Pre-placement health assessments: why timing matters
What's changing
Pre-placement health questionnaires and appointments must now be completed before a new employee starts work. From now on, Insight Workplace Health cannot process a pre-placement assessment for anyone who has already started in their role, even if they only started a day or two ago.
This follows the Faculty of Occupational Medicine's (FOM) ethics guidance, which all occupational health professionals are expected to follow. Below, we explain what the guidance says, what it means for your recruitment process and what to do if a new starter needs occupational health support after their first day.
What the guidance says
The FOM Ethics Guidance for Occupational Health Practice (9th edition, p. 71) is clear: a health assessment carried out after someone's start date cannot be issued on a pre-employment basis.
The reasoning is simple. A pre-placement assessment exists to help an employer make an informed decision before the working relationship begins. Once an individual is in post, that decision has already been made. Any health or fitness concerns then become the employer's responsibility, to be managed through normal employment and probationary procedures rather than a pre-placement check.
What this means for our customers
To comply with the guidance, we have made three changes to how we handle pre-placement assessments:
Questionnaires: any pre-placement health questionnaire we receive after the individual's start date will be rejected, and you will be given the reason at the time.
Appointments: if we find during a pre-placement appointment that the individual has already started work, the appointment will be stopped and we will confirm this to you in writing.
Clearance first: an assessment can only be issued on a pre-placement basis if it is completed before day one.
Planning your recruitment around it
The easiest way to avoid disruption is to wait for the final clearance outcome before confirming a start date. A few practical steps help:
Send the pre-placement questionnaire as soon as a conditional offer is made, not in the week before the start date.
Build time for the assessment, and any follow-up appointment, into your onboarding timeline.
Make the start date conditional on occupational health clearance in your offer letter.
Check with your hiring managers that no one has been brought in early, even for induction or a trial shift.
If someone has already started
You can still get occupational health advice for an employee who is already in post. Instead of a pre-placement assessment, submit a standard management referral.
A management referral lets our clinicians assess the employee's health in relation to their role and give you practical advice, such as recommended adjustments, fitness for specific duties or support during probation.
What if an employee is changing roles within the same organisation?
A change in role within the same organisation is an indicator that a pre-placement health questionnaire may be required, particularly if the individual’s health situation has changed or if the nature of the new role brings additional risks (e.g. manual handling or chemical). In this instance, a pre-placement health questionnaire should be submitted, and an appointment will be arranged by Insight Workplace Health.
Questions?
We know this may mean adjusting how you schedule new starters, and we're here to help. If you're unsure whether a pre-placement assessment or a management referral is right for an individual, get in touch with our team and we'll point you in the right direction.
Email us at admin@insightworkplacehealth.co.uk
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