Recruitment Process
Detailed in the tabs below you will find specific Recruitment policy and process information in place within your Board.
National Services Scotland
The Recruitment Team is here to support hiring managers throughout all stages of the recruitment process and can be contacted via Contact Us (internal) or by e-mailing nss.wfrs@nhs.scot (external).
Jobtrain is the main system used when raising requests for posts and Hiring Manager guidance, training and support is available on the eESS and Jobtrain website - please view the relevant SOPs to help create your Jobtrain Job Approval Request (JAR)
Please refer to the tabs below for further information and templates required during each stage of the process. The Manager’s Guide to Recruitment Process and the NSS Recruitment Policy provide detailed information and guidance.
If you are considering recruiting on a fixed term basis, please refer to the Fixed Term Contract Policy.
Detailed below are some points to note for employees new to the organisation:
1) ID Card - the employee will need to go to reception to get their photo taken for their ID badge/card.
2) Email - an email address is created by IT and sent to the Line Manager named on the New Start Form.
3) eESS, Turas Learn & Appraisal - access to eESS and Turas Appraisal will be provided within 2 weeks of the employees start date. For Turas Learn, new employees can register following the FAQs available here on HR Connect.
4) Induction - new starts will be sent an invite to attend the next live quarterly induction event. Employees should contact Learning and Development using the Contact Us form for further info.
5) Computer & Telephone - IT will contact the manager with the relevant login details. If there are any issues, the manager or employee should contact IT using the Service Portal on their desktop. If a laptop is required, the line manager will request this from IT.
NHS 24
Authority to Recruit
Recruitment Authorisation Forms (RAF's) should be used for all new vacancies including agency requests. Please ensure that you follow the appropriate process to complete this including appropriate signatures (see below documents for full process). The RAF should also now be used to apply for any extensions to Agency/Fixed-Term/Secondment posts. Extension forms will no longer be accepted.
All vacancies and extensions are eligible to be considered by the Redeployment Panel. Please therefore take this into consideration when submitting your RAF.
Incomplete RAFs will not be accepted by Workforce Planning and will be returned to the hiring manager for completion.
General Recruitment
Please see the Recruitment and Selection Policy document for guidance, however please note that currently processes and procedures are being reviewed and are subject to change. Information regarding the new Job Train candidate tracking system launch will be updated in the News section in due course, this will change the way that recruitment is processed throughout the organisation moving forward.
We have added general documents to the tabs to assist hiring managers in the process, however should you be be unable to find a piece of information please use the 'contact us' form.
For senior posts in the organisation NHS 24 is using Values Based Recruitment. You can find more information on this and Project Lift here.
Agency/Independent Contractor recruitment – due to legislative changes from HRMC, if hiring managers intend to recruit through an agency or to hire independent contractors, please contact Jim Martin, Finance, in the first instance. An Employee Status Indicator test must be completed and submitted with this RAF. Without this, the RAF will not be processed. Please clearly indicate on the RAF that you intend to engage in agency recruitment.
NHS Golden Jubilee
The aim of this policy is to promote safe, fair and consistent recruitment, ensuring equality of opportunity in the attraction, recruitment and selection of staff.
Public Health Scotland
The Recruitment Team is here to support hiring managers throughout all stages of the recruitment process and can be contacted via Contact Us (internal) or by e-mailing nss.wfrs@nhs.scot (external).
Jobtrain is the main system used when raising requests for posts and Hiring Manager guidance, training and support is available on the eESS and Jobtrain website - please view the relevant SOPs to help create your Jobtrain Job Approval Request (JAR)
The Recruitment Process Guide has been designed to support managers with guidance and links to information on the recruitment and selection process and policy. Please refer to the tabs below for further information and templates required during each stage of the process.
If you are considering recruiting on a fixed term basis, please refer to the Fixed Term Contract Policy.
Detailed below are some points to note for employees new to the organisation:
1) ID Card - the employee will need to go to reception to get their photo taken for their ID badge/card.
2) Email - an email address is created by IT and sent to the Line Manager named on the New Start Form.
3) eESS, Turas Learn & Appraisal - access to eESS and Turas Appraisal will be provided within 2 weeks of the employees start date. For Turas Learn, new employees can register following the FAQs available here on HR Connect.
4) Induction - new starts will be sent an invite to attend the next live quarterly induction event. Employees should contact nss.learningcentre@nhs.scot for further info.
5) Computer & Telephone - IT will contact the manager with the relevant login details. If there are any issues, the manager or employee should contact IT using the Service Portal on their desktop. If a laptop is required, the line manager will request this from IT.
The State Hospital
The State Hospital recognises that the delivery and development of patient care is dependent upon having the right people in the right place at the right time and therefore regards the operation of an effective recruitment and selection policy as an essential management tool. The State Hospital is committed to operating a recruitment and selection process that ensures fair and equitable treatment for all applicants.
Values Based Recruitment
It is important that potential employees understand the reality of the role before they start work. Candidates may be assessed in a variety of settings to get a better idea of their suitability for the post with regard to their values, attitudes and interactions within a group setting. With this in mind The State Hospital has introduced a combination of assessment centres and values based interviewing to our recruitment processes. This is a rigorous programme of exercises involving a variety of multidisciplinary staff of all grades designed to assess a candidate’s performance and suitability for a particular job.
The State Hospital is now live with the National recruitment system Jobtrain. For guidance and frequently asked questions about Jobtrain, please see the Jobtrain Recruitment System section.
See below tabs for information, tools and templates on each stage of the recruitment process along with these tools, the HR department have also produced a Hiring Managers Guide and a Hiring Manager Checklist to assist with this process.
- Standard Recruitment Process Flow
- Recruiting People with a Disability Guide
- Disability Confident Scheme Guide
- Hiring Manager Checklist TSH
- e-Approval Guidance and FAQs TSH
- Vacancy Approval Video on Jobtrain TSH
- Hiring Manager Recruitment Guidance TSH
- Person Specification Template TSH
- Template Job Advert TSH
- Recruitment and Selection Policy TSH
- Recruitment and Selection Policy and Procedure Golden Jubilee
- Person Specification Template
- What documents are needed to start the recruitment process?
The following documents are required to be attached to your Job Approval Request on JobTrain:
- Advert (Hiring Manager to draft using the template)
- Person Specification (Hiring Manager to draft using the template)
- Job Description (Hiring Manager can request this from HR)
- Workplace Hazard Identification Form (Hiring Manager to complete the form)
All forms and templates are available under the 'Authorising and Advertising' tab.
If you require a copy of the Agenda for Change Job Description and/or CAJE number, or if you have any further queries about your recruitment, please contact HR by completing the Contact Us form.
- How much notice is required before a new employee can start with the organisation?
Once the start date has been agreed with the candidate, please raise a new start form via the Forms Handling Portal
Please give at least 10 - 15 working days’ notice between the date of the new start form being raised and the candidate start date. This is to ensure systems access is set up for Day 1.
Out with this timeline it cannot be guaranteed that the employee will have access to required systems on their first day
- Who is responsible for pre-employment checks, including references, Occupational Health and Disclosure Scotland?
The Recruitment Team will request references and will liaise directly with the candidate on Occupational Health and Disclosure Scotland (if applicable).
When received the references will be sent to the hiring manager by the lead recruiter for approval.
The lead recruiter will provide regular updates to the hiring manager on the progress of pre-employment checks
- Can I request to advertise somewhere to reach a specialist group of candidates?
Yes, please note this on the Job Train approval form and discuss with your lead recruiter or log a call using HR Contact Us and a member of the team will contact you.
Please note that advertising on other external sites may incur an additional cost, along with a Purchase Order number.
- Who can help me if I need support with my recruitment?
When a vacancy has been received by HR through Job Train and cleared by Redeployment you will be assigned a Lead Recruiter from the Recruitment Team to support you through the process.
If you have not yet created a vacancy in Job Train, please log a call using HR Contact Us and a member of the team will contact you
- What system do I use to start the recruitment process?
When it has been agreed that a vacancy is identified please log on to your Job Train account and click on the ‘Add a Job’ option at the left hand side of your home page.
If you are not registered on Job Train, please use the Contact Us form to get in touch so this can be set up.
Once you click on the Add a Job option, please complete the required information to begin the approval process. If you require assistance, please refer to the helpful user guides within the 'Authorising and Advertising' tab above.
If after browsing the user guides you require additional support, please use the Contact Us form to get in touch with us so we can advise.
- Where are vacancies advertised?
The Recruitment team will place your advert on Job Train.
External vacancies are advertised on the NHS Scotland website:
https://apply.jobs.scot.nhs.uk/
Internal only vacancies are advertised at:
https://apply.jobs.scot.nhs.uk/internal/
External vacancies are also added automatically to Indeed, Google+ and Adzuna
- What system is used for advertising my vacancy?
Job Train version 7 is the national recruitment system used by all 22 Health Boards in Scotland