Had eczema as a child? Then you can’t join the Army

Would-be recruits rejected over minor health issues, despite chronic personnel shortage in Armed Forces

ARMY applicants are being turned away for “very minor” or non-recurring childhood health issues, amid a chronic shortage of personnel, The Daily Telegraph can disclose. Candidates said that they had been rejected because they suffered from childhood eczema or had previously experienced back pain, even though their doctors had provided supporting statements.

The disclosure will add to the growing concern about the vetting process for recruits because of problems enlisting a sufficient number of personnel.

As of April 2018, there were 136,770 Armed Forces regulars, six per cent below the required number.

Last year, a report commissioned by Downing Street found that 90 per cent of rejections were on medical grounds. It recommended a “comprehensive review” of the system, which it described as “one of the most important barriers to achieving the recruitment targets”.

The Telegraph understands that senior MOD officials met in April with a view to making the medical policy, known as JSP 950, “more flexible”.

The medical process for examining recruits for the Army, Navy and RAF is outsourced to contracting giant Capita, which holds several high-profile government contracts. Rejected candidates, none of whom were examined by an Armed Forces doctor, said they felt their individual circumstances had not been properly considered.

Thomas Norgate, 19, applied to join the Army Reserves in 2017, and had been participating in drills with his local unit for nine months when he was turned down after recruiters examined his medical records and noted that he had suffered from eczema on his hands in 2007 and his forearms in 2012. As part of his application, his doctor wrote that his eczema, was “never severe” and that “he is very fit and well”.

Eddie Eastman, 27, was rejected twice by the Army because of a nut allergy – despite never having had a severe allergic reaction. As part of his application, Mr Eastman, who ate the same meals as other personnel in his four years in the Cadets, completed a run in two minutes under target time. His recruiter wrote that he was “amongst the most impressive candidates” he had ever seen.

Mark Francois MP, a former minister of state for the Armed Forces, said the medical policy was “crying out for reform”. Johnny Mercer MP, a member of the defence select committee, also called on the MOD to review JSP 950.

An MOD spokesman said: “Given the unique and challenging roles within our Armed Forces, it is right that we have medical standards in place to ensure applicants can fulfil the demands of the job. Each application is considered on a case-by-case basis and requirements are reviewed regularly by specialist occupational physicians.”