Staff Health Declaration

[Guest]

Does anyone ask their staff to complete a health declaration? I know that managers have to complete one and have it sent off to Ofsted with a report from their GP, but for other staff do you ask them to do one? We have been advised to ask them to complete one annually, and make it their responsibility to let the management team know of any changes. Apart from the fact it will probably only affect me I am struggling with what to ask and what is too personal/detailed/etc. If anyone has any examples I would be very grateful.

[Guest]

Cant remember having to fill one in for my setting but I may just have forgotten - we definately do not do one every year. Would I have to declare a seriously terrible memory on a health declaration I wonder?

[Inge]

yes we did one and every year we had to resign and declare any changes to the information...

 

it was very detailed as big O were picking up lots of groups in the area who did not do them,

 

ours was one we were given by our LEA but basically they used the one Ofsted used but left out the doctors bit... one of the questions insisted on was how much alcohol consumed per week and use of recreational drugs? amongst other stuff, from what I remember it was a few pages long... I may have a copy on other PC as we adapted ours to fit our setting.. if I can remember I will put it in the resources section.. I am away for a week from tomorrow so it may not be any day soon!

 

Inge

[Guest]

We have had one to fill in this year for medical conditions.Very basic and it was the school first aider who devised the form and did the admin. The head then checked with certain people as he has a responsiblity to ensure their needs are being meet.

 

I wasn't asked my alcohol intake

Edited August 14, 2009 by Guest

[Guest]

Thanks guys. We looked at using the Ofsted one and just leaving off the GP section but I was worried it was too heavy going. We are a tight knit staff group and to be honest I think we know all about each other as we are friends too. I would be grateful for any examples you could show me though. Thanks.

[thumperrabbit]

Only the Leader does one at our setting.

 

We do each sign a Self Certification Form each year at our appraisal which just states that:-

 

A) I am not under investigation, or have any pending offence that would make me usuitable for working with children

Do not indulge in recreational substances

C) Have no medical conditions that would make me unsuitable to work with children

 

It doesn't mention alcohol though, perhaps it should?

[Inge]

the idea is to show that you are ensuring all staff remain suitable people for working within the setting... they should be a confidential document kept in the staff files, and that you are continually monitoring staff for any changes..

 

the fact that you know each other well does not show a persons suitability,

 

we thought them over the top and I did contest the need with big O , about person being untruthful about alcohol etc, and the comment was that as long as I had asked and had it recorded it was persons own responsibility to ensure it was correct, and showed I had done all I could to ensure the staff were suitable...

 

Inge

[Guest]

Yes I know really it needs documenting. I had similar thoughts to you regarding the validity of the answers and something similar was said to me. Seems to make a bit of a mockery of it though. Similarly we were told we should accept medication which parents told us had been recommended by a pharmacist due to changes in the way medicines were sold. I am refusing to do this as I argue parents could tell us a pharmacist recommended something and be being less than truthful. As we are only sessional I am sticking to medication with a pharmacy label only.

[HappyMaz]

Yes I know really it needs documenting. I had similar thoughts to you regarding the validity of the answers and something similar was said to me. Seems to make a bit of a mockery of it though.

Perhaps the way forward is to omit the questions about drugs and alcohol usage, but instead have a drugs and alcohol policy showing how you would deal with a member of staff who turned up for work drunk or apparently under the influence of illegal drugs? That way you'd be covering yourself, and if a member of staff did turn up smelling of alcohol you would have a policy to follow.

 

Maz

[Guest]

Hi all

I went on a welfare requirements briefing run by the PSLA and they were the ones that said we had to have this health declaration in place. I raised concerns about the fact we would be asking about alcohol intake per week etc and was basically told it had to be completed. I also said it was easy to lie and they said so long as it was completed it didnt matter as it was then down to the individual. Mind you I recently visited the dentist and got asked the same questions!! I did find one somewhere and based ours on that. If I find it (on laptop at mo hence my typing is much better) will upload it for you to look at. We intended to complete on a yearly basis (another recommendation by PSLA) at appraisal time.

[Guest]

Thanks for everyone's comments. I will stop complaining about the futility of it and get on and do it. I'm telling you if we get more "recommendations" from this EYQISP I think I'll scream!

[Guest]

http://www.foundation-stage.info/forums/in...lth+declaration

 

Found this and this has the health declaration form that we use!

Hope it helps. PLus more discussion about it being an OFSTED requirement!

[Guest]

Now why couldn't I find that? Thank you.

[Inge]

here is the one we used... last time Ofsted saw it they were happy...

 

Inge

Health_Declaration_Form.doc

[Bliss]

Leading on from this - does anyone do "Back to work" interviews after someone has been off sick? If so, do you do them even if they were only away for 1 day; if they were away due to looking after a dependent; what questions/discussions do you have?

Many thanks for the Health forms.

[Guest]

We state that we reserve the right to hold back to work interviews but we don't have a pro forma as we never actually have done. I think we would generally bring these into play if we had a staff member who was off sick on a regular basis to try to determine whether something at the setting was causing it. Maybe for one day illnesses if there was a pattern to them. We do encourage our staff to let us know if their absence is due to family commitments rather than personal illness, if nothing else so we can be on the look out for sick children! And I don't think we would bother with the interviews if they were off for that reason. If there seemed to be a pattern for that I might suggest a meeting to see if there was a change to working patterns which might help instead.