Guidance on declaring health issues

In deciding whether to declare a health condition to us, you should not rely on your own judgement or that of a family member or friend, but rather the advice of an independent health professional who has full knowledge of your condition. Paragraph 28 of Good medical practice states:

‘If you know or suspect that you have a serious condition that you could pass on to patients, or if your judgement or performance could be affected by a condition or its treatment, you must consult a suitably qualified colleague. You must follow their advice about any changes to your practice they consider necessary. You must not rely on your own assessment of the risk to patients’.

You must tell us about any health condition which:

1. a. Prevents you from meeting the standards of good clinical care described in the GMC’s publications Good medical practice and The Trainee Doctor, and/or
2. b. Prevents you from working successfully with patients and colleagues as described in the GMC’s publications Good medical practice and The New Doctor, and/or
3. c. Resulted in one or more of the following:
   
   1. i.    An interruption to your medical studies,
   2. ii.   Fitness to Practise proceedings being undertaken by your medical school,
   3. iii.   Referral to Occupational Health,
   4. iv.  A period of restricted training/practice,
   5. v.   A period of medical supervision,
   6. vi.  Conditions or undertakings being placed on your registration.

If you are not sure whether you need to declare a health condition, we would advise you to declare it.

If you declare a health issue, we may ask you to answer a series of questions so that we can more fully assess its impact on your fitness to practise. These questions can be found on our health questionnaire.

You also have a separate duty to inform your prospective employers of any health condition that may impact upon your ability to practise medicine.