Declaring Criminal Records: A Student Guide

All persons applying to study on medical and healthcare programmes are required to undertake an enhanced-level Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and must pass this check prior to enrolment. St George’s uses a company called First Advantage Online Disclosures to undertake an online criminal record check. All St George’s ID checks are done via an external document certification service at the Post Office. A Post Office ID check costs £10.50, which must be paid in cash at the Post Office. Once the DBS check has been completed, students will receive an original DBS certificate. Students must retain the original DBS certificate. It is the only copy and replacement certificates cannot be issued.

All new students must register for the Update Service within 30 days of the certificate being issued and must ensure that they pay the annual subscription fee. You must keep your original DBS certificate and pay the renewal charges on your subscription in order for the Update Service to be valid. This means keeping your credit/debit card details up-to-date.

St George’s responsibilities and policy in regards to checking criminal records and disclosure and barring status are outlined in the documents below:

• Policy statement on the admission of applicants with criminal records (PDF)
• Process for checking criminal records and disclosure and barring status of applicants and students (PDF)

Applicants who self-disclose a criminal record to St George’s during the recruitment process will be referred by the admissions officers to the Student Conduct and Compliance Team. The Student Conduct and Compliance Team will then convene a 'DBS panel' who will decide whether the disclosed offence(s) affects suitability to study on a clinical programme.

St George’s will be notified electronically by First Advantage Online Disclosures when a DBS certificate reveals a criminal record. The DBS certificate will be checked against the self-disclosure form completed prior to receiving enhanced DBS certificate. The Student Conduct and Compliance Team will then convene a 'DBS panel' who will decide whether the revealed offence(s) affects suitability to be enrolled on a on a clinical programme of study.

Applicants should direct all enquiries about DBS checks to the Admissions Team.

Current students are required, under the university’s general regulations, to self-disclose any change to their criminal record status without delay to the Student Conduct and Compliance Team. Students should not wait until the point of re-enrolment to disclose a police investigation or that there has been an alteration to their criminal record status. The online enrolment process takes place around August/September each year. During re-enrolment, students agree to the following:

• I undertake to notify the Registry should any incident occur that may reasonably be regarded as preventing me from working with children or vulnerable adults during the remainder of my training.

• I undertake to notify the Registry should I be subject to any further criminal convictions (this includes spent convictions), bind overs, cautions, investigations or other findings or orders of a criminal nature.

• I agree to St George’s requesting a further enhanced DBS check if it is considered necessary and that I will be liable for the cost of the check.

• I understand that continued registration on the programme of study is dependent on fulfilling this requirement and that failure to comply with this requirement would be addressed as a disciplinary or fitness to practise issue in line with university policies and procedures.

If during your time at St George’s you are accused of, convicted or charged with an offence or become the subject of a police investigation, you must declare this immediately to the university by emailing the Student Conduct and Compliance Team

You will then be asked to submit a statement that will be considered by a DBS panel. The panel will decide whether the information you have disclosed has implications for your suitability to continue on a clinical programme of study. The DBS panel are likely to require that you apply for a new DBS check via GBG Online Disclosures. The cost of the DBS check is payable by the student and DBS checks may take several months to process so you are advised to apply as early as possible.

As a healthcare professional, you will be asked to provide proof of DBS clearance throughout your career. Medical and healthcare students are required to attend clinical placements and medical electives during their course and will occasionally be asked to produce evidence of DBS clearance. Students must have current DBS clearance for the duration of their course. If a student’s DBS clearance lapses, they may not be able to attend clinical or other course-related work placements, and this will lead to delays in their completion of the course. It is the student's responsibility to maintain DBS clearance.

All students  who apply for a DBS check must register for the Update Service within 30 days of their DBS certificate being issued and must ensure they pay the annual subscription fee. 

The Update Service allows:

• students to keep their DBS certificates up to date

• employers/placement providers/elective providers to check a DBS certificate with your consent.

Student registration costs £13 per year (payable by debit or credit card only).

If students do not renew their subscription before it ends, they will need to apply for a new DBS check and register for the Update Service again. This will involve re-submitting an application to First Advantage Online Disclosures and paying the associated fees. A new check will take approximately 90 days for First Advantage Online Disclosures to process and will cost approximately £46 plus £13 to re-register for the Update Service.

Students who do not renew their subscription and who do not have a current DBS certificate, must inform their Course Administrator or their Course Year Co-ordinator, apply for a new DBS check, and re-register for the Update Service. This will involve re-submitting an application to Online GBG Disclosures and paying the associated fees. A new check will take approximately 90 days for First Advantage Online Disclosures to process and will cost approximately £46 plus £13 to re-register for the Update Service. 

MBBS students who do not have an up-to-date DBS certificate must inform their Year Cco-ordinator, who will arrange a risk assessment for student's clinical placement (work experience) and liaise with the placement provider regarding the student's status, and permissions to attend teaching.

Final Year MBBS students are often asked by their elective provider to supply an up-to-date DBS certificate. On occasion, clinical placement providers (all programmes) might also ask students for DBS clearance confirmation.

If you subscribed to the Update Service, take your original certificate and ID to the placement/elective host and login to the Update Service to show your placement/elective provider your current status. If you are undertaking your elective overseas and your elective provider is unable to access the Update Service, please email studentlifecentre@sgul.ac.uk 

If you require a new DBS certificate (either because your criminal record status has changed or because your Update Service annual payment failed), please email studentlifecentre@sgul.ac.uk for information about how to apply. The cost of the DBS check is payable by the student and DBS checks may take several months to process so you are advised to apply as early as possible.

St George’s is unable to assist with DBS checks for volunteering or other activities. If you require a DBS check for activities undertaken as part of a St George’s Student Union Society or for the Widening Participation Team, please contact the presidenteducation@su.sgul.ac.uk of the Students’ Union who will be able to advise you.