I’d definitely recommend an appeal then!
This!
Out of interest is it the RAF who deal with the appeals or do capita have further involvement
Please don’t feel I’m being rude but I say this to all cadets who use inhalers and want to join the forces.
The chances of him getting in are slim to none. You have to be ready for that outcome and come up with other alternative options.
If they still say no after appeal. The 4 year clock doesn’t start until he stops using the inhaler completely. Stopping using it without medical advice is a very dangerous thing to do.
I had my heart set on the RAF from joining the ATC at 13 through to this day (many many years later). But I’m badly asthmatic and there is no way they would let me join in a million years.
I needed someone at that age to help me find something else to focus my efforts on, it’s something you probably have to think about doing.
I could be talking rubbish, He may get in after appealing. But if I was a betting man, I would genuinely be looking at option B, just in case
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An appeal like that should get pushed through to the RAF medical teams. But capital seem to be getting there grubby hands on more and more so it may have changed.
That’s one question for the recruitment team.
Thanks. He actually last had a prescription in October and not needed anything since. I’ve made him an appointment with the nurse this week to discuss further.
Get him in front of a specialist consultant. Once I got referred my asthma improved dramatically.the same could happen with his allergies, he may then be able to get rid of the inhaler.
Getting a test for asthma may be worthwhile as well. Having a letter saying he is not asthmatic may go a long way to help the appeal.
Thank you I will.
Worthwhile noting that the only evidence they’ll accept as part of an appeal is medical. You saying “oh, it’s not that bad” will have zero effect. For an appeal to be successful you have to present medical evidence that there was either something wrong with the original diagnosis, or that there’s new and relevant information that wasn’t on his medical records.
If you have neither then an appeal is, frankly, a waste of your time.
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When I applied for a bursary and completed the paper medical as I had previously used an inhaler for my hay fever (primary school) I was deemed permanently unfit for all trades.
This was over 10 years ago now though
The other thing to consider is that with so few jobs available in the forces, they can be ultra picky, so anything slightly remiss they can just say no, as they’ll have others to fill the gaps.
I’ve told cadets there are plenty of other avenues to work within the military sphere, now there is so much given over to normal (think the word civilian is condescending) companies, under contracts. I met a couple of blokes (iirc BAE bods) who looked after flight sims, they lived and worked on the base, with none of the agg and a Chief Tech who was getting made redundant by the RAF and walking straight back in the door doing the same job for more money, overtime and none of the RAF stuff, a week later.
So getting binned by the forces while at the time may seem like set back, can just open other doors, that haven’t been considered.
I personally feel I had a near miss when the RAF sent me a Dear John, as 8/9 years later there was the first SDR. Some of my mates got binned, through no fault of their own and they were and remained very bitter for years and even now a couple of them won’t have anything to do with the RAF.
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What would you use then? If you want to go with “normal” to mean “civilian” then surely you use “abnormal” instead of “military”?
Though come to think of it that does describe a large number of people in the forces.
It’s the way it’s used to effectively suggest something inferior. When you consider the military doesn’t actually make anything and now large parts of its maintenance and admin functions are farmed out, without these firms the military would not operate. I’ve been on camps and heard people referred to as “only civvies” by their uniformed counterparts, as if they were lesser beings.
The Chief Tech I spoke to said if there’s a job to do that goes on after we’re meant to finish, we’re told go and eat then come back and if we’re lucky we might get a slab to share and then if you’re on, do guard duty, but you’re still expected to be in by lunchtime. The other blokes, come 5.30 their off, unless they get overtime. I sensed real disenchantment.
Looks like things might change - but I wonder if there will be specific limitations for some branches such as aircrew?
Acne and asthma sufferers to be cleared to join army Acne and asthma sufferers cleared to join the army - BBC News
People with asthma or severe acne will no longer be banned from joining Britain’s armed forces, Defence Secretary John Healey has announced.
Long overdue.
With the exception of some front-line roles, there’s no reason to exclude personnel with a whole range of medical conditions that currently are excluded. Especially asthma, which is easily managed if it isn’t severe.
This is being announced as though it’s a policy change by the MOD, this is not the case. Def sec has said this is what they want to happen whilst at the Labour conference. This has happened before with previous governments and then not actually gone anywhere, so watch this space. But as of today, nothing has changed.
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Spotty, wheezing, oiks will strike the fear of god into our enemies!
I jest. A lot of great candidates who had childhood asthma which has often gone decades without treatment are rejected for no good reason at all.
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In a number of cases this is possibly because their medical records still mention asthma! Heard situations that candidates have had annual inhaler replacements still on record 
I was certainly advised to not even bother applying due to annual inhaler repeats being on my medical record. Despite them not being used/issued. Although I can’t say for certain that it was that great a loss to the RAF. I suspect that there a many talented cyber engineers/analysts that wouldn’t make the grade currently which the MoD desperately needs to attract.
I recently had a client where that was the case. Not touched an inhaler since he was 8. Mum has dutifully been picking up his prescriptions ever since. And no medication reviews from the GP since!
Client is now 18 and bounced as the prescription is “current”. And nobody was interested in investigating further or supporting his application!
GP’s get cash money for annual astmha reviews (as they do for Flu Jabs etc) so not in their interest to sort it out.
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