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UCL Workplace Health undertakes confidential medical assessments for student groups coming to study at UCL.
Courses we support
The courses we support are:
| UCL School / Institute / Division | Programme of study |
|---|---|
| UCL Institute of Education (IOE) |
|
| UCL Medical School |
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| UCL School of Pharmacy (SOP) |
|
| UCL Institute of Neurology (ION) |
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| UCL Division of Psychology & Language Sciences (PALS) |
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| UCL Ear Institute |
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| UCL Institute of Ophthalmology (IOO) |
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| UCL Cancer Institute |
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| UCL Division of Medicine |
|
Health declaration
Workplace Health 'health questionnaires' should be completed by you and assessed by us prior to commencing your course at UCL, although different courses work to differing timelines. For the timelines and key dates for your course, please contact UCL Admissions or your School / Institute / Division (home department) contact.
The Workplace Health process is designed to support you in your training and chosen career. We will always advise your home department of any adjustments that may be helpful to you on your course of study.
About the questionnaire
On the health questionnaire relevant to your course, you will be asked to declare all significant health conditions from which you have ever suffered. UCL has a responsibility under the Equality Act (2010) to make reasonable adjustments to support disabled students in education. The health issues of most students can be accommodated though the School / Division / Institute has a duty to confirm students are capable of practising in a safe and responsible manner. It is therefore essential that you declare all health conditions so that we may assess any impact they may have on your ability to study or to practise safely, take responsibility for young people in your charge (teaching students) or vulnerable and sick people of all ages (clinical students). This will include, but is not limited to:
- any impairment to sight, hearing or speech
- difficulties with mobility
- any conditions which may leave you with an increased risk of infection
- any condition which affects concentration, awareness, memory or an ability to learn and understand
- any condition that may affect your judgement, mood or behaviour.
We advise you to declare as much information as possible about treatments, medications, follow-up appointments and the impact of symptoms on your ability to undertake your daily activities. If you have had any adjustments supporting you currently in school or in work, please let us know about these too.
Submitting your health questionnaire for assessment
Once the School / Division / Institute to which you have applied has sent us your contact details, we will load them onto our database which will enable you to create an online account on the Workplace Health (WH) portal. You will receive an email with instructions on how to register on the WH Portal and how to create and submit your health questionnaire for assessment.
Please note that WH Portal is entirely separate from other UCL systems, and therefore you need to create a unique log in using the same details that we received from your School / Division / Institute or Admissions as those details will be the ones loaded on to our database. Please refer to the 'WP Portal' guide document below for detailed instructions.
The above user guide contains step-by-step instructions and advice on:
- Signing up for an account on the WH Portal
- Creating and completing a questionnaire
- Attaching documents to your questionnaire
- Uploading your immunisation evidence
- Troubleshooting common problems
- Resetting your password
Once you have completed the questionnaire
Once you have completed the questionnaire, it will be assessed by one of our Occupational Health Advisors who may wish to speak to you to obtain further information (medical school applicants – please see additional information).
We understand that some of the information you declare could be very sensitive and you might find it difficult or upsetting to talk about, however, please be assured that our team are all very experienced in having these types of conversations (the person who you will speak to about your health is a registered nurse). You may feel that the questions you are asked are intrusive, however, our screenings are based on the standards outlined by the professional bodies who regulate your chosen profession and guidance published by HEOPS (Higher Education Occupational Practitioners network). It may be helpful to look at those documents prior to speaking to us. The reference list shows the specific documents to your chosen course of study.
When we call, if you are not in an environment where you can speak freely please just let us know and we will call you back later at a more convenient time. We would advise a quiet space where you cannot be overheard.
All information you declare to us is treated in the same way as any other medical information, such as that held by your GP, and no one can access it without your informed consent. Please see our full privacy statement.
In certain circumstances, the nurse may decide that an assessment is required with one of our doctors (Occupational Health Physician). The nurse will explain the reason for this decision. In those circumstances, it is essential that you attend this appointment so that we can assess you fully. Not attending may result in you not being able to start your course. If you need to travel to London for a face-to-face assessment, you will need to make your own arrangements for this.
During a consultation you may be asked for consent to obtain a medical report from your GP or your treating specialist. If a report is required and your GP makes a charge, you are liable for that cost. A report will then be compiled by our doctor and the outcome shared with the School / Division / Institute, with your consent. The doctor will explain to you what they wish to put into the report prior to sending it.
It is the School / Division / Institute (i.e., your home department) who will decide if they are able to accommodate any advised adjustments and if you are able to meet the academic and practical criteria of the course of study / regulatory body with those adjustments in place.
If you do require adjustments because of a health or learning need, you also must refer yourself to UCL Student Support & Wellbeing Services (SSWS) team who will arrange a practical assessment and help you access any equipment you need, as well as create a Summary of Reasonable Adjustments (SORA) to support you as you move through your course of study.
Immunisation requirements
Meningitis ACWY - students should contact their GP to have the MenACWY vaccine before starting university or college. If that's not possible, they should have it as soon as they can after they begin university. Please see the NHS MenACWY vaccine overview for details about eligibility.
Any student undertaking a placement or training for a clinical environment must undergo a health screening appointment here in Workplace Health before starting that placement.
When submitting your health questionnaire, please upload any documents that you have relating to your vaccination and immunisation history. This could be evidence of blood tests showing immunity or immunisations you had as a baby.
Requirements for all clinical students
Students should protect patients, colleagues and themselves by being immunised against serious communicable diseases when vaccines are available. The guidance will change over time but the current DH guidance recommends the following:
- Tuberculosis (TB): The current DH guidance recommends BCG vaccination for students with direct patient contact. Furthermore, in accordance with National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines, NHS workers (including medical students) who have access to healthcare settings or have patient contact as part of their work will require screening for Tuberculosis (TB) before clearance can be given. TB screening is required to detect if there is evidence of latent TB or active TB which will need to be medically treated to prevent the spread of infection to vulnerable and at risk. Students having stayed >3 months in a high-incidence country in the last five years (‘high risk’ is defend as an incidence of >40 cases per 100,000. Tuberculosis by country: rates per 100,000 people.
- Measles and Rubella: Students training in clinical environments, as health care workers, must be able to prove their immunity to measles and rubella. This can either be with a blood test results showing immunity (a positive IgG level) OR evidence of two MMR vaccinations having been given. If only one vaccination has been given at the time of assessment, then an immediate booster is required (if more than a month after the first vaccination was received).
- Varicella: Students training in clinical environments, as health care workers, must be able to prove their immunity to varicella (chickenpox). If the student is from temperate climates then an oral history of infection is acceptable. If the student is from a tropical and sub-tropical climate then serological screening should be performed regardless. Non-immune students must be given two varicella vaccinations in line with the Green Book chapter 34.
- Subtropical map
- Tropical map
Immunocompromised students will be unable to receive live vaccinations and it may be necessary to advise the School of restrictions required whilst respecting the student’s right to medical confidentiality.
Please also read additional information for medical students (includes information on Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV).