Occupational Health (OH) supports NHS England (NHSE) by providing advice on an individual’s health in relation to their role and recommending any reasonable adjustments required to support a safe and healthy working environment.
What happens at pre‑employment stage?
External candidates complete an Occupational Health self‑declaration in Trac using the link provided in their offer letter.
- If no health condition is declared, the OH check is cleared automatically.
- If a health condition is declared, the candidate is referred to Occupational Health for review.
Where required, OH referrals are managed by the external provider, Health Partners.
What happens once an OH referral is raised?
Where an OH referral is required:
- The candidate will be contacted by Health Partners and asked to complete an Online Medical Questionnaire.
- Once completed, the information is reviewed by Occupational Health.
What happens if the candidate does not have a UK address?
An OH referral cannot be progressed with Health Partners unless a UK address is available.
If a candidate does not yet have a UK address, the OH referral will be placed on hold until this information is provided.
What happens if further assessment is required?
If the information provided requires further assessment:
- Health Partners will arrange an appointment directly with the candidate.
- This may include a telephone assessment and, where necessary, a request for additional medical information.
If a candidate does not attend an arranged appointment:
- Health Partners will notify HR Shared Services (HRSS).
- HRSS will liaise with Health Partners to support re‑arranging the appointment.
- Candidates should not re‑arrange appointments directly unless advised to do so.
What happens once the OH review is complete?
Once Health Partners have completed their review, the OH outcome is returned to HRSS.
- Where there are no recommendations other than a standard Display Screen Equipment (DSE) assessment, HRSS will mark the OH check as Success in Trac.
- Where the OH outcome contains any additional recommendations, the check must not be marked as Success until those recommendations have been reviewed and agreed.
What happens when recommendations are shared with the Recruiting Manager?
- The RM is responsible for considering any recommended adjustments.
- If the RM confirms the candidate can start in post, HRSS will progress the pre‑employment checks.
- Where adjustments cannot be accommodated, the RM must contact the candidate directly and confirm the outcome to HRSS.
If the only recommendation relates to a standard DSE assessment, this will not be shared with the RM, as DSE assessment forms part of the NHSE induction process.
This does not apply where the OH report includes any other recommendations in addition to DSE.