What would make you consider working in NHS admin right now?

[Helpmethinkofasolution]

I have never known things as bad as this. Job getting no applicants, successful applicants regularly turning down jobs and then us having to go back to the start in terms of recruitment.
When I started in 2018 I remember there were 200 applicants for most band 4 jobs. Where are those people now and what is going to attract people to apply again?

Is it post Covid wariness of the NHS? Is it that we used to be flexible but now WFH jobs are even more flexible? Is it that the private sector is paying more? To my (possibly un- observant) eye, it doesn't seem like there are loads of admin jobs out there offering much more money. Unless it's that there is less responsibility with these private sector admin roles.

We used to get a good stream of working mums (generally) who would appreciate an interesting and flexible job with good sick pay, annual leave and ok pension but they are no longer applying.
This won't be used in any recruitment campaign, I'm just genuinely interested (and bloody worried that I'll be doing six peoples jobs forever!)

I wonder if it's becuase private sector wages have increased more than nhs? Generally there are less job seekers at the moment

The parking fees did it for me - almost £180 month and parking a good 15 minute walk away adding a big chunk lost off an already pretty basic salary and the additional time either end getting to and from parking. I would have taken the job if parking were free. There is a lack of recognition of how important admin staff are to the smooth running of a hospital and we are often poorly treated and blamed for errors made further up the chain. Ie. Notes not put in files/removed and not replaced, paperwork never passed to admin or medical staff not using computerised systems correctly as they too are under pressure.

Can I ask those who have NHS admin/ clerical jobs what the interview questions were like? I have an interview next week and would appreciate any advice.

for me, 5 questions. All situational. Had my interview a couple of weeks ago. How did you deal with a time you had to give difficult feedback, example of a time you’ve had to change the way you work because of being under pressure, examples of dealing with a grievance and what you did to resolve it. They’re basically looking for teamwork, communication, following company policy, pro active and able to think on your feet type answers.

So have plenty of work based examples lined up.

They also asked why this department/why the NHS.

Memorise the trust values. Refer every answer back to these and the person specification on the job listing.

Good luck.

Thank you that’s what I need at the moment just want to be able to get on earn money and do a good job.

I would go for this sort of role (under different circs) but have been told that to get a band 3 job at one of my local hospitals there was a full two days of interviews. An entire working day sat in groups being observed and doing stupid tasks, then a series of board or panel type interviews (like bloody itsaknockout). Totally put me off, 13 of 14 k job and that much grief to get it?
No ta. And yes, outsourced recruitment process. Ludicrous.

As with any job, if you pay enough you'll get applicants

The pay will always be the problem.

I don't know many grown adults who'd work for less than 25k, even apprentices get more than that in some industries

It's the job ads, they are gobblegook.

The recruitment is soooo painfully slow and the paperwork checks are ridiculous - I failed the right to work in the UK check (I'm about as UK-born as you can get - barely left the country for holidays!) until we found a way around it using my expired passport. I was interviewed early June and I STILL haven't got a confirmed contract, despite all checks being cleared and everything from my end (and references) submitted within a day of being requested.

The recruiting for new band 5 AHPs is nuts this year - granted we're graduating as the "peak covid" cohort so numbers are down from people who dropped out when online learning hit, or dropped back a year in the hope of getting less disrupted placements - we lost about 1/4 of our course cohort - but I'm seeing jobs readvertised 2,3,4 times, and the LinkedIn recruiters are messaging like crazy for anyone with a pulse and the keywords in their bio. It's lovely to be wanted - yes, and I've secured a role which is really interesting with lots of potential for experience across different areas of my role - but it's flipping crazy! Even for my role - which is their flagship "new graduate - we'll give you a huge range of experience" programme - they've had to run multiple rounds of recruitment to fill the posts.

Hospital parking charges and face mask mandates are a deterrent factor - they're still areas I've got some wibbles about taking on what I have done (but I'm largely community based at least so have less time to worry about those factors)

I would never apply for an NHS job simply because of the bullying
At least 3 terrible cases that I can think of off the top of my head

We certainly don't do these types for admin at that level, perhaps once up at b6+. Our interviews are 11 questions, all role based (like pp says "tell us about a time you..." style). Applications are previous jobs, supporting information and then they get a list of the essential criteria asking how they fit it - usually 5 or 6 points. We literally spoon feed the route to get an interview in the application form.

I've briefly worked in NHS admin. Let's just say it's a land of contrasts - some people are very competent and overqualified while others are totally useless. And it's very hard to get rid of the latter once they're permanent.

The pay is also strange - obviously it's not good, but you can also get away with doing very little depending on your department and how much your manager pays attention. So for some it'll still be more than they deserve.

I haven't RTFT but in what way are these admin roles "flexible"? Admin is usually set hours.
I worked for the NHS in a former life and IME a huge amount of flexibility was demanded from staff but it was very rarely given back. £22-25k is not a lot to put up with verbal (or even physical) abuse from members of the public, not to mention stressed out clinicians regularly shooting the messenger when things don't run smoothly, having to pay through the nose to park at your own workplace, being expected to wear a mask all day and you could be sent to any ward/department/even another hospital site within the trust at any time because the job description will always state something about "any other duties required" and your work being based at X but they reserve the right to move you.

This post - or rather responses to it - makes me quite cross at times.

In surrey where i live it all comes down to salary. Yes, you can survive on a band 2 salary if you have inherited half of grandma's bungalow (a ruinous one starts around 350k here for a 1 bed), but for those without inheritances, a partner on a good income or a childhood bedroom, forget it.

If you walk into the local estate agents enquiring to rent a studio or 1 bed, the first question they ask is "do you earn over 30,000 pounds because private housing is in short supply, demand is v high, and landlords can take their pick"...

If the answer is "i work for the NHS in a permanent role, have done for years, have a deposit and references, but earn just 22,500", the young lad at the estate agent goes "sadly, we cant help you!... Sorry"...

So basically, around here - and Sussex - you need to look at rental prices long before even applying for the jobs available on the NHS... as getting the job then gives you a hell of a lot of issues as it commits you to living nearish and takes away the option of working somewhere cheaper.

Bring back the days of good quality staff and their families accommodation...

Look at the church - they get away with paying ministers utter peanuts on the proviso that they live in the Victorian 5 bed manse....

Lose the manse = no vicars

Same with NHS

Lose any affordable housing options = no applicants/staff leaving quickly after tricky phone calls with the Wonga replacements...

Fun

For me personally...
I don't drive so making the hours end at the same time as the last bus 3 days a week doesn't work.

The pay is too low.

The flexibility to cover others hours at little notice is unreasonable.

The requirements to work at any of the Trust locations "if required" is also unreasonable... even if it is infrequent or has never happened (if it is in the contract you can get burned... again, I dont drive).
The requirement for a degree when a C at O level English is all that is really required (and that is what the existing staff have).

and, most of all... If you want good people from outside advertise for them not for the same people you have already got, write the job descriptions and requirements in plain English, not NHS gobbledegook.

Those are the things off the top of my head... the reputation for being taken for granted, management bullying, difficulty taking annual leave and poor prospects don't help much either.

We don't have any ability to change the pay. From my own perspective we are competitive with what we pay, but it must be something else.

Competitive with whom?

It's not competitive with the private sector on salary, it doesn't offer an enormous amount of flexibility/enormous pension/possibility of pay increase which might entice someone to take a lower salary...so how is it competitive?

In reality if the role were actually competitive, it would have candidates.

You're evidently not.

I would agree you might have a better chance if at least some wfh was offered, but it's still a lower salary than is available elsewhere for admin roles even if you are able to offer more flexibility on place of work.

are you sure this isn’t a council role, not NHS? This is what I do, but it’s local government.

I need a contract that offers a fixed number of hours per week and fixed pay, not as and when.
I'm disabled, will claim tax credits if I ever return to work and the DSS won't even send me to a job interview if the contract is as and when. I've had to turn down jobs I've been offered after completing training as an intern. Its extremely frustrating.

If you are recruiting through the DSS and they haven't told you this, ask them about it - especially if you are trying to recruit single parents or disabled people.

The wages is what it comes down to.
I'm a Ward based band 2, I get swore at , treated with utter contempt, hit, groped, spat at, and generally work my back side off. For a poor wage and have to pay for parking.
Now I am also the mother of 2 young kids and due to a change in circumstances I may have to put them into childcare. Something that will cost me more than I earn. Think I will be minus £200 a month and that doesn't take into account the other costs like parking, petrol, car costs.
It's just not feasible for me to carry on working there. Which breaks my heart as despite all the trouble, Low wage etc , I am doing what I love.

I am in admin for another well known company and looking at what you put as the pay might be the issue. I would be taking a pay cut to work for the NHS.

This is so my post.... I have 4's and 3's out to advert at present for the third time...no applicants every time. Adverts re-written each time. Ours have been posted on Uni websites and social media platforms. So many vacancies and every staff member who have left in the past 6 months have all jumped the NHS ship completely. The rest of us are drowning... It's not only our Locality in our Trust having this problem. We are not ward based and have parking and on a major bus route too. So it's not that. I've been in the NHS 20 years, physical and mental health and never encountered this before.

Maybe write to your MP about this? It's awful that such dedicated people like yourself have no choice but to leave.

In most areas of the country, people cannot afford to live on the salary paid at band 4 or below. Simple as that.

And private sector companies are also desperate for staff, and are paying more to attract them.