Additional Information for Courses with Required Placements: PVG; Health Clearance; Uniforms; Insurance

All students undertaking practical placement activities as an intrinsic part of their course are required to join the PVG Scheme, or have their PVG membership linked to QMU.  Information on applying can be found on the Disclosure Scotland website.  Please note that only matriculated students with a current UK address are able to apply.

There are three types of PVG Scheme application available and it is essential that the university submits the correct application for you.  The three types are:

You must provide three forms of ID* to Queen Margaret University, via the HUB, for the purposes of identity checking, as required by Disclosure Scotland.  At least one of the ID's should be photographic and, across the three, they should confirm your name, date of birth and your current UK address.

*Acceptable forms of ID include (but are not limited to):

• Birth Certificate
• Passport
• National ID card
• BRP
• Driving License (Provisional License is also acceptable)
• Bank Statement or similar (dated within last three calendar months)
• Utility Bill (dated within last three calendar months)
• Lease Agreement

Scanned copies / good quality photographs of original documents will need to be submitted to Queen Margaret University after Induction week, unless otherwise advised, via a HUB site which will be identified during the 'Pre-Placement Talk'.

Countersignatories, acting on behalf of QMU, will create your PVG application form around three months prior to your first placement. An email containing a link to your application form will be sent from Disclosure Scotland to your QMU student email address, and you will have seven days in which to complete the application. After this time, the link will no longer be valid and a new application will need to be generated by us. In order to help with this, a virtual session will be timetabled within that 7 day period to provide allocated time, should you require it, and for staff to be available for any questions you may have about your application.

Documents submitted for PVG ID purposes will only be retained by QMU for use by authorised countersignatories in the event of any queries with your application.  Once the PVG Scheme Membership certificate is issued by Disclosure Scotland, and QMU have received our copy, all documents submitted for this purpose will be deleted in line with Data Protection requirements.  For further information, please see our web page.

ASSaM students/applicants require to pay the PVG application fee of £18 or £59 (depending on the level of clearance required).

Due to professional requirements, students on Nursing, Allied Health Profession and Healthcare Science qualifying programmes are required to hold Professional Indemnity Insurance as a pre-condition of progressing to placement. This is most easily gained through the joining of the appropriate professional body, and information on this will be provided during the induction process into your programme.  Details on anticipated costs can also be found on the specific fees page of our website here.

In preparation for clinical placements we are required, by the Government, to ensure that all students who will have direct clinical contact with patients meet the health clearance requirements as set out in their guidance.

Please take a look at this short video from Occupational Health.

Once you have an Unconditional Offer from QMU that you have Firmly Accepted, an email will be sent from Occupational Health (COHORT) containing a web link, a username and a password, for their secure online questionnaire. This ascertains your fitness for the programme of study and identifies any areas where adjustments may need to be made, such as the Equality Act etc.

Please note that this is not an automated process, and each email must be generated manually so there may be a delay of some months between you accepting your offer and the email being issued from Cohort. Remember to check any ‘junk’ or ‘spam’ folders you may have.

As a mandatory attachment to your questionnaire, you must obtain information, in English, regarding any vaccinations you have had to date. Your vaccination history (normally obtained from your GP/Child Health Record or Paediatrician) should provide evidence of your childhood immunisations, in particular evidence of having 2 doses of the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine.

Please obtain a copy of your immunisations from your GP or Occupational Health service, if you have had access to one other than NHS Lothian. If you are unable to provide copies of any vaccinations, please attach a word document explaining why you are unable to provide this.

Please be aware that some GPs and/or medical centres may charge for this service and there may be a delay of some weeks in obtaining this information. Please ensure that you have this evidence before you submit your questionnaire. The university does not require sight of the information as it is confidential and should only be shared with Occupational Health.

You should ensure that the questionnaire, and supporting evidence, has been submitted prior to Induction Week.

No one is forced to undertake immunisations they do not wish to have, however, it may affect where we are able to send people on placement. Please note that you may be required to have a blood test/Mantoux test if you are unable to provide evidence of having a BCG vaccine.

All students who are not SAAS funded, Scottish domiciled and on an undergraduate programme, will be required to pay for their immunisations and/or blood tests. The prices are set by Occupational Health and are available upon request, however, we are unable to advise on your specific requirements in advance of your first appointment. As a rough guide, the average student may expect to pay around £250 over the duration of their course for Occupational Health purposes. We do not want students to fall into financial difficulty regarding vaccination costs and we will facilitate helping with payment plans if required.

All students must attend at least one 'in-person' 30-minute appointment on campus during the first semester, usually around Induction Week. The appointment(s) will be made for you by Occupational Health staff, and you will be notified of the date and time by email. If additional appointments are required, these will be booked directly with Occupational Health at each subsequent appointment.

Should a student fail to attend any appointment, without giving Occupational Health at least 48 hours’ notice, they will be charged a £35 non-attendance fee, which will be invoiced by QMU.

Occupational Health have produced a short video containing additional information about the nature of the appointments and what you may be offered.

If you have any queries regarding any of the information above, please contact Health Clearance.

Badges

All Nursing, Paramedic Science, Audiology and AHP students will be issued with a name badge, charged at £6.  We will take your 'Known as' name from the Student Portal and you can be edit this at any time.  Replacement badges are charged at £7.50 and take around three weeks to be delivered.

Uniform for Nursing and AHP programmes

Information on the NHS guidelines regarding uniforms can be found here. Please note the requirements regarding sleeve length. A video showing how the uniform should look, fit and feel is also available. 

Students will be emailed, during September, with instructions on how to place your order via the supplier's website. Measuring guides have been made available to us from the uniform suppliers. Please note that the uniforms are unisex so the guides are to help you get the best fit for your body type.

Measuring guide for men

Measuring guide for women

Those who require a uniform for placement will be issued with four tunics and four pairs of trousers around 2 weeks before their first placement; details will be emailed to you. All trousers will need to be hemmed as they are made with a long leg!  If you are required to pay for these, or you require an alternate size or want an extra set, tunics are charged at £6.77 each and trousers are £8.52 a pair. 

Registry will invoice students directly for these items at the point of matriculation.  Prices as at August 2022.

PLS Medical, who are not affiliated with QMU, offer a variety of footwear, all suitable for placement.  You are under no obligation to purchase from them, but it may be of interest to see what types of footwear are acceptable.

Badges

All Nursing, Paramedic Science, Audiology and AHP students will be issued with a name badge, charged at £6.  We will take your 'Known as' name from the Student Portal and you can be edit this at any time.  Replacement badges are charged at £7.50 and take around three weeks to be delivered.

Uniform

Students will be emailed during September with instructions on how to place your order via the supplier's web portal. 

Paramedic Science students will be issued with the following items at a core class in mid-October: