I am a 33 year old male from the Bristol area. I was shocked when I suffered a non stemi heart attack back in March, I have one stent fitted to my LAD artery, obviously on all the tablets and what not.
Now here is my query i was wondering about, I have recently been offered a new job, I have the contract signed and posted returned to the new employer and a start date, I also have a health assessment form to fill out and return to a nhs department for occupational health, where they ask me about any medication etc. And to give details, now does anyone know if this will affect the new job offer or who can see this information?
Any help greatly recieved
Cheers T
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Barney78
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I was waiting for someone with more up to date knowledge to answer you but theoretically you will be covered by the Disability Discrimination Act. (DDA) and it shouldn;t make a difference - all information should be kept confidential.
So in the details section shall I just put full detail down of what happened etc? At the moment I’ve just got written down what meds I’m on. After reading up I’m under the impression this is only seen by the occupational health people or do the pass on the info?
I know the feeling, HA at 34 needed a job change but not employer. To cut a long story short I applied for a job in Yemen and needed a Medical which involved an ECG. The Nurse came back in with a Dr and asked had I ever had a HA . It showed on the ECG so I explained it was 10 years ago and needed no medication ( I said I didn't put it on the form as I thought it minor ) So I was asked to go to the London Heart Clinic in Harley Street for a Bruce Protocol stress test. Which I passed and the consultant just said I had as much chance of dropping dead as he had !! Medical passed so I went to Yemen. So it's up to you. I think a lot depends on the type of Job, and what would be required for Insurance purposes. Work on the basis they need you or they wouldn't have offered you the Contract,
I think on reflection I would be upfront, BUT this is a personal decision. Say you have Company Life Insurance and something went wrong ( heaven forbid ) and you hadn't disclosed would any one honour a pay out ??
I guess I’m just worried it’ll get passed onto the new employer although I have signed and returned the contract already? The occupational health form asks ‘if on any medcation’ ticked yes. Then asks for details/dates etc. At the moment I just have a list on medcation I’m on.
Hi Barney. This is standard practice at the company I work for (which is a large company that follows every rule and regulation assiduously). You will have been employed because they want you and they will need to look after you. It definitely wouldn't stop my place employing you.
The Equality Act took over from the DDA and that would protect you if your heart condition was serious and amounted to a disability (doesn't sound like it from your post). It's mentioned in this leaflet from BHF: Returning to work with a heart condition - British Heart Foundation
I would be open and honest with them. Your medical history will be confidential and will only come out into the open if they need to make reasonable adjustments for you. Having said that if your new job has specific requirements that require you to have a heart that's in top condition (for example they might require more tests if you've got a job as a pilot!)
Congratulations on your new job. Great start to 2019!
thaanks Steve. Do you think I should list all medcation, when and what happened and that I have been fully fit and back to work since may? I only had a full month off work then back part time for two weeks then full time back. No heart damage luckily, heart scan looked strong and healthy!, been fine ever since!
Hi. If it was me - I'd probably keep my answers brief and factually correct. But if you feel happier giving the full details then I don't think that would do any harm especially if there's a space for it on the form (I can only talk from my company's perspective). At my place they'd follow up with an occupational health call and that's when you would get a chance to talk through things in more detail and that's when they'd talk about reasonable adjustments etc (so if you had a back condition they'd provide a special chair etc). It sounds like our conditions are very similar (only I was mid 50s when my heart condition came to my attention). It seems to me (via holiday insurance) that once you've had the stent and no chest pains etc that you're considered a normal risk.
I have been Type 1 diabetic since childhood and found attitudes totally vaeiable between companies. For over a decade I worked for ICI. Staff were employed on skills an potential. They had the company doctor check me over after I returned from a very nasty bout of gastroenteritis and never had the slightest issue with outpatient appointments. Two subsequent companies had issues with outpatient appointments despite mostly being 6 - 12 months notice. Where I now work part-time there has never been an issue with outpatients although I can mostly fit them around my hours. Post bypass recovery it was how was I doing not when are you back in. In and among I have had some bizarre rejections post health questionnaire/medical. Three large companies even withdrew job offers with pathetic excuses. Good luck - just remember they want your skill set!
Hi Barney. If you want a definite response you probably need to speak to a lawyer (maybe there’s one on here?) My guess is the answer would be ‘it depends’. The question I’d ask is why would they want to go back on the offer? They want you and you’re no bigger risk than anyone else. In fact with all the meds and the monitoring you’re probably in much better shape than a lot of other people out there.
It would help if you found a job that is not stressful at all. For people that had a heart attack, it is important to have a calm life. I was a firefighter. It is a very stressful job. When I finished my education at firerecruitmentaustralia.com.au, I was so happy that I would work as a firefighter, which was my dream for my whole life. After three years of working, I got a heart attack, and I got restricted from working as a firefighter. This is all because the job is very stressful, and it can cause another heart attack if I continue working.
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