This page tells you more about the occupational health (OH) referrals for university students, why you might need to undergo a screening and how you go about doing this.
An occupational health check is required prior to registration on a range of courses where you will need to demonstrate fitness to practice, or you may require additional support from the University to help you whilst on course.
An OH check determines your:
The occupational health check will enable the University to make well-informed decisions about your fitness to train on your chosen course and to consider any reasonable adjustments that may be necessary to support you throughout your programme, including your placements. Anglia Ruskin University is committed to providing equality for all students and will work with our occupational health providers to ensure any reasonable adjustments are met to enable successful completion of your chosen course.
As well as determining your fitness to practice at the start of your course, occupational health support is available whilst on your studies, providing ongoing support and advice to help you fulfil the requirements of your course and practice-based learning environments.
Confirmed offer holders will receive a notification from the Admissions Occupational Health team approximately six months prior to the start of your course. This notification will outline the requirement for you to undertake an OH check and confirm the OH provider relevant for your course/campus. Please note The University uses contracted health professionals to undertake the screening on our behalf. These are:
The OH provider is assigned to you based on the location of your course and/or the type of OH clearance required for your course. Please do not contact any of the above OH providers until you have received a notification from Anglia Ruskin University.
Once you have received a notification from Anglia Ruskin University there are two steps to our occupational health process:
The health declaration questionnaire is sent out to you to determine if there are any health conditions or disabilities that could impact on your ability to study or attend practice-based placements. The declaration is returned and clinically assessed by our occupational health provider who will provide recommendations for any reasonable adjustments you may require ensuring successful completion of your course. The OH provider may contact you for a follow-up appointment to discuss any health-related issues you have disclosed. Please consult directly with the OH provider to book these appointment(s).
The health declaration questionnaire will either be sent directly from your occupational health provider via an electronic document or from a link to register to an on-line portal. You should aim to complete the questionnaire or register on the on-line portal within 48 hours of receiving the notification.
For specific Anglia Ruskin University courses that involve practice-based learning in a diverse range of clinical work-based environments you may be required to undergo immunisation clearance for placement. This is usually a set of required vaccinations and/or blood test(s) that in accordance with the current Department of Health and Social Care (DoHSC) guidance and recommendations protects patients, colleagues and yourself against serious communicable diseases. Each course has specific vaccinations and/or EPP requirements and you will be assessed from the declaration you make on your health declaration questionnaire to the OH provider. It is vital that on the health declaration questionnaire you disclose your full medical history and where appropriate provide evidence of your vaccination history.
You have a duty to provide a full disclosure of all physical and mental health conditions, past and present to your OH provider. If you do not fully disclose a relevant health condition that could affect your fitness to practice, this could impact your place on the course. It is important to know that making a declaration to the OH provider about any health condition should be viewed positively and shows you have an awareness of the possible effect of your health on your ability to practice safely. Failure to make a full declaration could result in your offer being withdrawn or your studies discontinued once enrolled on the programme in line with our student suspension policy.
Once you have completed your health declaration questionnaire and returned this to your assigned OH provider, they will review the information provided and contact you directly to discuss the next steps. They may require you to undergo a blood test to confirm immunity if you are unable to provide evidence of previous vaccinations. Your OH provider will continue to consult with you throughout your time on course if follow-up vaccinations are required as you progress through your studies.
If you do not complete all the required elements of the occupational health process, then you will not be 'clear for practice'. This means you will not be cleared to participate in the practice-based elements of your chosen course and this could result in the discontinuation of your studies.
All medical information will remain confidential unless you agree to share this with the University at the discretion of your OH provider. If you chose to share the information with the University, it would be screened by the Occupational Health officer who would share it with the appropriate University support service and/or course leader to ensure that all reasonable adjustments have been taken on board and adopted to meet the requirements of your assessment. The University is committed to providing equality of opportunity for all students and where possible will provide all reasonable support to enable successful completion of your studies.
Whilst Covid-19 vaccination is not mandatory, we strongly recommend our students be fully vaccinated.
All students on health or social care related courses will be asked to complete a Covid-19 risk assessment. In the event of a raised risk level, you will be referred to our Covid-19 OH provider who will conduct a specialist assessment to determine if additional requirements are put in place whilst on placement to mitigate any risks to yourself or others.
Occupational health is an essential requirement for any overseas student who will be enrolling on a health or social care course at Anglia Ruskin University. The health declaration questionnaire can be completed whilst in your home country, but you will need to consult with your OH provider to book your vaccinations once you have arrived in the UK. It may be possible to provide evidence of previous childhood vaccinations. You should consult with your OH provider as to the evidence required.
Anglia Ruskin University are committed to maintaining your privacy, dignity and confidentiality at all times and adhere to the principles of the Data Protection Act (2018) GDPR.
If you have any questions relating to OH, please contact our ARU Occupational Health team on: