Recruitment process
We’re always looking for ambitious, resilient, talented people to join our team and provide accessible healthcare advice and support to people across Scotland. Whenever and wherever you join us, we’ll give you every opportunity to set your career on an unstoppable trajectory.
-
To apply for a vacancy you’ll need to complete an online application form which includes answering a set of questions.
Recruitment Privacy Notice
-
We’ll review your application and evaluate whether we think you’d be a good fit for the role. If you identify as disabled and meet the essential criteria for the role, you’ll be shortlisted for an interview under our guaranteed interview scheme.
-
If your application is successful, you’ll be invited to an interview. Some candidates will also need to complete a skills assessment, but we’ll let you know if that’s the case for your application.
Things we’re looking out for in the interview include:
- Why you want to work for NHS 24
- Why you’re suitable for the role
- What kind of person you are
- Your skills and strengths
- The skills you’re developing or wish to develop
-
If you’re successful, you’ll get a call from us to give you the good news!
We’ll send you a conditional offer of employment, subject to pre-employment checks, which you’ll need to complete as quickly as possible to avoid any delays. The pre-employment checks include:
- Verification of identity and confirmation of your right to work in the UK
- An online medical screening form
- A minimum of 2 references spanning at least 3 years of previous employment or training history, including your current or most recent manager
- Original relevant educational certificates and verification of registration with relevant professional bodies
Depending on the nature of the post, we may also carry out a criminal record check. This will be disclosed in the job advert. Some roles will also require you to join the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme.
-
This privacy notice describes how we collect and use personal information about you during the recruitment process, in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applies to all candidates.
This Privacy Notice is for information only; it is not a contractual agreement.
The type of personal information we collect
In connection with your application for work with us, we will collect, store, and use the following categories of personal information about you:
- The information you have provided to us via our applicant tracking system Jobtrain
- Any information you provide to us during an interview
- Information you provide in relation to your right to work documentation, and
- Where successful at interview, information you provide in relation to completing pre-employment checks.
We may also collect, store, and use the following “special categories” of more sensitive personal information:
- Information about your race or ethnicity, religious beliefs, and sexual orientation
- Information about your health, including any medical condition, health and sickness records; and
- Information about your criminal record
We collect this personal information from the following sources:
- You, the candidate
- Disclosure Scotland – specific NHS 24 roles
- Our third party Right to Work and Identification checks provided
- UK Home Office for Share Code Right to Work reports
- Your named referees; and
- Data from third party publicly accessible sources, for example, NMC professional memberships.
Why do we process personal data?
We need to process data to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract with you. We also need to process your data to enter into a contract with you.
In some cases, we need to process data to ensure that we are complying with our legal obligations. For example, we are required to check your eligibility to work in the UK before employment starts.
We have a legitimate interest in processing personal data during the recruitment process and for keeping records of the process. Processing data from you allows us to manage the recruitment process, assess and confirm your suitability for employment and decide to whom to offer a job. We may also need to process data from you to respond to and defend against legal claims.
We process health information if we need to make reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process for you. This is to carry out our obligations and exercise specific rights in relation to employment.
Where we process other special categories of data, such as information about ethnic origin, sexual orientation, health or religion or belief, this is for equal opportunities monitoring purposes.
For certain vacancies we carry out a criminal record check to satisfy ourselves that there is nothing in your criminal convictions history which makes you unsuitable for the role. We apply directly to Disclosure Scotland to do this and may receive a copy of their report if you have consented for us to do so
We will not use your data for any purpose other than the recruitment exercise for which you have applied.
Who has access to data?
Your information will be shared internally for the purposes of the recruitment exercise. This includes members of the HR and recruitment team, interviewers involved in the recruitment process, managers in the business area with a vacancy and IT staff if access to the data is necessary for the performance of their roles.
We will not share your data with third parties unless your application for employment is successful and you are advised you are a Preferred Candidate. We will then share your data:
- Referees as agreed with the candidate
- Our third party Right to Work and Identification checks provided
- Disclosure Scotland – Protection of Vulnerable Group, Standard and Enhanced checks
- NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Occupational Health – fitness to carry out role check
All our third-party service providers are required to take appropriate security measures to protect your personal information in line with our policies.
We do not envisage transferring the personal information we collect about you outside the EU.
How we store your personal information
Your information is securely stored on Jobtrain and in your candidate e-file on the NHS 24 secure network. Access to Jobtrain and recruitment e-files is restricted to the Recruitment team during your pre-employment checks.
How do we protect data?
We take the security of your data seriously. We limit access to your personal information to those employees, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need to know. They will only process your personal information on our instructions, and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.
We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected data security breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a suspected breach where we are legally required to do so.
For how long do we keep data?
If your application for employment is unsuccessful, we will hold your data on file for a minimum of 12 months after the end of the relevant recruitment process.
If we wish to retain your personal information, on the basis that a further opportunity may arise in future and we may wish to consider you for that, we will write to you separately, seeking your explicit consent to retain your personal information for a fixed period on that basis.
If your application for employment is successful, personal data gathered during the recruitment process will be transferred to your personnel file.
To remove your data from Jobtrain you can logon to your profile and delete individual applications or your profile.
Your data protection rights
Under data protection law, you have rights including:
Your right of access – You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information.
Your right to rectification – You have the right to ask us to rectify personal information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete.
Your right to erasure – You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to restriction of processing – You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to object to processing – You have the the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to data portability – You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.
You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you.
Please contact us at recruitment24@nhs24.scot.nhs.uk in the first instance if you wish to make a request.
Automated decision-making
Recruitment processes are not based solely on automated decision-making.
Our contact details
NHS 24 Recruitment Team
Lumina
40 Ainslie Road
Hillington
Glasgow
G52 4RU
recruitment24@nhs24.scot.nhs.uk
How to complain
If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, you can make a complaint to us at DP@nhs24.scot.nhs.uk.
You can also complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how we have used your data.
The ICO’s address:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Helpline number: 0303 123 1113
ICO website: https://www.ico.org.uk
Interviews can be nerve-wracking, but we want you to feel as at ease as possible. If there’s anything you need to make the interview process easier, please let us know. We’ll do our best to accommodate any requests.
Top tips for applying
-
Familiarising yourself with NHS 24 and the work we do for patients across Scotland is a great place to start. Once you’ve had a read of our website and social media, read the job application pack for the role you’re applying for to get an idea of the skills and experience required.
-
When completing your application, follow the instructions carefully. It’s easy to make mistakes, so take your time filling out the forms and answering the questions. Make sure your email address is correct and that you’ve filled out all of the questions.
If you can, ask someone to look over your application before you submit it to check for spelling or grammar errors.
-
In the interview, we’ll ask you to tell us why you’re an ideal person for the job. Make sure your skills, transferrable skills, knowledge, and experience match with those described in the job application pack to give yourself the best chance of moving to the next stage
-
A handy technique you can use during interviews to get the most out of your responses is the STAR method. Try phrasing your answers to questions in the following way:
- Describe a Situation or Task that you encountered
- Explain the Actions you took in light of the situation
- Detail the Results of your actions
Although it is okay to use the same example for multiple questions, try varying your examples to demonstrate different skills you’ve developed, keeping your responses clear and concise.