Prison officer with a disability or asthma: can you join?

In shortYou can apply with a disability or long-term condition and HMPPS will consider adjustments, but no list of accepted conditions is published.

The careers pages state that a physical or mental health issue will not necessarily prevent you from doing the job, and that where appropriate relevant adjustments will be recommended. They also say you must declare pre-existing conditions so that your ability to perform the full range of duties can be assessed.

These two statements go together: a condition is not an automatic bar, and it is also something the service needs to know about.

What the pages do not do is list which conditions are accepted. Anyone who gives you a definitive yes or no for 'prison officer with epilepsy' or 'prison officer with a bad back' is going beyond what is published.

• The assessment is individual, carried out by a trained occupational health professional.
• It looks at your ability to do the job's duties, with reasonable adjustments where they are appropriate.
• For mental health, see anxiety or depression; for neurodivergent conditions, see ADHD or dyslexia; for eyesight and hearing, see tattoos, glasses and hearing aids.

In shortDiscrimination in recruitment is unlawful and employers must make reasonable adjustments, but they need not appoint someone who cannot do the essential duties.

The Equality Act 2010 defines disability as a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities. The Act applies in England, Scotland and Wales; Northern Ireland has separate legislation.

Substantial and long-term

GOV.UK explains that substantial means more than minor or trivial, and long-term means lasting or likely to last 12 months or more. HIV infection, cancer and multiple sclerosis are covered from diagnosis. Progressive conditions that get worse over time can be covered, and recurring or fluctuating conditions can count.

Two protections for applicants

First, discrimination because of disability in recruitment is unlawful. Second, an employer must make reasonable adjustments for job applicants as well as employees.

The duty to adjust

Acas explains that the duty arises when the employer knows, or reasonably should know, that someone is disabled, that the employer bears the cost, and that what is reasonable depends on practicality, affordability and health and safety. The Act does not, however, oblige an employer to appoint someone who cannot do the essential duties even with reasonable adjustments.

Section 60 (questions about health)

Generally an employer must not ask about an applicant's health before making a job offer or including them in a pool of successful candidates, except for specified purposes such as finding out whether they can take part in an assessment, making reasonable adjustments, or establishing whether they can carry out a function intrinsic to the job. That is the backdrop to the order of the HMPPS stages: the application form asks about adjustments, and the full medical comes after the assessment centre.

In shortTick 'yes' on the application form and HMPPS contacts you to agree adjustments before any test, interview or assessment.

HMPPS defines a reasonable adjustment as a change to any part of the assessment process that removes or reduces a disadvantage. The scheme is for diagnosed or undiagnosed disability, long-term conditions, and short-term illness or injury.

You will not be penalised or judged for asking.

• Extra time.
• Staff reading questions aloud or transcribing answers.
• Written interview questions with notice.
• Flexible time slots.
• Larger font sizes for visual impairment.
• Longer breaks for physical disabilities or injuries.

In shortThe medical and fitness assessment is a requirement for all applicants; the numeric standards are only reported, and the test is not repeated after appointment.

The careers site describes a medical with a trained occupational health professional covering an eye test, hearing test, blood pressure and basic health screening, followed by a fitness test with a bleep test and an upper-body strength test using a 7 kg riot shield and grip equipment.

Provisional offers become final offers after the medical and fitness stages, and the 25th report of the Prison Service Pay Review Body places the fitness test between the provisional and final offer.

In shortAsthma is not an automatic bar on any official page we read; the reported guidance is about control and functional ability.

Asthma is among the most common questions, and the answer is mostly 'it depends on how well controlled it is and how it affects function', which is also what third-party summaries of HMPPS guidance suggest.

Those summaries report that candidates should bring their inhalers, that an occupational health nurse assesses the condition, and that it is not suitable if it causes significant loss of functional ability.

This is reported from 2019 guidance we could not open, so it is not confirmed on a current official page, and we do not state it as a rule.

In shortThere is no published list of accepted or excluded conditions; each is assessed individually, and other roles such as Operational Support Grade exist.

There is no published list of accepted or excluded conditions for diabetes, epilepsy, heart conditions, musculoskeletal problems, chronic pain, hearing or sight loss, or others. Each is assessed individually by occupational health against the duties of the role, with reasonable adjustments considered where they are appropriate.

If you have a condition that affects mobility, strength or stamina, the fitness test and the demands of control and restraint training are the aspects most likely to be discussed.

In shortDisabled applicants are a small share of applicants and an even smaller share of acceptances, so raise adjustments early and prepare for the physical standard.

• PSPRB: disabled applicants3.3%Prison officer applicants, July 2023 to June 2025; poorer outcomes, probably linked to the fitness test
• Disabled applicants3.5%Band 3 prison officer and youth justice worker, 24 months to June 2026
• Disabled formal offer acceptances2.7%Same period

These are population-level figures and say nothing about your chances. They do show that the process has more difficulty converting disabled applicants than others, and that the fitness stage is thought to be part of the reason.

If you are not offered a post, ask for the reasons in writing. Acas and the Equality Advisory and Support Service can explain your rights, and time limits apply to discrimination claims, so do not delay if you want to pursue one. Our guide to reapplying after rejection covers the practicalities.

1. Read the vacancy and the careers pages on health declarations and reasonable adjustments.
2. Tick 'yes' to adjustments on the application form if they would help.
3. Ask recruitment how adjustments apply to the medical and the fitness test, and keep the reply.
4. Ask your GP or specialist for a factual summary of your condition, treatment and current position.
5. Prepare for the fitness test with the free calculator and the training guides.
6. Bring medication, glasses or other relevant items to the medical.