Pre-Employment Check with the NHS

[mrskhw]

Hi All,

I was offered a job within the NHS (admin work) back in the middle of June which I accepted. It's now obviously the beginning of August and I've still not heard about a start date.

HR have been in touch every couple of weeks if they need anything from me as my previous employer wouldn't provide a reference without my written consent. I did contact them last week to ask if they had a start date in mind but they said as they're still waiting on some checks to come back, they're not yet in a position to discuss that.

Is this normal? My personality makes me worry about these things!

Thanks.

I accepted a job at the end of April. Started at the end of August 🙄

Oh my. It seems the norm then! Another person I know who works in admin for the NHS had 2 months from job offer to getting a start date.

it took ages when I joined the NHS for all the references and checks to be done

Thanks Sherry, I'll stop panicking now :)

I work in the NHS and have to recruit people to work in my team (I'm not in HR) This all sounds totally normal and a lot depends on the efficiency of the HR person assigned to look after the department you will be working in and the urgency put on them by your new manager. I think just do all you can to show you are trying to get everything back to them. The checks may be occupational health ones? Congrats on the new job! X

I accepted a job in January and started in May. The checks do take a while :) congratulations on your new job!

This is so familiar! It took forever from my interview to start date. I'd come from the legal sector and everything is pretty speedy and efficient. I've become accustomed to NHS pace of life!

I know people don't like privatisation of the NHS but you can literally pay a few quid for companies who have the expertise to do all checks etc in a matter of days..

This seems incredibly inefficient, And a waste of people's time to take this long..

How many people get fed up and accept another offer instead?

Then they have to start the whole process again.

Sorry missing the point of the post!

Thanks all. Your comments have put my mind at ease.

I don't know about the other checks, but it's taken an age for several people I know to get DBS checks back. It was at least 10 weeks at one point. And there was no way of speeding it up.

I work for the NHS too and the checks are an absolute ballache and take a bloody age! Don't panic! Big congrats 😊

Thanks again all. X

DBS shouldn't be taking that long unless someone is being very inefficient in processing it. I made an application on 29th July and received my certificate on 3rd August.

I found out last week that it's the references they are waiting for. It's like banging my head against a brick wall as I've contacted all my referees who have advised that they have supplied the information they have asked for numerous times.

I'll get there in the end. It just might not be until Christmas!!