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Writing a great NHS job application: the insider’s guide (updated November 2025)
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How long does the NHS recruitment process take?

Administrator - November 29, 2025November 29, 2025

Recruitment across the health and care sector tends to be quite a slow process - with many roles requiring additional checks (such as DBS checks) to make sure that candidates are suitable to work with potentially vulnerable patients. However, even within the context of the wider sector, recruitment for NHS jobs does tend to take quite a long time.

While no two recruitment processes within the NHS are exactly alike, this article breaks down some of the key stages of the process and how long they tend to take.

Advertising: 2-4 weeks

Most NHS organisations have a minimum period for job advertisements to be open for of two weeks. For more senior or specialist jobs, longer advertising periods of up to a month are also possible.

However, with NHS job application volumes skyrocketing in recent years, closing jobs early has become more common. We're aware of some NHS jobs closing after less than a week due to excessive volumes of applications.

Shortlisting: 1-2 weeks

With most NHS vacancies now receiving more than 100 applications, reviewing and shortlisting applications has become an extremely time consuming process for hiring managers. Historically, NHS best practice for shortlisting has been to aim to complete this process within two working days of the advert closing - but nowadays a period of 1-2 weeks is much more realistic. We have an article explaining why the shortlisting process takes so long here.

Interviews: 2-3 weeks

Although there are no hard and fast rules on how many candidates are taken to interview, it is fairly common to have up to 8 interviews to conduct. Building in a week to allow candidates to prepare, this can mean that the interview process (with interview slots potentially spread across several days) usually lasts at least two weeks in total.

Pre-employment checks: 1-3 months

Unfortunately, "can you start on Monday?" is a question you're unlikely to be asked if you've been offered a permanent NHS role!

Pre-employment checks for NHS roles are notoriously slow - in part because there are so many processes to complete. After being verbally offered the role by your hiring manager, some of the checks which will need to be completed are likely to include:

DBS (criminal record) checks
References from previous employment
Checks on professional registration (for clinical staff)
Visa or right-to-work checks
Health and safety screening or assessments

Once all these checks are completed, you may also be asked to coordinate your start date with local inductions (often run weekly or fortnightly at larger NHS Trusts).

NHS organisations are uniformly strict on all checks being completed before an unconditional offer is made - so you should hold off on giving notice to any current employer until you're sure they are complete.

While our experience is that a month or a month-and-a-half is typical for pre-employment checks for existing NHS candidates moving between roles, three months or even longer can often be the case if there are complex issues to address such as visa sponsorship or reasonable adjustments to make for disabled candidates.

How are NHS job applications scored?

Administrator - November 29, 2025November 29, 2025

The recruitment process for NHS staff is made up of many smaller processes. One of the most important of these smaller processes is application scoring, which is often called shortlisting.

Application scoring often takes 1-2 weeks from the job advert closing, as application volumes have grown significantly in recent years - with most roles now receiving more than 100 applications.

Who scores NHS job applications?

Usually, NHS job applications are scored by a panel of two staff. One of these is typically the hiring manager, and the other may be a colleague from the same team or (for more junior roles) a member of the HR team.

These shortlisters will be people who have a good understanding of the job you are applying for and a clear idea of the type of person they want to join their team.

How does the NHS application scoring process work?

In simple terms, the scoring process used in the NHS compares the content from your application against a selection of the requirements set out in the person specification for the job.

The person specification is a table within the supporting documents for the job, often within the downloadable job description. A typical example of this person specification table is shown below:

For the majority of jobs, a selection of some of the requirements are used for scoring against, rather than using all the requirements. Often, the requirements which are prioritised will be hinted at in elements of the job advert - so it is worth reading the advert text thoroughly.

For each of the chosen criteria, scorers review your application and assign a score (usually either 0-2 or 0-3, where 0 is no evidence that you fulfill the criteria and 2/3 is exceptionally strong evidence). The scores are then added up for each candidate and the shortlisters will then usually meet to compare scores and decide how many candidates to take to interview.

NHS Pay Scales 2026/27 (predicted – updated November 2025)

Administrator - November 6, 2025November 23, 2025

Each year, the NHS Payscales team works with NHS policy, finance and HR insiders to predict pay uplifts ahead of the official government announcement and provide the latest insights into when and how pay changes will be applied. We constantly review the latest information and update this page with relevant news.

For the past two years, our predictions have been within 0.3% of the final figure recommended by the NHS Pay Review Body and adopted by the government.

How much will the NHS pay rise for 2026/27 be?

As of early November 2025, our current prediction for the 2026/27 pay deal is 3% across all bands.

As normal, there are a number of factors which are likely to influence the pay deal and which we have taken into account for our prediction:

Government budgets: One of the key sources of information that the NHS Pay Review Body use to determine their recommendations is yearly evidence provided by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) about affordability and pay. This evidence was provided earlier than usual by DHSC this year, in October 2025.

The headline figure from the DHSC evidence is a suggested maximum pay award of 2.5%. This is justified within the document by the significant non-pay costs faced by the NHS currently - such as those resulting from transformation programmes outlined in the 10 Year Health Plan for England. It is also roughly aligned to an expected overall rise in NHS budgets of 2.8% year-on-year.

However, the DHSC position tends to be quite conservative. In previous years, we have seen the final pay award being significantly higher than the DHSC position; last year the DHSC recommendation was 2.8% and the final award was 3.6%. We expect a similar trend to continue this year.
Inflation and the wider economy: Inflation is a measure of how much the cost of living rises each year. The current government target for inflation is 2%, although as of November 2025 most measures of inflation are between 3.5-4%. Wages tend to be closely tied to inflation.

We are expecting the pay award to be announced in January 2026, for reasons outlined below. If inflation falls below 3.5% as the government hope, a 3% pay rise could be positioned by the government as being close to or at keeping pace with inflation while also being financially responsible. However, any pay rise significantly below inflation would be likely to be received poorly by NHS staff and unions.
Trade unions and strike action. Strikes were a constant feature of NHS life towards the end of the last Conservative government. While debates over doctors pay continue, public support seems to have waned for NHS staff taking industrial action, weakening the ability of trade unions to push for a pay rise significantly above inflation. Notably, many of the larger unions representing NHS staff have already said they will not be officially providing evidence to the NHS Pay Review Body this year, perhaps reflecting their limited negotiating power in the current political climate.

When will the NHS pay rise for 2026/27 be announced?

We expect the NHS pay rise to be formally announced in January or February 2026.

The rationale for this is the government beginning the annual pay review process two months earlier than last year, making a request to the NHS Pay Review Body at the same time to try and move towards more "timely pay awards". If a pay award was in place for the start of the new financial year in April 2026, this would avoid what has become a yearly ritual of backdated pay - but to do this, NHS finance teams would likely need at least 6-8 weeks notice before April's pay day to update their systems and work through the detail of the pay award.

Will there be other pay changes for NHS staff announced this year?

Over the past few years, there has been increased speculation and discussion about changes to the Agenda for Change contract, in response to growing dissatisfaction with certain elements of the NHS's standard contract. Three of the topics which have been consistently been discussed include:

A potential expansion to High Cost Area Supplements outside of the current London-focused regions;
A separate pay scale or contract for nurses and midwives;
Improved pay or compensation to retain staff currently at the top of their pay band.

A wholesale reform of the NHS's approach to pay has also been suggested, which would involve abolishing Agenda for Change and moving to an entirely new system.

Although some progress has been made in terms of starting formal discussions about wider reforms to NHS pay by the government, the scale of the consultation required to actually make any real changes means it is almost impossible that significant changes to the Agenda for Change contract will take place before April 2026. We believe it is much more likely that the government will announce a timetable for a consultation on reform around this time, likely tied in to the new 10 Year Workforce Plan.

Will NHS pension thresholds change for 2026/27?

In recent years, the NHS pension contribution thresholds have moved in line with pay rises. We expect this trend to continue, which would mean no NHS staff would experience a reduction in take-home pay as a result of the pay rise nudging them into a higher rate of pension contributions.

It is also possible that pension contribution thresholds may increase in line with inflation, if inflation is higher than the final pay rise - meaning a small number of staff could drop into lower payment thresholds and see a slightly larger rise in take-home pay.

Predicted NHS Agenda for Change pay increases 2026/27

The below figures are based on a predicted pay rise of 3%, applied across all bands equally.

Band 1

Band 1 is no longer used for staff joining the NHS. Any remaining staff on Band 1 contracts are paid as if they are on Band 2. Find out more about the history of Band 1 and the remaining NHS staff on this band.

Band 2

Staff in Band 2 (such as healthcare assistants, administrative assistants and catering staff) currently start on a salary of £24,465. This is predicted to increase to £25,199 following the predicted pay rise; Band 2 salaries may also be impacted by changes to the National Minimum Wage expected in April 2026.

Years of experience	National pay 2025/26	Predicted National pay 2026/27	Predicted Inner London pay 2026/27	Predicted Outer London pay 2026/27	Predicted Fringe pay 2026/27
0+	£24,465	£25,199	£30,977	£30,056	£26,549

There is currently no pay progression within Band 2. If you're thinking about applying for your first job in the NHS, you might find our article on applying for NHS jobs with no prior experience helpful.

Band 3

Staff in Band 3 (such as healthcare assistants) currently start on a salary of £24,939. This would increase to £25,687 following the pay rise.

After two years of experience at this band, most staff will receive a pay increase to £26,599. This would increase to £27,397.

Years of experience	National pay 2025/26	Predicted National pay 2026/27	Predicted Inner London pay 2026/27	Predicted Outer London pay 2026/27	Predicted Fringe pay 2026/27
0-2	£24,939	£25,687	£31,465	£30,544	£27,037
2+	£26,599	£27,397	£33,175	£32,254	£28,767

Band 4

Staff in Band 4 (such as office co-ordinators, finance administrators or communications assistants) currently start on a salary of £27,484. This would increase to £28,309 following the pay rise.

After three years of experience at this band, most staff will receive a pay increase to £30,162. This would increase to £31,067.

Years of experience	National pay 2025/26	Predicted National pay 2026/27	Predicted Inner London pay 2026/27	Predicted Outer London pay 2026/27	Predicted Fringe pay 2026/27
0-3	£27,484	£27,484	£33,062	£32,169	£28,830
3+	£30,162	£30,162	£36,159	£34,844	£31,639

Band 5

Staff in Band 5 (such as newly qualified nurses) start on a salary of £31,049. This would increase to £31,981 following the pay rise.

After two years of experience at this band, most staff will receive a pay increase to £33,488. This would increase to £34,492.

Staff receive a further pay rise after two more years of experience, to £37,796. This would increase to £38,930. This pay point represents the average salary for an NHS nurse, and is (by our estimation) probably the most common pay point in the NHS.

Years of experience	National pay 2025/26	Predicted National pay 2026/27	Predicted Inner London pay 2026/27	Predicted Outer London pay 2026/27	Predicted Fringe pay 2026/27
0-2	£31,049	£31,981	£38,377	£36,838	£33,580
2-4	£33,488	£34,492	£41,391	£39,666	£36,217
4+	£37,796	£38,930	£46,716	£44,770	£40,877

Band 6

Staff in Band 6 (such as occupational therapists or more senior or specialist nurses and midwives) start on a salary of £38,458. This would increase to £39,611 following the pay rise.

After two years of experience at this band, most staff will receive a pay increase to £40,587. Following the pay rise this would increase to £41,805.

Staff receive a further pay rise after three more years of experience, to £46,580. This would increase to £47,699.

Years of experience	National pay 2025/26	Predicted National pay 2026/27	Predicted Inner London pay 2026/27	Predicted Outer London pay 2026/27	Predicted Fringe pay 2026/27
0-2	£38,458	£39,611	£47,534	£45,553	£41,592
2-5	£40,587	£41,805	£50,166	£47,747	£43,895
5+	£46,310	£47,699	£56,418	£53,641	£49,962

Band 7

Staff in Band 7 (such as clinical pharmacists, communications managers, or service managers) start on a salary of £47,809. Following the pay rise, this would increase to £49,244.

After two years of experience at this band, most staff will receive a pay increase to £50,273. This would increase to £51,781.

Staff receive a further pay rise after three more years at this level, to £54,709. This would increase to £56,350.

Years of experience	National pay 2025/26	Predicted National pay 2026/27	Predicted Inner London pay 2026/27	Predicted Outer London pay 2026/27	Predicted Fringe pay 2026/27
0-2	£47,809	£49,244	£57,963	£55,185	£51,507
2-5	£50,273	£51,781	£60,500	£57,722	£54,044
5+	£54,709	£56,350	£65,069	£62,292	£58,613

Band 8a

Staff in Band 8a (such as HR business partners, advanced nurse practitioners, or senior physician associates) start on a salary of £55,690. This would increase to £57,360 after the pay rise.

After two years of experience at this band, most staff will receive an increase in pay to £58,486. This will rise to £60,241.

After five total years of experience at this level, most staff will receive a pay increase to £62,682. This would increase to £64,563.

Years of experience	National pay 2025/26	Predicted National pay 2026/27	Predicted Inner London pay 2026/27	Predicted Outer London pay 2026/27	Predicted Fringe pay 2026/27
0-2	£55,690	£57,360	£66,079	£63,302	£59,623
2-5	£58,486	£60,241	£68,960	£66,182	£62,504
5+	£62,682	£64,563	£73,282	£70,504	£66,826

There is no automatic advancement from band 8a to 8b. Find out more about pay progression here.

Band 8b

Staff in Band 8b (such as heads of department, consultant pharmacists, or senior general managers) start on a salary of £64,455. This would increase to £66,388 following the pay rise.

After two years of experience at this band, most staff will receive an increase in pay to £68,632. This will increase to £70,691

After five total years, most staff will receive a pay increase to £74,902. This would increase to £77,149.

Years of experience	National pay 2025/26	Predicted National pay 2026/27	Predicted Inner London pay 2026/27	Predicted Outer London pay 2026/27	Predicted Fringe pay 2026/27
0-2	£64,455	£66,388	£75,107	£72,330	£68,651
2-5	£68,632	£70,691	£79,410	£76,632	£72,954
5+	£74,902	£77,149	£85,868	£83,090	£79,412

There is no automatic advancement from band 8b to 8c. Find out more about pay progression here.

Band 8c

Staff in Band 8c (such as associate directors, consultant clinical scientists or nurse consultants) start on a salary of £76,964. This would increase to £79,273 following the pay rise.

Pay for those with two years of experience at this band would increase from £81,651 to £84,101 following the pay rise.

After five total years at this band, most staff will receive a pay increase to £88,682. This would increase to £91,343 after the pay rise.

Years of experience	National pay 2025/26	Predicted National pay 2026/27	Predicted Inner London pay 2026/27	Predicted Outer London pay 2026/27	Predicted Fringe pay 2026/27
0-2	£76,964	£79,273	£87,992	£85,215	£81,536
2-5	£81,651	£84,101	£92,820	£90,042	£86,364
5+	£88,682	£91,343	£100,062	£97,284	£93,606

There is no automatic advancement from band 8c to 8d. Find out more about pay progression here.

Band 8d

Staff in Band 8d (such as service directors, programme leads, or deputy directors) start on a salary of £91,341. This would increase to £94,081 following the pay rise.

Pay for those with two years of experience at this band would increase from £93,571 to £96,378 following the pay rise.

After five years, most staff will receive a pay increase to £101,677. This would increase to £104,727 after the pay rise.

Years of experience	National pay 2025/26	Predicted National pay 2026/27	Predicted Inner London pay 2026/27	Predicted Outer London pay 2026/27	Predicted Outer London pay 2026/27
0-2	£88,167	£91,341	£102,800	£100,023	£96,344
2-5	£93,571	£96,378	£105,097	£102,320	£98,641
5+	£101,677	£104,727	£113,446	£110,669	£106,990

Band 9

Staff in Band 9 (such as clinical directors or programme directors) start on a salary of £109,277. This would increase to £112,555 following the pay rise.

Pay for those with two years of experience at this band would increase from £115,762 to £119,235 following the pay rise.

After five total years, most staff will receive a pay increase to £125,636. This would increase to £129,405.

Years of experience	National pay 2024/25	Predicted National pay 2025/26	Predicted Inner London pay 2025/26	Predicted Outer London pay 2025/26	Predicted Outer London pay 2025/26
0-2	£109,277	£112,555	£121,274	£118,497	£114,818
2-5	£115,762	£119,235	£127,954	£125,176	£121,498
5+	£125,636	£129,405	£138,124	£135,347	£131,668

Some senior staff are on the Very Senior Manager payscale (effectively above Band 9). The pay deal for these managers is negotiated separately from the main Agenda for Change deal, and in recent history has been slightly lower than other staff receive. We expect a pay rise of around 2-2.5% for VSMs in 2026/27.

Can you negotiate your salary in the NHS?

Administrator - November 1, 2025November 4, 2025

One of the many confusing elements of applying for a job in the NHS (especially if you're applying for a job without prior NHS experience) is understanding why NHS jobs are normally advertised with a salary range, rather than a specific salary.

On the most basic level, these salary ranges represent the lowest to highest salaries within an Agenda for Change pay band. Agenda for Change is a standardised set of pay points used for the majority of NHS jobs, with ranges from Band 2 for the most junior staff to Band 9 for the most senior staff.

For example, using 2025/26 pay scales, a Band 5 salary could range from £31,049 to £37,796. Staff within Band 5 can be paid at one of three different rates or pay points (before taking into account High Cost Area Supplements):

£31,049
£33,487
£37,796

Band 2 only has one pay point. Bands 3 and 4 have two pay points each. All other bands have three pay points.

Understanding how much control you have over the salary you are paid does have some complexities - as we'll explain in this article.

Can I negotiate my salary as a new starter in the NHS?

Normally, new starters in the NHS begin on the bottom of the range of the advertised salary. Progression through the pay points (also sometimes called increments) is based on time in post and satisfactory yearly reviews, with a first pay increase taking place after two or three years, depending on the band.

However, there is scope to start on one of the middle or top points immediately in some circumstances. The key concept here is the idea of equivalent experience; if you can show that you have experience working at the same level of expertise and responsibility (or higher) for the length of time corresponding to progression to a higher pay point, you might be eligible to be paid at one of those higher pay points.

If you're moving from one NHS job to another at the same band, your equivalent experience should be automatically taken into account when your salary is agreed in your new role - although it is worth checking that this has taken place!

Policies about increased starting salaries for new joiners without NHS experience vary between organisations. Some organisations have a blanket policy that all non-NHS new starters start at the bottom of the salary range. Most organisations allow hiring managers to make a business case for new starters joining on a higher pay point if there is potentially equivalent experience to consider.

If you think you have relevant equivalent experience that should be taken into account, you should speak to your hiring manager as soon as possible once you have been offered the job - or even during the interview process, if you feel comfortable doing so. If they agree you have relevant equivalent experience, the hiring manager will then work with you to create a business case for approval by the organisation's HR department. Generally speaking, if you've made it as far as the business case being submitted, there is a good chance of it being approved.

It is also worth noting that some organisations extend this policy beyond the moment of joining, meaning that new starters can still try and negotiate a higher starting salary for a period of time after their start date, and receive back pay if successful. This period can be up to three months.

What is NHS rebanding?

Once you've started your role, pay progression will usually be limited to annual pay increases (applied to all NHS staff once the annual pay award is agreed) and movement through the pay points within your band based on years of experience.

There are some exceptional circumstances where the whole band of your role can be changed, leading to significant changes in pay.

This process - called "rebanding" - happens when the responsibilities of your job have shifted significantly from what is in your job description. For example, you may have taken on new clinical responsibilities, or begun line managing someone where that was previously not the case.

In these circumstances, you will usually need to speak to your line manager and HR team about whether rebanding your role is a possibility. This is a formal process where your current job responsibilities are evaluated (with the help of senior HR staff and trade union representatives) and a judgement is made about the appropriate Agenda for Change band for your role. You can find out more about rebanding on the Royal College of Nursing website.

How to get a job in the NHS without experience

Administrator - October 14, 2025November 1, 2025

About 125,000 people join the NHS each year without any prior experience of working for an NHS organisation, according to figures from NHS England.

Many of these new joiners will be entering established clinical career pathways following training - such as newly qualified nurses or doctors.

However, thousands of others will be entering into general administration, support or management roles which do not require NHS-specific training. With good job security, reasonable pay and progression and the chance to work as part of a team that saves and changes lives, it isn't difficult to see why people might want to join the NHS.

Competition for jobs within the NHS is at an all-time high, and for "outsiders" it can see an almost impossible task to make it through to the interview stage of recruitment, let alone securing a role.

However, hope is not lost! Working with a panel of experienced recruiting managers, we've developed four top tips to help people without NHS experience ace their application and secure their first role:

1. Don't think that applications are just a "numbers game"

NHS job applications are notoriously time consuming, with the two main application platforms (NHS Jobs and TRAC) requiring users to manually input their job and educational history and write a lengthy supporting statement. Because the platforms save these entries after they have been inputted, it can be tempting to just re-use the same application for different roles - or ask AI tools to do a quick rewrite of the personal statement and submit the application.

Unfortunately, the reality is that roles in the NHS now average hundreds of applications. Generic applications and applications which are mostly the product of AI don't do enough to stand out from the crowd. You need to tailor applications carefully to show that you understand the role and the organisation you are applying for, particularly within your supporting statement. Simply submitting hundreds of the same application won't get you anywhere.

2. Clearly demonstrate how your skills and expertise can be adapted to NHS environments

An obvious advantage for candidates who are already working within the NHS is that they can contextualise their experiences to the unique environment of the NHS in their application.

If you're applying to the NHS without having worked there already, you need to show the recruiting manager that you are well-prepared to fit into busy working life within an NHS organisation.

Within your supporting statement, make sure you "join the dots" between your work and educational background and the requirements set out in the person specification and job description.

For example, if you were applying for a receptionist position with a background of working in retail, you should make sure that you outline how you think interacting with customers has helped you prepare for working with patients.

For more specialised roles, try and do some research about how your skills or qualifications might be transferrable. Many systems or processes within the NHS are unique (for example Electronic Patient Record systems), but if you can mention how you have learned to use similar systems or processes in current or past roles, this might help to reassure the hiring manager that you are likely to pick up the needs of this new role more quickly.

It's also worth noting that if you do have genuinely equivalent experience at the same level as your new NHS job, you might be able to negotiate a higher starting salary.

3. Show that you understand the basic structure of the NHS

One of the most common failings we see in job applications from candidates without NHS experience is the failure to recognise the NHS is not a single body.

The NHS is made up of thousands of different organisations - from hospital trusts, to regional and national bodies, and a vast range of organisations providing specialist services or support.

Each of these bodies is unique, with their own priorities and organisational culture. If your job description talks solely about the NHS as if it is a single entity, you are showing the hiring manager you don't really understand the organisation you are applying for.

Have a look at the organisation you are applying for's website and social media channels. These should be able to give you information you can reference in your supporting statement - for example their strategic priorities or in relation to their latest news.

4. Be curious at interview stage

If you've made it to the interview stage - congratulations! Your odds of securing that dream job in the NHS have just got significantly better.

NHS interviews tend to be quite structured and formal. Often, candidates feel that they find it properly engage with their interviewers, and might leave disappointed about not building a positive relationship during the interview.

NHS interviews always include time for the candidate to ask questions, and this is the key section for really having a conversation with the interviewers.

Your interviewers will know you're from outside the NHS, so asking intelligent questions about the role shows that you're a proactive person who is already considering what they will need to learn and understand to be successful. The questions from the candidate are usually are usually also the final part of the interview, and so they are your final chance to leave a good impression on the interview panel.

5. Get an expert guide

Yes, we're biased - but we think you'll agree that understanding the recruitment process in the NHS is a difficult task. From oddly-worded job descriptions to application forms which take hours to complete and weeks spent hanging around waiting for progress updates, there is a lot to get your head around.

Our team collectively review thousands of applications each year, and it is frustrating to see so many candidates misunderstanding what is required or making errors in their application forms which mean they can't even make it to interview.

We've developed our insider's guide to writing a great NHS job application to give candidates the absolute best chance of scoring well on their application. We hope that it helps more talented and passionate people without NHS experience get the jobs they deserve.

How long does NHS shortlisting take?

Administrator - October 5, 2025October 5, 2025

Shortlisting refers to the process of scoring all applications that have been received for a job, and choosing which of the highest-scoring applications will be taken through to the interview stage of the recruitment.

With the rise of AI making it much faster to write supporting statements, application volumes for NHS jobs have rapidly increased in recent years. It is not uncommon for NHS jobs to receive well in excess of 100 applications, with some examples of single jobs receiving more than 300 applications.

The shortlisting process is completely manual, requiring each application to be carefully reviewed. Given the length of the application, even an experienced shortlister is likely to take at least 5 minutes per application for scoring. At a rate of 5 minutes per application, 100 applications would take more than a full day of work to score - without considering the "day job" that the hiring manager and other shortlisters will also be juggling.

With this in mind, it is unusual for shortlisting to take less than a week from the advert closing for applications - although some NHS organisations do allow shortlisting to take place while the advert is still live, which can speed up the process. On average, a wait of 1-2 weeks for shortlisting to be completed is normal. Entry-level jobs (which receive higher application volumes) may take even longer.

Who scores NHS job applications?

Shortlisting is almost always completed by a panel of two people. Usually, this will be the recruiting manager and one of their colleagues (e.g. someone else from the same team). Occasionally, it will be an HR representative, although our experience is that this is quite rare except for entry-level, non-specialist roles.

The shortlisting panel will review the applications separately, with each panel member scoring each application. Once both panel members have completed their scoring, the applicant tracking system will allow them to see their combined scores. The shortlisting panel will then use these scores to help decide how many people to take through to the interview process.

How does NHS shortlisting scoring work?

Shortlisting varies slightly between organisations. Normally, the shortlisting panel will be scoring applications against a selection of elements of the person specification. Scoring for each element tends to be between 0 (no evidence of meeting the criteria) and 3 (exceptional).

How many candidates are shortlisted for NHS interviews?

Administrator - September 29, 2025September 29, 2025

Did you know that many NHS jobs now receive more than 100 applications? With the odds of making it through to interview now arguably tougher than ever, it can be difficult to know how to set expectations in terms of what proportion of candidates should make it to interview, and how good your chances are if you are shortlisted.

How does NHS shortlisting work?

Shortlisting is almost always completed by a panel of two people. Usually this will be the recruiting manager and one of their colleagues (e.g. someone else from the same team). Occasionally, it will be an HR representative, although our experience is that this is quite rare except for entry-level, non-specialist roles.

Shortlisting varies slightly between organisations; as with many elements of recruitment such as advertising or probation periods, there is no set protocol within the NHS Agenda for Change contract and no national policy. Normally, the shortlisting panel will be scoring applications against a selection of elements of the person specification. Scoring for each element is often on a short scale, such as between 0 (no evidence of meeting the criteria) and 3 (exceptional).

How many candidates are taken to interview?

There are no NHS-wide rules on how many candidates should be interviewed as part of the hiring process. Usually, hiring managers will choose between 3-8 candidates they think have a realistic chance of being appointed based on their job application.

Sometimes, this number may be less. In rare cases, hiring managers may only take one candidate to interview, if they feel they are the only potentially appointable candidate.

Some organisations have policies that applicants with a disability who meet the “minimum criteria” for the role should always be invited to interview. The application of this policy is very inconsistent. However, if you do consider yourself to have a disability, it is worth indicating this in your application – you won’t be scored down because of any disability and you might have a slightly better chance of being shortlisted.

Can NHS jobs close early?

Administrator - August 31, 2025October 5, 2025

NHS jobs are usually advertised with a specific closing date. However, it is not uncommon for jobs to close or be removed before this date.

In the experience of the NHS Payscales team as hiring managers, the single biggest reason for this is sheer volume of applications. The use of AI in NHS job applications has meant that many vacancies now get more than 100 applications; in some cases application numbers can exceed 300.

Each application must be manually reviewed by the hiring manager and normally a second shortlister. Even if each application review only takes 5 minutes, reviewing 100 applications means dedicating an entire day to shortlisting for each of the managers involved in the shortlisting process. Given hiring managers also have their busy "day job" to take care of, spending vast amounts of time shortlisting applications is simply unsustainable and can lead to long waits for candidates.

Often, hiring managers will keep an eye on applications as they come in and work with HR colleagues to close the vacancy early if they feel they have enough strong candidates.

It is worth noting that like many other matters related to recruitment (such as probation periods), policies on closing vacancies early vary between NHS organisations - there is no single policy applied across the NHS. Some organisations have a policy to never close vacancies early because of concerns that this disadvantages people who may not be able to easily find the time to apply in a timely fashion (such as working parents).

Unfortunately, for applicants, there is no real way around the fact that the longer you leave it to apply for an NHS role, the higher the chances of the advert closing and you missing your chance.

Do short closing dates mean an internal candidate has already been earmarked for the role?

It is sometimes perceived that internal candidates are pre-selected for many NHS jobs, with the recruitment process being a mere formality.

While some jobs are only advertised internally, short closing dates don't necessarily correlate with having a preferred internal candidate. It is more likely that the hiring manager thinks they are likely to receive a large volume of high quality applicants - and that they want someone in post quickly!

Do NHS jobs have a probation period?

Administrator - August 30, 2025August 30, 2025

Probationary periods (periods after starting a new job where notice periods are shortened) are not standardised under the Agenda for Change contract used by most NHS organisations for most staff (except doctors).

During a probationary period, it is usual that staff will have their performance monitored closely. If there are serious concerns about performance, the staff member may be dismissed during their probationary period with a shorter notice period (usually one or two weeks).

Because there is no NHS-wide policy on probation periods, whether jobs within the NHS come with a probation period depends on the organisation. Broadly speaking, there are three possible approaches to probation periods within the NHS:

No probation period. An increasing number of NHS organisations no longer have any probation period for staff. This is because adding a probation period increases legal complexity and (in practice) dismissing a member of staff during their probationary period may not be any easier than if they were an established member of staff.
3 months. Some NHS organisations use a 3-month probation period - which is a typical probationary period in the private sector.
6 months. Other NHS organisations use a 6-month probationary period. This longer notice period tends to be more common for clinical staff.

The length of your probationary period (if you have one) will be explained to you during the process of being offered a job. If you are in the process of applying for a job within the NHS, you should be able to ask your recruitment HR contact about the details of any probation period.

Do NHS jobs have to be advertised?

Administrator - August 30, 2025September 1, 2025

A frustration among candidates for NHS jobs is the perception that some of the "best" jobs never make it to being advertised externally. It is often suggested that managers find ways of giving jobs to preferred internal candidates without going through a fair and competitive recruitment process.

In reality, as with many recruitment-related issues, whether NHS jobs have to be advertised varies significantly based on organisational policies. There is no specific policy within Agenda for Change or other nationally-recognised policy documents about how jobs should be advertised.

Although normal practice is advertise all roles externally for two weeks, it is not uncommon for roles to only be advertised internally, and sometimes only to specific groups of internal staff.

Some of the scenarios where NHS jobs would not be advertised externally include:

Organisations undergoing redundancy or restructuring programmes. Often large NHS organisations in the process of making significant numbers of staff redundant will insist that all vacancies are circulated to staff "at risk" before they are advertised any further. This gives staff who may otherwise be leaving the organisation the chance to apply for the vacancy.
Organisations under financial pressure. When NHS trusts or other organisations are experiencing challenging financial environments, they may alter their recruitment policies to reduce the time and expenses related to external recruitment. This is sometimes called a "recruitment freeze", where vacancies are often left unfilled if they are deemed non-essential. However, in circumstances where a vacancy must be filled, these organisations may choose advertise internally first.
Organisations with discretionary policies around internal recruitment. Because external recruitment takes a significant amount of time and effort to organise, some NHS organisations have policies (whether formal or informal) allowing managers to advertise vacancies internally if they feel there are likely to be good candidates within the organisation. In these cases, hiring managers will work with HR colleagues to decide if this is the best course of action. This is more likely to be possible for semi-junior positions where there are many internal staff looking to progress.

However, it is extremely uncommon for a manager to be allowed to simply "give" a job to an internal candidate without some form of recruitment process taking place. Managers only have limited control of the recruitment process within NHS organisations, and HR colleagues tend to be highly aware of recruitment processes that could be deemed to be unfair, opening the organisation up to potential employment tribunals or other legal challenges.

Writing a great NHS job application: the insider’s guide (updated November 2025)