Pre-Course Health Declaration Questionnaire

As stated in your conditional offer, you must complete and return the Pre-Course Health Declaration Questionnaire and Immunisation History to the University Occupational Health Provider  by the date stated on your offer letter. This is a non-academic pre-admission requirement for acceptance onto your chosen course.  Completion of this is not, however, a guarantee that your place will be confirmed.

All offer holders will be required to register for an account with the University’s Occupational Health provider - Kays Medical and complete the Pre-Course Health Declaration Questionnaire and Immunisation history.

Accuracy is very important so please double check your details before you submit your registration. Kays Medical will be unable to progress your status if this information is not accurate.

To register for your Occupational Health account, follow this link to Kays Medical. On the webpage use the “Register here” link and the invite code of "universityofbirmingham” and then “Submit” and complete the registration form.

You will be required to provide the following details EXACTLY AS STATED IN YOUR OFFER LETTER:

• First name / surname
• University ID number (use the “Employee number” box)
• Course of Study / Programme Title (use the “Job title” box)

This is identifiable data that you are providing to a third party to exchange with the University as part of the admissions process. Failure to complete this information correctly may mean that the University will be unable to identify you and proceed to process your application.

You will also be asked to add the following information:

• Date of birth
• Mobile phone number*
• Personal email
• Personal Address**

*The mobile number is used for account activation purposes (via SMS). If you are unable to access a mobile phone, please enter a landline and at the Activation Code page select “Send Activation Email” instead.

** For the address, please insert the University postcode B15 2TT and “Lookup Address” and select “University of Birmingham” 

You will also need to set a password for your account.

Once you have created your account, please logout and wait for an email from Kays Medical with a link and activation code to access the questionnaire. After you have received this email, the questionnaire can also be accessed via the portal and saved partially filled in for later completion if required.

If you have completed a health declaration form which requires further investigation, Kays will be in touch to discuss the next steps.

The deadline for undergraduates to register with Kays Medical and completing the online forms is 30 June 2025. For those on PG programmes please refer to your specific programme application deadline for returning the forms.

If you wish to follow an example of creating an account. Please watch the video below.

If you have any concerns – please email OH@Kaysmedical.com or call 0151 317 7392. Please ensure you use the details above in any communication so your records can be identified.

For those on PG programmes please refer to your specific programme application deadline for returning the forms.

After completing the on-line Pre-Course Health Declaration Questionnaire, you must be assessed as satisfactory by the Occupational Health (OH) Service before you start on your course.  If you are not contacted by Kays Medical after submitting your questionnaire, you will have been assessed as fit for study on your course.

All healthcare students are expected to be immunised for personal and/or public protection and provide relevant information on their health and immunisation status.

Pre-Course Health Declaration Questionnaire

• Applicants should be aware that completion of the Pre-Course Health Declaration Questionnaire is a condition of entry for starting on your course. Please be aware that failure to return/complete the form by the specified deadline may result in your place being refused or deferred to a following year.
• You will be responsible for disclosing your requested medical information to the Occupational Health service.
• The information you disclose in this Pre-Course Health Declaration Questionnaire will remain confidential to the Occupational Health service and will be used only to assess your fitness for your proposed course or to advise on any reasonable adjustments that may be made by the University for medical conditions and/or disabilities.
• The answers to the questionnaire will also help to ensure that your training will not place yourself or others’ health at risk; and will determine, in terms of fitness, if you would be able to fulfil the requirements of your regulatory body upon graduation.
• You may recieve a call from the Occupational Health service to explore your suitability for engagement with your chosen course.
• The Occupational Health service will give an opinion about your fitness for the course, including any proposed reasonable adjustments to the Admissions Office. The information you give will be stored on the dedicated Occupational Health electronic record system and will be treated in strictest confidence by the Occupational Health service in compliance with data protection law, unless explicit consent is given for further disclosure. In accordance with Data Protection Regulations, you may have access to your records at any reasonable time. If you require a copy of any part of your record, this will only be supplied upon written request.
• You will not be able to attend a clinical placement until Occupational Health has assessed your suitability, based on the information you have provided. This means that you will not be able to achieve the mandatory learning outcomes and will be unable to progress through your course.

Immunisation History Record

• Applicants should be aware that submission of the Immunisation form is also requirement for starting on your course.
• Students are expected to commence a full course of Hepatitis B vaccinations. Following this, a Hepatitis B Surface Antibody blood test is also advised. Applicants should note that the complete Hepatitis B vaccination course can take up to 7 months to complete, and that non-completion may impact the ability to attend clinical placements as part of teaching. It therefore highly recommended that applicants start to receive their initial Hepatitis B vaccinations as soon as a conditional offer is received. It is recommended that all applicants start the vaccination process as soon as possible as placements can start very early at the start of your training.
• In most cases a GP will not administer vaccinations prior to starting on a healthcare programme. However, vaccinations can be obtained from some travel clinics/pharmacies such as Lloyds, BUPA etc.  Please check their websites for availability and to book an appointment, as not all clinics provide this service.
• Your Immunisation history must be competed in the Kays Medical portal  by the required submission date show on your offer letter. Please  complete these details are still in the process of receiving your vaccinations. Your GP should be able to provide a printout of your health record to assist you with this. Please send copies of documentary evidence - do not send originals. We would strongly recommend you retain all completed forms for your own records.
• Once you have started on your programme of study, you will be assessed by the Occupational Health service on your vaccination status, and a risk assessment for attendance on placements will be made available to your chosen course. When you are assessed, the Occupational Health practitioner will explain your vaccination options to you, and this will include opting out of receiving them as no vaccines are mandatory for healthcare workers. If you choose to do this, you will be advised of any potential risks to you and your patients, and what actions you need to take to minimise these; a report will also be provided to your programme of study.
• Please note that vaccination requirements may change in the future as advised by the Department for Health and Social Care, and you will be notified if this happens. 

Reimbursement of cost of vaccines

Some courses in the College of Medicine and Health  require students to start their vaccinations as soon as they receive an offer.

Students who require financial support may become eligible for reimbursement of some or all of the costs incurred: If you meet the eligibility criteria for a Chamberlain Award from the University of Birmingham, you are advised to obtain receipts for any vaccinations that you have had to pay for. Once you commence your course at the University of Birmingham, you may then apply for reimbursement from the College, up to the cost of £200.

Applications are made by completing an expenses form with receipts, and attaching a copy of your Chamberlain Award letter via email to the MDS Student Service Desk. 

Exposure Prone Procedures (EPPs) for Dental Surgery, Dental Hygiene and Therapy and Midwifery courses

Dental Surgery, Dental Hygiene and Therapy and Midwifery students will be required to undertake EPPs as part of their programme of study and therefore screening for Hepatitis B, HIV and Hepatitis C Antibody is a mandatory requirement for the course. Occupational Health will undertake these screenings immediately after you start your course as they need to be validated with your ID (e.g. passport).

The Department of Health (DoH) defines EPPs as: “invasive procedures where there is a risk that injury to the worker may result in the exposure of the patient’s open tissues to the blood of the worker. This is described as ‘bleed-back’. These include procedures where the worker’s gloved hands may be in contact with sharp instruments, needle tips or sharp tissues (e.g. spicules of bone or teeth) inside a patient’s open body cavity, wound or confined anatomical space where the hands may not be completely visible at all times.” (Health Clearance for tuberculosis, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV: New healthcare workers. Department of Health, March 2007).

The concern with EPPs is the transmission of blood-borne viruses (BBVs).

Exposure Prone Procedures (EPPs) for MBChB (Medicine) 

The guidance below is for MBChB students starting in 2024. New guidance will be added for 2025 students as the programme becomes an EPP programme.

Medical Students are offered the opportunity to undertake EPPs during their clinical placements. We believe that this offers an additional valuable learning experience for students, though undertaking EPPs is not a required course component. It is important to note that most clinical procedures are not EPPs. Occupational Health will undertake these screenings immediately after you start your course as they need to be validated with your ID (e.g. passport).

The opportunity for performing EPPs is entirely dependent upon a student agreeing to undertake screening for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV. A student must be confirmed as BBV negative (or meet certain stringent conditions if they are found to be BBV positive) in order to be allowed to undertake EPPs.

Please note that this EPP status is additional to the standard clearance process that all applicants who are made an offer are asked to engage with at the time of admission. The standard process includes advice on vaccination for Hepatitis B. No student will be required to pay for the additional BBV screening that is necessary to acquire EPP clearance. The testing will be carried out by our Occupational Health service after you commence the course. There will be no detrimental impact upon your progression and your ability to graduate and meet the GMC Outcomes for Graduates if either you decline EPP testing or the screening for BBVs results in you being unable to undertake EPPs. After graduation if either of these circumstances applies, you may be restricted in the clinical work you are permitted to undertake.

View our EPP Policy document (275KB PDF)

Exposure Prone Procedures (EPPs) for Nursing, Pharmacy and all PG programmes

If you are doing a Nursing, Pharmacy or any postgraduate programme, you are not expected to be undertaking EPPs and do not require further screening.