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AIBU?

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Original poster

Health disclosure to work in secondary school

90 replies

Creamdonuts · 21/05/2017 16:24

Invited to an interview for a post in a secondary school
It's for a receptionist position in a private school
Looking at this does it mean they want all my GP notes?
Leaves me slightly concerned as when I was a late teenager my mother passed away and at the hospital I threatened suicide and needed a physciatrist report and some counselling although counselling was arranged through work not GP.
Will this show up even though I'm now in my 40s?

Health disclosure to work in secondary school
OP posts:
BusterGonad · 21/05/2017 17:02

Yes, as much as this type of thing pisses me off, it is best to be open and honest. I wouldn't get stressed about it too much, it was years ago and everyone has blips in their life, it's what makes us human.

Original poster
Creamdonuts · 21/05/2017 17:02

From my understanding it's not a checklist I do myself but something the doctor needs to fill out, at a cost which is reimbursed to me.
If it was something I filled out myself I wouldn't have honestly thought about including it aside from the alopecia but i think it will need to be verified by my doc

OP posts:
PurpleDaisies · 21/05/2017 17:03

It's not invasive, it's a standard question. No one at school (except possibly HR) will even know about it.

For all my schools they've only known that I declared something on the form and occupational health and that they found me fit to work with no adjustments.

hula008 · 21/05/2017 17:04

What the company is trying to avoid is employing someone with an unmanaged illness who is likely to become unwell and take time off work.

hula008 · 21/05/2017 17:04

Have you spoken to them about what they are asking or have you just googled it?

BusterGonad · 21/05/2017 17:05

Tell them the truth but in a no nonsense way, that your mother died, you were still a teenager and couldn't cope and had to have time off to recover. You don't need to go into huge detail, just that you needed a bit of extra help and a very distressing time in your life.

lougle · 21/05/2017 17:31

You threatened to commit suicide at a time of extreme stress, and had a psychiatric evaluation to assess the risk of that threat converting to an actual act of suicide, and suffered with severe alopecia, which is a physical response to extreme stress. You then had a counselling session. That falls squarely within the category of mental or stress related illness. The length of that illness does not have any bearing on the quality of it. There is no judgement attached to it and if you are now well (or even if you weren't completely well, but your ongoing treatment was effective and would allow you to work despite your condition) then there will be no issue with that being declared.

Original poster
Creamdonuts · 21/05/2017 17:37

When said like that I understand however it was over very quickly and the alopecia was months later but I attributed it to the loss obviously
I didn't think hospital records and GP ones were linked though, never mentioned at the GP

OP posts:
HelsinkiLights · 21/05/2017 17:42

PurpleDaisies is spot on.
The employer needs to know if they have to make any reasonable adjustments or not.
As failure to make reasonable adjustments with no just/valid reason would be discriminatory & the employer would be breaking the law.
If the employer has just/valid reasons why they cannot offer reasonable adjustments then the employer is acting legally.

Examples:
Reasonable Adjustment met by the employer:
You are partially sighted & your work involves computer use & you need specific hardware/software to do your job.
Your employer provides the software.

Reasonable Adjustment refused without valid reason:
Situation as above but the employer will not provide the hardware/software needed as the employer can't be bothered/it costs money/giving the potential employee special treatment.
Employer acting illegally.

Reasonable Adjustment cannot be met by the employer acting within the law:
The potential employee with limited eyesight has applied to be a Pilot with the RAF, then there aren't any reasonable adjustments that the RAF can make. The RAF are acting legally.

BusterGonad · 21/05/2017 17:42

Don't stress about it Op, tell them what the GP knows and stress how long ago and how young you were.

Original poster
Creamdonuts · 21/05/2017 17:56

Will do, I don't know if the GP would know about what was said in hospital though - are GP and hospital linked now if anyone knows?

OP posts:
gamerwidow · 21/05/2017 19:06

GP and hospital systems are not generally linked but any hospital visit usually results in a discharge summary detailing treatment given being sent to the GP practice. The content of these is dependent on the clinician completing them.
However record keeping at GP surgeries is variable to say the least and if the visit was a long time ago I wouldn't count on them having a record of it.
Even the hospital may not still have a record of the visit if you were over 18 at the time and the visit was more than 8 years ago and you haven't been a patient since. Health records for adults are only kept for 8 years.

DingDong01 · 22/05/2017 10:17

Please don't do that op-they could sack you.
How will they know? How will they find out? If you don't consent to the disclosure of records, they cannot find out.

DingDong01 · 22/05/2017 10:19

You can't tick no
Of course you can tick no. If the information is of no relevance, there is no need for them to know about it.

DingDong01 · 22/05/2017 10:23

The counselling was done by place of work to make sure I was able to return to work
In which case will your GP know about it anyway?

DingDong01 · 22/05/2017 10:33

I didn't think hospital records and GP ones were linked though, never mentioned at the GP
The hospital should ask for consent before sharing information with a GP. So if they didn't ask, your GP shouldn't be aware. The best thing to do might be to speak with your GP and find out what your records do state.

DingDong01 · 22/05/2017 10:47

As failure to make reasonable adjustments with no just/valid reason would be discriminatory & the employer would be breaking the law.
But the employer not knowing about a condition would be a valid reason. OP doesn't want to disclose, employer doesn't know, law not broken. But that doesn't apply here. Personally (this isn't advice, btw) I would just tick 'no' to everything.

purplecollar · 22/05/2017 10:59

I suspect they'll want you to fill in a form, send it to an occupational health company, who'll assess it and see if they want to see you. They won't see everybody - just those where they need to ask more questions.

If they want to see you they'll just ask what happened, how you were treated, are you well now.

Because you're working with vulnerable people (dc), there' s a duty to check you're fit to work with them.

OH don't have automatic access to your medical records. They would have to ask you if you gave permission. If you did, they'd need a signed consent form from you. It takes months to get a GP report back. It's only really done rarely and in cases where proof is needed (e.g. because someone wants their pension released early due to ill health).

I'm guessing but I would say a one off stress reaction to bereavement decades ago is not going to affect whether you're employed or not. I would declare it myself.

user1492692527 · 22/05/2017 12:55

I recently had this with a new job. It terrified me as I thought that, having had cancer in the past few years (but am now in recovery), that it would go against me. What this is requesting is whether you need any adjustments to be made for interview. So, if you were in a wheelchair, were partially deaf, etc etc.

The medical clearance form that I had to do had no part where I could put about cancer etc, and they never asked for my GP or hospital records.

Original poster
Creamdonuts · 22/05/2017 18:55

The counselling was done by work not the GP
I would have thought no was the correct answer too but it seems not!
I didn't think they would be applying for medical records but asking for a list of things to be completed by doctor.
Have you ever suffered with a mental illness or stress?
That's the one that could be yes or no depending on how people take it

OP posts:
DingDong01 · 22/05/2017 19:06

Have you ever suffered with a mental illness or stress?
That's the one that could be yes or no depending on how people take it
It all seems open to interpretation. You could tick 'no', then if that ever came back to bite you on the arse, just claim you didn't consider it to be suffering from a mental illness.

TripTrapTripTrapOverTheBridge · 22/05/2017 19:14

Umm, wasn't there also a thread with the exact same problem only for a TA position and the 'mental illness' an eating disorder (again, disputed by the op in the same manner) and also, again, aolpecia?

PurpleDaisies · 22/05/2017 19:20

It got deleted due to sock puppetry triptrap.

AnxiousOne22 · 22/05/2017 19:23

Op if of helps any, I have depression and anxiety and I work with children. I declared this in my health form and took it to my doctor. There is a bit at the back where the doctor has to tick if they know of any reason you can't work with children. My doctor obviously ticked that I was fit to work with children, even though 2 years ago I had a breakdown in front of him.

A mental health illness doesn't always mean you are unsafe to work with minors. It's very common and it shouldn't hinder you.

It also said on my form that any illnesses or disabilities will not prevent you from working with children, so long as your doctor agrees it's appropriate for you to do so :)

Roomster101 · 22/05/2017 20:00

I would say no. I have never declared my medical condition or given permission to access my records though.