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Original poster

NHS Recruitment

131 replies

Babyroobs · 09/03/2022 12:35

Anyone else just feel like giving up with NHS recruitment ?
I understand things are busy right now but it just seems like things are dragging on unnecessarily.
It is impossible to contact anyone at HR for days on end. Emails go unanswered for weeks, I'm left in limbo not having a start date, or knowing what days of the week I will be working so can't plan anything. The endless forms to complete which don't work online and there is no contact to ring and ask anyone. The endless delays. I am seriously just thinking of giving up working for them altogether.

OP posts:
jessy100 · 18/04/2022 21:31

Hi whattodo, it took three days.

desperatehousewife21 · 20/04/2022 07:05

My process went quite well I was expecting long long delays after reading this thread but from interview/ offer to being given a start date took 6 weeks.

caringcarer · 20/04/2022 08:43

This makes me so angry. Qualified people willing to start at once and all we hear from NHS is they have recruitment shortage and not enough applicants for jobs. They need to sort recruitment out as a priority. No wonder people are having to wait years for an appointment.

Original poster
Babyroobs · 20/04/2022 12:18

caringcarer · 20/04/2022 08:43

This makes me so angry. Qualified people willing to start at once and all we hear from NHS is they have recruitment shortage and not enough applicants for jobs. They need to sort recruitment out as a priority. No wonder people are having to wait years for an appointment.

Exactly. Whilst doing some final training for my bank position last week and being fitted for a mask for covid patients , the lady fitting the mask told me she had had someone through recently who had been waiting a year to start in her post !!

OP posts:
gingercat02 · 20/04/2022 13:23

NHS recruitment (and HR and payroll) are just shit. Nothing to do with COVID, I have worked for 5 different trusts in 31 years and they are all and have always been shambolic. We plan for 6 months from interview to actual bum on seat. Appalling!
You have to keep ringing and nagging as does your manager to be. Emails are no good you need a real life person (if they actually exist)

Original poster
Babyroobs · 20/04/2022 14:49

gingercat02 · 20/04/2022 13:23

NHS recruitment (and HR and payroll) are just shit. Nothing to do with COVID, I have worked for 5 different trusts in 31 years and they are all and have always been shambolic. We plan for 6 months from interview to actual bum on seat. Appalling!
You have to keep ringing and nagging as does your manager to be. Emails are no good you need a real life person (if they actually exist)

Three months after interview, I am just about finally at the stage of being able to do some bank shifts although it's now going to be very difficult as I am starting a full time job next week. When I went to a training session there was an HR rep there who was rude. The other one was lovely. Everyone else at the training was saying what a shambles it had been and they had all been waiting months to start. I'm hoping to be able to do the odd bank shift as they have said if I don't then if I want to resume it next year ( new full time job is 12 month contract) I would have to go right back to interview again ! I have 35 years experience as a qualified Nurse and just wanted to do a bit of bank work as an HCA whilst between jobs.

OP posts:
Toddlerteaplease · 20/04/2022 16:41

I got a secondment to Band 6 on my own ward. It took 3 months from being offered it to starting!

Shiningstarr · 20/04/2022 16:56

I know how you feel. I work for the NHS. I had my interview in the November, I started beginning of April!!! Endless checks and paperwork to do, occupational health took the longest, absolutely ridiculous.

Mammaslittlebakery · 25/04/2022 20:25

I've been offered an NHS support role and I have competed and sent in all the forms.
I had an online meeting today for recruitment to check my ID for the DBS checks and they confirmed they now have all the information needed to proceed...so how long do you think I'll be waiting for my unconditional offer to come through?! How long have other people waited recently from this point?

Shiningstarr · 25/04/2022 23:26

Mammaslittlebakery · 25/04/2022 20:25

I've been offered an NHS support role and I have competed and sent in all the forms.
I had an online meeting today for recruitment to check my ID for the DBS checks and they confirmed they now have all the information needed to proceed...so how long do you think I'll be waiting for my unconditional offer to come through?! How long have other people waited recently from this point?

Have you had occupational health checks yet? DBS sometimes takes a while. Could be another month at least

Whattodo1987 · 26/04/2022 06:10

Your DBS application will now be sent off so a certificate can be issued and sent to you. That process only took a week for me. Then they starting chasing another reference, stating I needed two, not one (that’s wasn’t mentioned anywhere previously) I sorted that the same day and then for my unconditional letter a week later.

Then after over two months of waiting, they’ve just asked if I could start asap with a couple of days notice, which I can’t!

Mammaslittlebakery · 26/04/2022 08:56

Mammaslittlebakery · 25/04/2022 20:25

I've been offered an NHS support role and I have competed and sent in all the forms.
I had an online meeting today for recruitment to check my ID for the DBS checks and they confirmed they now have all the information needed to proceed...so how long do you think I'll be waiting for my unconditional offer to come through?! How long have other people waited recently from this point?

I've sent the completed health form to occupational health, I don't have any health issues so was presuming they wouldn't need any further information...

Mammaslittlebakery · 26/04/2022 08:57

Shiningstarr · 25/04/2022 23:26

Have you had occupational health checks yet? DBS sometimes takes a while. Could be another month at least

Show quote history

I've sent the completed health form to occupational health, I don't have any health issues so was presuming they wouldn't need any further information....

desperatehousewife21 · 26/04/2022 09:55

Mammaslittlebakery · 25/04/2022 20:25

I've been offered an NHS support role and I have competed and sent in all the forms.
I had an online meeting today for recruitment to check my ID for the DBS checks and they confirmed they now have all the information needed to proceed...so how long do you think I'll be waiting for my unconditional offer to come through?! How long have other people waited recently from this point?

My DBS cleared in 3 hours! I got my unconditional offer 2 days after that.

desperatehousewife21 · 26/04/2022 09:56

Mammaslittlebakery · 25/04/2022 20:25

I've been offered an NHS support role and I have competed and sent in all the forms.
I had an online meeting today for recruitment to check my ID for the DBS checks and they confirmed they now have all the information needed to proceed...so how long do you think I'll be waiting for my unconditional offer to come through?! How long have other people waited recently from this point?

My DBS cleared in 3 hours! I got my unconditional offer 2 days after that.

desperatehousewife21 · 26/04/2022 09:56

Mammaslittlebakery · 25/04/2022 20:25

I've been offered an NHS support role and I have competed and sent in all the forms.
I had an online meeting today for recruitment to check my ID for the DBS checks and they confirmed they now have all the information needed to proceed...so how long do you think I'll be waiting for my unconditional offer to come through?! How long have other people waited recently from this point?

My DBS cleared in 3 hours! I got my unconditional offer 2 days after that.

desperatehousewife21 · 26/04/2022 09:56

My DBS cleared in 3 hours! I got my unconditional offer 2 days after that.

desperatehousewife21 · 26/04/2022 09:57

Sorry don’t know why it’s posted 3 times!

Mammaslittlebakery · 26/04/2022 18:23

desperatehousewife21 · 26/04/2022 09:56

My DBS cleared in 3 hours! I got my unconditional offer 2 days after that.

Wow, that's a quick turnaround! So many different timeframes for people, some really long, be interesting to see how long it takes for my unconditional offer...

Furcoatandnoknickerz · 28/04/2022 11:16

I have just read through the whole thread! Omg, how I can relate!
I have been offered a bank admin job, as there is so much backlog of literally thousands of bookings, I will probably be able to work around 25hrs per week should I want to.
I’m having the usual HR delays, according to Trac all my checks are completed, dbs took 2 days. In my conditional offer letter it stated that when all checks have been satisfactorily completed I would receive an unconditional offer and a start date………and now it all falls apart! Everything was completed a week ago and I’ve heard nothing since, it’s impossible to get hold of HR, they never include a phone number in the emails!
I have another job interview for a permanent contract part time HCA job on Tuesday, I mentally told myself that if I had an unconditional offer and start date to the bank job I would cancel the interview. As I haven’t heard anything I will be attending the interview it’s with a different trust, so that’s good! Also, another part time HCSW job has just been advertised that I’m quite interested in.
Am I wrong to keep applying for other jobs ,or should I just sit tight?
I left my job a few weeks ago, it was untenable, so I really don’t want to be waiting months and months to get back to work.

Tryinghard19 · 28/04/2022 14:41

@Furcoatandnoknickerz go for it, you have nothing to lose, so what suits you best. Good luck

Furcoatandnoknickerz · 28/04/2022 16:06

Update, just had a call with a start date!
So from the job applications closing to getting started will be roughly two months, not too bad compared to some!
I still think I will go for the interview next week, this interview invitation was actually sent while on the interview for the job I’ve just got! , but not going to apply for anymore.

desperatehousewife21 · 30/04/2022 12:18

That’s great ! Good luck for your interview too 😀

Tryinghard19 · 01/05/2022 22:12

Does anyone else’s contract they’ve recently got state holiday entitlement in hours rather than just days? How does that work if so?

Original poster
Babyroobs · 01/05/2022 22:29

Tryinghard19 · 01/05/2022 22:12

Does anyone else’s contract they’ve recently got state holiday entitlement in hours rather than just days? How does that work if so?

It's just easier to do it in hours when people work different length shifts. On wards some will work 7.5 hour short shifts and some will do 12 hour shifts.

OP posts:
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