AIBU to lose sleep over pre employment health check?

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I've just got myself a brand new job. This is all fantastic, but I have just been asked to fill out some medical forms as part of the pre employment process and for some reason it all seems very invasive to me!

I have two main concerns-

1. How honest do I have to be? I don't have any major health issues, and I don't need any adjustments to be made. I do have very painful periods due to some hormonal disturbances. As a child I had some health issues which have now been fully resolved. Do I need to mention these?

1. Just how much information can they get about me from the NHS? I ask because I don't want them to get contradictory information from two different sources. I haven't been in UK for that long and I've never been treated by the NHS for anything. However, they probably do have some details about my medical history from when I registered with them. I called my GP surgery and asked exactly what information they would give out about me to an employer and the lady categorically said that they would reveal nothing. She said that they wouldn't even acknowledge that I was registered there. Unfortunately, this isn't what the NHS website states It states that a GP can pass on details of medical history to a potential employer and that I can ask to see what these might be before they are passed on... I don't know what to believe here and I would be grateful if someone with more information could clarify this for me.

Look at what sort of things you would have to declare if you were applying for your own private health insurance and go from there.

For private insurance I wouldn't declare anything because I would want to be covered for everything

Nobody would ever do a blood test to check levels of medication pre-employment, that's just bonkers. But yes you do have to declare what medication you take.

For private insurance, not declaring stuff is even more of a disaster than not declaring it on your pre-employment check. As soon as you want to make a claim the insurance company asks for your WHOLE record from your GP. If you didn't declare something, even if it's not directly related to your claim, your whole insurance is invalidated.

Really, really don't do that. You will be covered for nothing.

Plus you are massively over thinking your pre-employment check. Occ Health (and your employer) will be far more impressed by someone who acknowledges they had depression once and knows the risk factors, than someone who lies about it potentially putting themselves and the company at risk.

OK, can we please all just let go of the minor bout of depression?? That part is decided and I am not seeking advice about it. And what I said about private insurance was a joke. I will cross the private insurance bridge if and when I apply for it.

I am more worried about the asthma and figuring out the correct way to declare it.

I agree that doing a blood test to check levels of medication is bonkers, but they can do pre employment drug testing right? I have no way of knowing if the medicines I take might cause a false positive.

No they wouldn't. And have they even said they will do pre-employment drug testing? That's incredibly rare.

You declare the asthma by saying asthma and what medication you are on, and something like 'use salbutamol once a year/week/day'.

If they actually care about you having asthma they'll give you an appointment. Seeing as you are applying for an office job it's v unlikely.

The aim of this is to check you can do the job or if they will need to make reasonable adjustments to help you. It is not to analyse your past. However if you proceeded to have multiple sickness episodes from something you hadn't declared, this would be a disciplinary offence. The sickness is fine, the lying is not.

To be clear, nothing has been said so far about pre employment drug testing but I still want to be prepared.

By the way, if anybody has a source which can elaborate upon which medications can and cannot show up on drug tests, then I will be most grateful.

What medications are you taking?

I agree that you are massively over thinking this - its not supposed to be this stressful!

I have sent you a PM, Tabitha.

Is there something you are worried about coming out?

Not exactly since I am declaring the two medical issues I have. However, I am worried that declaring this might cause more trouble than it's worth :(

Tbh it's what you're planning on not declaring that's going to get you into trouble.

I have severe recurrent depression and I do declare it. The most that's ever happened is a chat with Occ Health where I tell them how I manage it and what professional support I have.

3 years is quite recent. I'd worry that if you had another episode in the next few years that they may not support you and you do in fact end up getting fired for covering it up.

^ ClayDavis, are you referring to the depression?!

If I do have another episode, there is absolutely no way in hell that I would tell my employer or ask for time off to deal with my depression. Depressed or not, I continue working and nobody in my professional space ever finds out. I will deal with it in my own way- which does not involve any medication or time off from work. If I needed counselling, I would visit a private therapist- not anyone on the NHS or related to my employer. I have never been treated for any mental health condition on the NHS and there is no record of this whatsoever. I intend to keep it that way.

Like I said, Please give me advice on ways to declare the asthma and the other conditions I have mentioned. I have no idea why everyone is so interested in the depression! (which I have already decided not to mention).

I'm not seeking any advice about the depression. It's minor, irrelevant and there is likely no record.

I would be grateful if everyone could give me advice about the other aspects of the process.

i wouldn't worry about the asthma, as long as it is controlled. DH has asthma and insurance companies like to know that it as controlled and you don't have attacks which hospitalise you. DH just has the blue inhaler (reliever?), some people have the blue one and I think, brown one (preventer??). It is something that I would declare though and say it is controlled.

I just saw that the asthma was years ago and you hadn't had it for ten years, so just tell them that and it will be fine, if you did get it again you would just go the the GP and get an inhaler prescribed. DS had childhood asthma and is mindful of it but hasn't used an inhaler for a good few years now.

What are the two conditions? Asthma and painful periods?

Asthma - childhood, no longer treated with medication
Painful periods - treated with OTC medication

Your are really, really overthinking this!!

I worried alot about filling in my questionnaire, but honestly you shouldn't. Remember those are standard forms so they have to include all the wording about contacting your gp etc - these people don't have the time to follow up on everyone's minor health issues! They would only do it if they had REAL concerns about your ability to do the job. (i.e. bad back and then applying for a job that involves heavy lifting).

I take medication for a minor benign heart condition which I disclosed - that could save my life if something did ever happen to me at work. I also have suffered from anxiety in the past (not dissimilar to disclosing depression) which I also disclosed.

They didn't give a hoot about either of those. Honestly disclosing these conditions is not a conspiracy not to hire you - they are for your own good as well. Painful periods are a non-issue, loads of people have asthma anyway, and 1 in 4 suffer from some form of depression in their life (workplaces are very aware of this).

The above poster put it well - and really you are overthinking this.

OK, last question-

There is a medicine that I take occasionally when I develop some troublesome symptoms. The maximum length of time that I might take this for is around 2 weeks.

I have never been on long-term medication and I am currently not taking anything regularly other than some vitamins and an anti-allergy when required.

So here's my problem.

There are two questions on the form, one which asks whether I was ever on any long term medication and one which asks if I am currently on any medication.

Is it reasonable to say 'no' to the above two questions?

Is the medicine a prescription one?
How long have you taken it for?
What do you take it for?

If you regularly take something that is prescribed (ie. two weeks every few months) I would answer yes to regular medication and explain further. Anti-allergy and vitamins are usually over the counter and I wouldn't bother mentioning these.

OP you don't have to have any kind of examination in this country if you don't want to.

As an aside it might be time to address the painful periods issue - perhaps thinking about it you might want to see your doctor. I had incredibly painful periods pre-kids - to the point of lying under desks in agony in lunch hours in an office. I really should have gone to my GP and asked for some help. It was only being pregnant for nine months ad the absence of periods that made me realise how much it had ruled my life. In my case the Mirena coil has taken periods away - and thus the pain. I am completely aware that many on MN have found the opposite with that particular solution, but there are a fair few avenues. Employers have to make allowances for medical conditions - so its not all bad if you tell them....

I would say long term medication is something you take say for example, my DH has high blood pressure and he take medicine daily to control it and he will probably take it forever. Also stuff like asthma, diabetes various auto immune diseases need long term medication.

Is it a steroid based drug you take for a couple of weeks for if something flares up which controls it, or something like that. If so I would probably mention it.

Yes, in the UK it would be a prescription medication however, in my home country it isn't. It's a theophylline.

The medicine is something I take for asthma. Like I said, I only take it as if I rarely get some minor symptoms such as tightness in the chest. Never take it for longer than a couple of weeks.

I wasn't ever prescribed steroids or any serious long term medicine for my asthma because it wasn't that serious.

greencatseyes-

I have taken the pill in the past to regulate my periods but the hormones gave me some nasty side effects. I am hesitant to try any other hormonal therapy.

I doubt any employer is going to make serious allowances for my periods anyway.

It sounds like you have very mild asthma which is probably caused by an allergy to something which you very occasionally have to control by medication. I would probably mention it but it is certainly nothing to worry about. It sound similar to what my DS had when he was younger as he is allergic to some animals and used to occasionally get with his hay fever.