Occupational Health

Many programmes involve a clinical component, either in individual modules or through the undertaking of a research project within UCLH. Students are required to undergo occupational health checks.

Many programmes involve a clinical component, either in individual modules or through the undertaking of a research project within UCLH. Students are required to undergo occupational health checks in order to undertake any of these activities.

The Department of Health provides guidance about the recommended work related immunisations for new healthcare workers in order to minimise the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases that can be transmitted from person to person posing a risk to both healthcare professionals including students and their patients. Healthcare workers have a duty of care towards their patients which includes taking reasonable precautions to protect them from communicable diseases. All staff should be up to date with their routine immunisations, e.g. tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR.

Immunisation for students in the healthcare sector are recommended as follows:

•    Satisfactory evidence of immunity or non-infectivity (screening) to tuberculosis (TB)
•    Satisfactory evidence of protection through documentation of having received two doses of MMR or having had positive antibody tests for measles and rubella.
•    Hepatitis B vaccination which is recommended for healthcare workers who may have direct contact with patients’ blood or blood-stained body fluids.
•    Varicella assessed through a definite history of chickenpox or a satisfactory positive blood test.