What Checks are Needed to Work in the NHS?
Working in the NHS is a secure job role that is enormously rewarding, is highly respected and considered a good place to work for. NHS jobs are competitive and highly sought after. The pay and benefits of working for the NHS are good. However, by nature of the job role, you will naturally work with some of the most vulnerable people in society. Therefore, there are several thorough pre-employment checks that the NHS will request.
Proof of Eligibility to Work in the UK
You will need to show that you have the right to work in the UK, by having proofs of ID, that are government issued, such as: a UK passport, a Home Office residence permit, biometric immigration documents, a valid UK birth certificate or adoption certificate, a British naturalisation certificate, or Home Office letter indicating the right to an indefinite stay.
Qualification Check
You will have to prove that you have the relevant qualifications for the job and are appropriately registered or licensed with any governing bodies.
DBS Check
There are varying levels of DBS Checks from Basic DBS Checks, to Standard Checks, to Enhanced Checks with Barred Lists. If your job role within the NHS will involve you doing regulated activity with children or vulnerable adults, you may need an Enhanced DBS Check with Barred Lists. Regulated activity is where you are working with children or vulnerable adults unsupervised, providing them with medical treatment, care, social work, guidance, transporting them, providing personal care, taking care of their finances etc. An Enhanced DBS with Barred Lists will check for spent and unspent convictions, warnings, cautions, reprimands, locally held police information relevant to the role, and Barred Lists, which name people who are unsuited to work with children or vulnerable adults due to past violent or abusive behaviour. If you will not be doing regulated activity but may encounter children or vulnerable adults in the course of your work, then you may need a Standard DBS or an Enhanced DBS.
Occupation Health
You will likely be asked to fill out a pre-employment health questionnaire, to ensure that you are fit, healthy and safe to work for the NHS. If you have a physical or learning disability you will not be discriminated against due to the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act.
You will typically complete an online application form for the job, which may have several questions about how you meet the NHS aims and values and will need to give examples from past experience of how you meet the job criteria. You will need to show your full employment history, without any gaps, and you will be asked to provide work references, usually two to three depending on the job role. Never be tempted to lie on an application form, as this can lead to issues down the line, if you do not have the experience to do the job or could result in dismissal from your position.
The NHS wants to ensure they have the best qualified dependable people working for them, who are trusted upstanding citizens, which is why their pre-employment checks will be thorough and detailed.
