Nanny health check

[Wir1]

Hi ladies. Is it legal to request a health check / fit to work letter from the currently employed nanny, if i think she was potentially exposed to a contagiousdisease (like TB or similar)? I would appreciate if you share yiur thiughts/ experience.

Are you offering to pay for the screening tests she would need in order for said doctor to supply a letter stating that she didn't have whatever it is you are worried about? Because a private GP would probably be needed for this and it would be very expensive.

I don't know about the legality of it but ypu can ask, I'm just not sure he/she needs to agree to it.

Are you the employer? It sounds a reasonable request on a one off basis. Agree you would need to pay privately though.

As an employer you can pay for a private medical and get limited results from that, such as being told that your employee is considered fit to work.

If you can do that would depend on what is in your contract with your nanny. Nanny payroll providers often have access to legal helplines, so maybe worth a call to establish your legal rights.

Could you just ask your nanny and hope they tell the truth? If they are not currently diagnosed with anything then they are not going to know themselves, even if they have been to a country of high risk.

Are you worried that your nanny actually has TB?

Transmission of TB is not straightforward, incubation periods can be prolonged. So unless she actually has it it would be difficult to get a medical certificate. Although, she can have an antibody test called a mantoux test to determine if she is immune. But it is very complicated and expensive. (I had to go through re process last year and it took forever)

You should be able to see if she's been vaccinated by the scar on her arm.

If nanny is on the ofsted voluntary list for home child carers (good practice) they will have screened her medical information and records if anything was flagged up.

Borninthe60s I'm not sure that's true! I'm OFSTED registered and I didn't give any medical information, not even my doctors name and address (I haven't been registered at a doctors for over 6 years, rarely ill so no need to register.) I definitely didn't sign anything to say that Ofsted could check my medical background.

Ofsted do not routinely screen nannies for health related things. Social services records are checked so that may bring up something medical related that needs further investigation but that would only apply in a small number of cases.

Different if a registered childminder, as they have to do a health declaration form.