Pre-appointment checks

Once you’ve selected the candidate(s) you want to appoint, you will need to contact them to offer them the post and check that they are still interested. Details of what you need to consider are set out in After the interview/selection day page. 

Once you notify your recruitment contact of the outcome, an email will be sent to your candidate(s) offering the post subject to satisfactory completion of all pre-appointment checks. 

All checks carried out are in accordance with NHS Employment Check Standards. We check:-

Identity and right to work

The purpose of undertaking identity checks is to minimise the risk of employing or engaging a person in any activity within the NHS who is an illegal worker, or a person that is impersonating another. Verifying someone’s identity and right to work in the UK are the most important pre-appointment checks. All other checks will be invalid if the person’s identity and right to work cannot be proven.

There are specific documents required for external candidates which your recruitment contact will be able to advise you on this.  The Candidate Interview Checklist outlines what copies you need to take.  You are not able to confirm the appointment of your  candidate(s) until we have the evidence we need so please read this carefully along with the Guidance on checking candidate documents for authenticity. Your recruitment contact will confirm with any successful internal candidate what documents they need to provide for you to copy.

Occupational Health Assessment

All NHS staff must have a work health assessment (sometimes referred to as a pre-placement health assessment), that adheres to equal opportunities legislation and good occupational health practice.

The purpose of this is to assess whether new employees, and existing employees who are changing roles, have:

  • a health condition or disability that requires adjustments in the workplace to enable them to undertake the post offered; or
  • a health condition or disability that may be adversely affected by the role. 

The provisional offer letter that we email to successful candidates includes the link to the on-line pre-placement health assessment.  The majority of candidates need only complete this on-line questionnaire though some candidates or roles will need a telephone or face to face assessment.

Where you have agreed to a reasonable adjustment you will need to complete the Tailored Adjustment Agreement form.

Employment History and References

The main purpose of a reference check is to confirm a candidate’s employment history and identify any reason that could result in the candidate not being employed. Your recruitment contact will notify you when satisfactory references have been received.  If the references highlight any issues or concerns they will advise you on what steps to take. Please see the Top Tips for References document for additional guidance 

Criminal Records

Criminal records checks are designed to help prevent unsuitable people from entering the NHS workforce and gaining access to vulnerable groups. For further information you can view NHSBT’s Employment of Ex-Offenders Policy document.

We gather this information from:

  • Pre-employment declaration forms – sent with the provisional offer letter
  • Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) standard or enhanced disclosure checks – for some roles only. You can review the DBS requirement for a role by looking at the position information.  

Where a DBS check is required, we will send a link to the on-line Disclosure and Barring Service Check application in the conditional offer letter.   Once the candidate has completed this application your recruitment contact will need to add in details from the identity documents you have copied before the criminal records check request can be submitted.

Whilst important, criminal record and/or barring checks are only one aspect of the pre-appointment checks.  A criminal record does not automatically bar candidates from working within NHSBT.  Any criminal convictions must be considered on an individual basis taking into account all other information collated through the pre-appointment check.

Professional Registration and Qualifications

The purpose of registration and qualification checks are to ensure that a prospective employee is recognised by the appropriate regulatory body and that they have the right qualifications to do the job.  Professional Registration regulation is intended to protect the public, making sure that those who practise a health profession are doing so safely. 

If the role requires a statutory registration (e.g. Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), General Medical Council (GMC)) your recruitment contact will check that your successful candidate has the relevant registration before an offer of employment is confirmed.

External candidate’s will be asked to bring proof of any qualifications that are listed as essential on the Recruitment Profile / Person Specification which you will need to copy and return to your recruitment contact.  Successful internal candidates will be asked to provide this evidence following their interview.

Unsatisfactory Checks

When the pre-appointment checks highlight something of concern, or any discrepancies, it is important that you initially discuss this with your recruitment contact who will advise you on the next steps.

You may need to invite the candidate for a meeting to discuss your concerns.  This is called an “Assessment of Relevance” meeting.  This meeting will enable you to :

  • Check the accuracy of the information
  • Check the relevance of the information to the role
  • Assess the risk to the organisation
  • Decide whether your candidate has satisfactorily addressed your concerns
  • Make a recommendation as to whether to progress with the offer 

If withdrawing the offer of employment is a possible outcome this should be done face to face with a member of HR to support you.

Once your recruitment contact has confirmed your recommendation, you should contact the candidate to explain your decision. Your recruitment contact will advise on how to handle this conversation.  Following this the recruitment team will confirm the outcome in writing.