Core Revision
DOccMed reading list 2026: the current editions
Core Lens
The DOccMed reading list, in five points
- A 2022 list. The Faculty’s recommended reading list was last updated on 13 June 2022, so check the edition of any book on it before you buy.
- New Faculty guidance. The Faculty’s Ethics Guidance, 9th edition, has been free to read online since 22 May 2026, the day the Faculty also published new guidance on alcohol and substance misuse.
- Official pages first. Books written before April 2026 predate the Statutory Sick Pay changes, so where a book and an official page disagree, go with the official page.
- A small set. The suggested set is one handbook, Fitness for Work for capability questions, the ethics and confidentiality guidance, and the free official documents for your hazards.
- For the exam. Pair the reading with timed practice: the Faculty’s seven example questions come without answers, and the paper is typically 80 best-fit questions in 1 hour 45 minutes.
Figures checked against the Faculty of Occupational Medicine’s own pages and GOV.UK on 29 September 2026; the Deep Dive has the detail and the sources.
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The Faculty of Occupational Medicine’s recommended reading list was last updated on 13 June 2022 and several of its books now have newer editions. The Oxford Handbook of Occupational Health is in its 3rd edition (2022), Fitness for Work its 6th (2019), Pocket Consultant: Occupational Health its 6th (2022) and the Faculty’s own Ethics Guidance its 9th, free online since May 2026. For the DOccMed a small set works better than the whole list: one handbook, the ethics guidance, a handful of free official documents and plenty of timed questions. Checked against fom.ac.uk on 29 September 2026 (and the publishers’ pages on 25 September 2026).
What the Faculty’s list recommends
The recommended reading page has one list for Part 1 and Part 2 MFOM, AFOM, the DOccMed and the DipOHPrac, so much of it goes deeper than a diploma needs. It has five groups:
- Useful overviews or practical guidance: 16 items, including the Pocket Consultant, the Oxford Handbook, Fitness for Work, the DVLA’s Assessing fitness to drive, the Faculty’s Ethics Guidance and its 2006 Guidance on Alcohol and Drug Misuse in the Workplace.
- Reference texts: larger works such as Hunter’s Diseases of Occupations, texts on toxicology and occupational hygiene, Dame Carol Black’s review Working for a Healthier Tomorrow and Waddell and Burton’s Is Work Good for Your Health and Well-being?
- HSE publications: EH40 and Essentials of Health and Safety at Work, with a note to use all relevant current HSE regulations, guidance and ACoPs, including the “six-pack”, RIDDOR, COSHH, noise, lead, ionising radiation and asbestos.
- BMA Occupational Medicine Committee publications: including Ageing and the workplace and Alcohol, drugs and the workplace.
- Other publications: epidemiology and medical statistics texts plus Kloss’s Occupational Health Law.
Which editions are now current
| Book | On the Faculty’s list | Current edition |
|---|---|---|
| Oxford Handbook of Occupational Health | 2nd edition, 2013 (eds Smedley, Dick, Sadhra) | 3rd edition, OUP, 31 October 2022 (eds Sadhra, Bray, Boorman) |
| Fitness for Work: The Medical Aspects | 5th edition, 2013 | 6th edition, OUP, 2019 |
| Pocket Consultant: Occupational Health | 5th edition, 2006 | 6th edition, Wiley-Blackwell, 2022 |
| Ethics Guidance for Occupational Health Practice (FOM) | 8th edition, 2018 | 9th edition, free online since 22 May 2026 |
| FOM guidance on alcohol and drugs | Guidance on Alcohol and Drug Misuse in the Workplace, 2006 | Guidance on Alcohol and Substance Misuse in the Working Environment, 22 May 2026 |
Two revision books are not on the Faculty’s list. Questions and Answers for the Diploma in Occupational Medicine, 2nd edition (Clare Fernandes, Scion, April 2025), has 240 questions set out as three 80-question papers. MCQs, MEQs and OSPEs in Occupational Medicine, 2nd edition (edited by Addley, CRC/Routledge), is a revision aid in three question formats. The Society of Occupational Medicine’s DOccMed support page lists member discounts on revision resources.
The free official documents that matter most
| Document | Publisher | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| EH40/2005 Workplace exposure limits | HSE | Workplace exposure limits and notations such as Sen (capable of causing occupational asthma) and Sk (can be absorbed through the skin) |
| L5 Control of substances hazardous to health | HSE | The COSHH Approved Code of Practice, including health surveillance and health records |
| L108 Controlling noise at work | HSE | The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005: action values, limits and health surveillance |
| L140 Hand-arm vibration | HSE | The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 and tiered health surveillance for hand-arm vibration syndrome |
| Fit note: guidance for healthcare professionals | DWP, GOV.UK | Completing fit notes and giving useful advice about work |
| Assessing fitness to drive: a guide for medical professionals | DVLA, GOV.UK | The medical standards of fitness to drive; it is revised regularly, so use the current version |
| Immunisation against infectious disease (the Green Book) | UKHSA, GOV.UK | Chapter 12 on immunising healthcare and laboratory staff and chapter 18 on hepatitis B |
| Confidentiality: good practice in handling patient information | GMC | Disclosure with and without consent, plus supplementary guidance on disclosing information for employment, insurance and similar purposes |
| Ethics Guidance for Occupational Health Practice, 9th edition | FOM | Occupational health ethics, free online since May 2026 |
L5, L108 and L140 can be downloaded free from HSE’s website. For hazards not in the table, such as lead, asbestos or ionising radiation, use HSE’s current guidance on the relevant regulations, as the Faculty’s list advises.
How to use a small set
You do not need everything on the list. A workable set for the DOccMed:
- One handbook as your spine: the Oxford Handbook of Occupational Health (3rd edition) or the Pocket Consultant (6th edition), read topic by topic against the syllabus.
- Fitness for Work for fitness questions: use its condition chapters when a question turns on capability, adjustments or return to work.
- The official documents above for rules and numbers: exposure limits, action values, fit note rules, driving standards and immunisation advice. When they disagree with a book, the official page wins.
- The Faculty’s Ethics Guidance and the GMC’s confidentiality guidance for consent, disclosure and reports to employers.
- Timed questions: the Faculty’s seven example questions first, then full 80-question sets in 1 hour 45 minutes.
Match the source to the part of the exam. The MCQ needs exact facts, so the official documents matter most. The portfolio needs the legislation and guidance for your workplace’s main hazards and your case’s condition. In the oral you defend both, so know those same documents well enough to discuss them without notes.
When a book and an official page disagree, check the dates. The current textbook editions were all published before the April 2026 changes to Statutory Sick Pay, for example, so for SSP the Acas guidance is the one to trust.
How this fits the platform
The DOccMed package has a question bank organised by twelve topics, three fixed 80-question papers, a random timed mock and a viva trainer. The revision guide and the free Core Tools, a set of interactive revision tools, sit alongside it. Free sample questions are on the package page.
Quick answers
What is the best book for the DOccMed?
There is no single official textbook. The Faculty’s list includes the Oxford Handbook of Occupational Health and Fitness for Work; their current editions are the 3rd (2022) and the 6th (2019).
Is the FOM reading list up to date?
It was last updated on 13 June 2022 and names older editions of several books, including the 8th edition of the Faculty’s own ethics guidance.
Is the FOM ethics guidance free?
Yes. The 9th edition of Ethics Guidance for Occupational Health Practice has been free to read online since 22 May 2026.
Which HSE documents should I read?
Start with EH40/2005 Workplace exposure limits and the guidance for your main hazards, such as L5 for COSHH, L108 for noise and L140 for hand-arm vibration.
Are there question books for the DOccMed?
Yes. Questions and Answers for the Diploma in Occupational Medicine, 2nd edition (Scion, 2025), has three 80-question papers. The Faculty also publishes seven example questions without answers.
Do I need to read the whole list?
No. One handbook, the Faculty’s ethics guidance, the official documents for your hazards and timed questions make a workable set.
