Accessing Health Support

Advice on how to access health support at UCL as staff, students or post-doctoral researchers.

What is your role? Please chose the scenario that fits you best:

I am a UCL employee (I have a UCL payroll number) and need health advice. This includes Unitemps / agency staff working at UCL  

• You are eligible to access all the services available via Workplace Health (WH). This includes a full occupational health service and the staff wellbeing offer (provided by Workplace Health) including the employee assistance programme (EAP), staff physiotherapy for work-related musculoskeletal issues, seasonal flu vaccine voucher, and eyecare vouchers for staff working with screens.  
• This also includes management referral to Workplace Health for assessment and advice where health is impacting on work or vice versa. 
• Self-referral to Workplace Health is also available if you wish to speak to someone confidentially – please note this does not generate a report to your manager. 
• You also have access to any support that help to mitigate health hazards – for example, lung function testing or hepatitis B vaccination (if identified as required by local risk assessment).  
• For disability support, staff should follow our referral process. We will provide suggested adjustments, managers / supervisors can see how these should be funded here, if they feel the adjustments are reasonable. 
• Note: only employed members of our community (with a UCL payroll number) have access to Access to Work funding from the government.  

I am an enrolled student and need health, mental health, wellbeing or disability support and advice 

• Student Support and Wellbeing Services (SSWS) provides a range of information about how to access health care during your studies. 
• SSWS also provides counselling and practical mental and disability support.  
• SSWS can help with a Reasonable Academic Adjustments and your academic department can support you with any study adjustments. 
• Note: Disabled students might also be eligible for additional funding. SSWS can help eligible enrolled students to access financial support. 

I am a doctoral researcher at UCL (PhD and professional doctorates; salaried / unsalaried; funded / self-funding) 

• If you are working at UCL with laboratory animal allergens and / or in a laboratory handling human blood or tissue, you can access health surveillance and / or immunisation via Workplace Health. Your supervisor / line manager should use the health hazard identification form to refer you for an assessment. Local risk assessment will identify when this is required.  
• To apply for an NHS research passport, or to access vaccination service for overseas travel on UCL business, your supervisor / line manager should also use the health hazard identification form to refer you. Local risk assessment will identify when this is required.  
• If you are enrolled as a student at UCL, you have access to all the student services from Student Support and Wellbeing Services (SSWS), including counselling and the Reasonable Academic Adjustments process. Along with mental health and disability support, you can also contact SSWS for general health information.  
• Reasonable Academic Adjustments (via SSWS) and support from Workplace Health are available to ensure that doctoral researchers are not disadvantaged during their research and their viva examination, while ensuring that academic standards are upheld.  
• You also have access to the management referral service from Workplace Health if the issue is impacting any part of your role that is equivalent to a workplace setting (for example, in a laboratory) and you need advice regarding the workplace (‘occupational health’). You will need to be referred by your supervisor / line manager. This assessment will usually be related to workplace assessment, laboratory safety and reasonable adjustments. 
• Any reasonable adjustments are developed on a case-by-case basis and in partnership with the doctoral researcher, their supervisor (or PGR Administrator or Graduate Tutor from the Faculty / Department), and an adviser from SSWS.  
• Workplace Health also make recommendations as an outcome of the referral process. Our clinical team will generate a report back to your referring supervisor, making recommendations to support you. The report generated should be discussed by the supervisor and doctoral researcher to agree if they are practical and reasonable (please see the advice on management referral process for further information). Although aimed at UCL staff, the process is the same. 
• For reasonable adjustments related to any academic assessments, including upgrade and viva examination, doctoral researchers are advised to contact SSWS at the earliest opportunity to discuss the support that may be needed. Please see this guidance on how to plan for tailored adjustments in postgraduate research.  
• Note: Workplace Health does not share any data or reports with Student Support and Wellbeing Services (SSWS), so you are encouraged to pass on any report we share with you to their services if helpful.   
• Note: Unless you are formally employed at UCL, i.e., you have a contract of employment and a payroll/employee number (for example, as a PGTA), you will not be eligible for services that constitute staff benefits, such as physiotherapy services or the eyecare scheme.

I am an MRes / MSc / MBBS / MPharm / BSc student wanting to undertake a project within NHS or at UCL where a health risk might be present 

• You can access health hazard screening via Workplace Health - this will be a chargeable service. Your project supervisor should use the health hazard identification form to refer you for an assessment. Local risk assessment will identify when this is required.  

I am a student at UCL and my course requires occupational health screening

• Courses which have this requirement are listed here
• You can discuss if you are eligible for funding for any disability support to enable your studies with Student Support and Wellbeing Services (SSWS) and also with your department. (Workplace Health do not have access to any funds). 
• You can access the student referral (fitness to practice) process. This referral process can be used when returning to your course after an health-related interruption, or if your health is impacting on your ability to undertake your placements. You may also be referred by your department (Institute / School) if you are going through a formal ‘fitness to practice’ process.
• You can access all support provided by Student Support and Wellbeing Services (SSWS). 
• Your pre-enrolment assessment process will be advised by your department (Institute / School).