When joining a health and social care course we have a professional responsibility to ensure that you are fit to undertake the Occupational you will be studying. For this we contract our SEQOHS-accredited Occupational Health supplier at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals to assess all our students.

The assessment is an online health questionnaire through a system called ‘Cority’ (you will receive an email from notifications@cority.com, in our experience, it’s likely the email will be delivered to your Junk/Spam folder, so please check), which asks (but is not limited to) details surrounding your medical history, current medical conditions, medications you may be prescribed or taking, amongst other questions. You can also upload your vaccination history to this questionnaire. This is then submitted and assessed by a specialist within Occupational Health, and if they need further information from you, they will contact you directly. Please be open and honest when completing this questionnaire, failure to disclose a medical condition is a fitness to practise issue which could remove you from the course.

Health screening of health and social care applicants is carried out for various purposes:-

  • To confirm your fitness to complete the course including placements
  • To indicate where additional support and adjustments are required for students to complete the placement aspects of their course
  • To confirm your fitness for employment within the NHS and Social Care environments at the end of their course

Medical opinion is provided about a student’s ‘Fitness to Practise’ in accordance with national standards such as Higher Education Occupational Practitioners (HEOPS) guidance, Faculty of Occupational Medicine, NHS England, General Medical Council (GMC), Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) standards and immunisation standards as set in the “Green Book”. Furthermore, we take into account requirements of the appropriate professional regulator e.g. the NMC and HCPC in respect of health, conduct, disability and competence. Candidates for health courses involving exposure prone procedures are assessed for blood borne viruses in accordance with Public Health England guidance.

This forms part of the professional requirements and we cannot fully enrol any applicant who has not been cleared medically fit to undertake the course.

Where needed a telephone or face to face appointment will be arranged. It is important you engage with this as soon as you are contacted.  If you have any queries contact the NHS on  01142714737 or sth.sohs@nhs.net

If you have a long-term condition or disability, the Disabled Student Support (DSS) team can offer you advice and help you access support appropriate to your needs. You can find out about the different support options by visiting: https://www.shu.ac.uk/disabled-student-support. You can register with the DSS service before you start studying with us, you can find the link to register here: https://www.shu.ac.uk/disabled-student-support/registration. You can contact the DSS team directly on 0114 225 3964 or disability-support@shu.ac.uk 

It is your responsibility to inform us of any changes to your health whilst you are studying.

FAQ

What if I don’t engage with the health assessment?

All offers made for health and social care courses are subject to satisfactory health clearance. Applicants who do not engage with the process at pre-enrolment stage will have their offer withdrawn.

Compliance with OH screening is a requirement of all courses. Upon enrolment to their first year all students agree to comply with the health screening processes throughout their studies. Students who fail to comply with the requirements will be subject to Fitness to Practise proceedings.

Can I appeal an Occupational Health assessment decision?

An applicant/student may appeal against the medical opinion received. Appeals should be made to the Professional Issues Team (Health and Social Care) at hwbprofessional-issues@shu.ac.uk who will review the grounds for appeal. Further information on how to appeal and what is required can be found here.