health surveillance
• Hand Arm Vibration monitoring
• audiometry/hearing surveillance
• vaccinations and blood tests for Hepatitis B
• advice and follow-up for blood exposure incidents
• blood tests for work with Schistosoma mansoni
• specific health screening and/or medicals for staff working with Leishmania and for those working with radiation and requiring a health certificate for work in foreign facilities.

Training courses provided by the Health, Safety and Security Department can be arranged either by contacting the HSSD directly or via the Health and Safety Training web page.