Recruitment & Selection Policy (Non-medical)

Recruitment & Selection Policy (Non-medical) Create d: September 2007 revised December 2007 Author: Head of HR & HR Support Team Review Date: September 2008 Page 1 of 14

CONTENTS PAGE 1. Recruitment & Selection Policy Statement 3 2. Policy Principles 3 3. Appointing Officers 3 4. Accountabilities 4 Appointing Officer Support Team Interview Panel 5. Vacancies 5 6. Job Descriptions 5 7. Person Specifications 5 8. Approval to Recruit 6 9. Advertising Vacancies 6 10. Closing Dates 7 11. Applying for a Vacancy 7 12. Job Information Packs 7 13. Short-Listing 7 14. Interviews and Other Methods of Assessment 8 15. Interviewing Process 9 16. Preventing Illegal Working 9 17. Pre-employment Checks 9 Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) References Professional Registration Checks 18. Occupational Health Assessments 10 19. Offering Employment 10 20. Notifying Unsuccessful Candidates 11 21. Induction 11 Appendix 1 Equal Opportunities in Recruitment & Selection (Summary) 12 Appendix 2 Recruitment Flowchart 14 Page 2 of 14

1. RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION POLICY STATEMENT The purpose of this policy is to ensure that recruitment is fair and consistent throughout the Trust. It is a reference point for anyone, including potential applicants, and must be strictly adhered to by Appointing Officers. The scope of this policy covers all recruitment activity from the point that a vacancy arises to the appointed person s induction. It also includes the selection and promotion of internal applicants. (See Appendix 1 for a summary and Appendix 2 for a recruitment flowchart) Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust is committed to the equality of opportunity for everyone, and to the selection of the best candidate for each post irrespective of irrelevant factors such as sex; race; ethnic or national origin; colour; marital status; religion or religious belief; disability; age; sexual orientation; gender reassignment; HIV status; political affiliation or trade union membership. The Trust is also committed to the promotion of equal opportunities through its Race, Disability and Gender Equality Schemes. This policy will: Provide a framework that enables the Trust to meet its recruitment and retention needs Provide a framework that enables the Trust to achieve, and maintain, the best mix of skills for it to deliver its business and service plans. To ensure that every stage of the process is compliant with current legislation and best practice. Be monitored and reviewed on a regular basis. 2. POLICY PRINCIPLES The underpinning principles of this policy are: Every vacancy will be assessed to determine the necessary skills and person specification relevant to the role. The potential pool of applicants will be as wide as possible. All applicants will be assessed fairly. Disabled people, who meet the minimum criteria for a post will be offered an interview for that post. Interviews will only be conducted by those achieving Appointing Officer status Interviews will be conducted in an open and objective manner by those properly trained. A written record will be kept of all interviews and selection decisions. This information may be made available to candidates if it is requested. 3. APPOINTING OFFICERS Only Managers who have undertaken the internal Recruitment and Selection Training Course, or have previous qualifications or experience approved by the Support Team Manager prior to the recruitment process commencing will be considered Appointing Officers. The Training and Development Manager shall maintain a list of those attending the training ensuring it is updated for the Support Team Manager to access. Page 3 of 14

4. ACCOUNTABILITIES The Appointing Officer (with the vacancy) will: Consider whether a vacancy needs to be filled Consider the terms of the vacancy in conjunction with HR Review and, if necessary, revise the job descriptions, person specification and KSF. (Refer to Section 6 of this Policy) Submit a request to recruit to the Associate Director Plan the process i.e. set date and venue for interview and ensure it appears in advert, set date for short-listing meeting Draft a recruitment advert Appoint an interview panel Review the panel s decision and recommendations and make final decision Ensure that full induction training is planned and completed for all new members of staff. The Human Resource Department will: Assist and advise Appointing Officers throughout the selection process Assist with the production of job descriptions, person specifications and adverts Screen the advert to ensure it complies with the Trusts Equal Opportunities Policy Place adverts Receive all applications Complete an initial screening of candidates, where a large number of people apply. Send applications for short listing to the interview panel. Advise on the best method of assessment. Send out letters inviting candidates to interview Monitor reasons for rejecting and recommending candidates for employment Complete all pre-employment checks Arrange for new employees to attend an Induction course. The Interview Panel will: Short list candidates from the applications received via HR. Return the short list to HR. Book an interview room which is suitable and free from interruptions and ensure that there is an appropriate waiting area for candidates. Plan the interview schedule and any additional assessments. Meet at least two days before the interviews are due to take place to discuss the candidates and agree the interview format; e.g.: who will open/close the interviews; which questions will be asked and by whom etc. Check with HR that the interviewees have confirmed their attendance. Complete all recruitment documentation and returning it to HR within 48 hours of the final interview. Complete all Equal Opportunities monitoring information and returning it to HR with the other documentation. State clearly the reasons for the appointment or non-appointment of each candidate, ensuring that reasons are objective and do not discriminate unfairly. Page 4 of 14

5. VACANCIES Recruiting to fill a vacancy should not be automatic. Consideration should be given as to whether a vacant post needs to be filled, and if so, whether the requirements of the position have changed. As soon as a post becomes vacant, the manager should think about: Is there an opportunity for flexible working, which may enable more people to apply? Has the role changed or is this an opportunity to do things differently? Is the post full or part time? How will the working hours be arranged? What skills and qualifications must applicants have to be able to fulfil the role? Has the Band been agreed? On what type of contract should the successful applicant be employed? The HR department can be asked for advice at any stage of the recruitment process. Once the basics of the role have been agreed, a job description and person specification can be prepared. The job description is prepared before the person specification 6. JOB DESCRIPTIONS A job description describes the job role. It gives an outline of the main objectives and purpose of a job, its accountabilities and responsibilities. It should not be too long and should be easy for external, as well as internal candidates, to understand. Jargon and abbreviations should not be used unless it is unavoidable. Job descriptions have a standard format that can be downloaded from the intranet. A job description must be produced for all positions and should be updated as necessary. A copy of the current job description must be included with all job packs and can be made available on tape or in large print if requested If, after revision, substantial changes have been made to the job description; e.g. responsibilities; accountabilities; required skills and knowledge, it must be re-evaluated in case the banding of the post has been affected. The HR department co-ordinates job evaluation panels as necessary. If a post is subject to re-evaluation this should be completed before advertisement and where not possible it must be clearly stated in the recruitment advert. Any changes to a job description, where there is already someone in post, should be discussed and agreed between the manager and member of staff concerned and, if they result in a change to Banding, any cost consideration resolved before they are implemented. The amended job description should then be sent to the HR department for evaluation 7. PERSON SPECIFICATIONS A Person Specification summarises the qualities, skills and abilities that a person must have to be able to carry out the job description. A person specification identifies the main attributes required for the job and divides them into two categories: essential and desirable. Typically a Person Specification will include: qualifications, experience, knowledge, skills and attributes. Each criterion must be relevant and justifiable for the specific job vacancy. Page 5 of 14

There is a standard format that can be downloaded from the intranet. Person Specifications are used to write the recruitment advert and are sent to candidates so that they can also determine whether they might be suitable. Every application is compared to the Person Specification and those candidates who meet the criteria are short listed. If a lot of candidates meet the essential criteria, the desirable criteria will also be used to compile a shortlist. A Person Specification must not include wording which: Could exclude a disabled person from applying unless this is justified by the nature of the work. Could exclude someone on the grounds of their age, disability, HIV status, gender, marital status, race, nationality or ethnic origin, political affiliation, Trade Union membership, religion, sexual orientation and gender reassignment unless it is justified by the nature of the work or is a Genuine Occupational Qualification. The HR department can help with the design and wording of Person Specifications. The Person Specification is used throughout the recruitment process to select the best candidate. 8. APPROVAL TO RECRUIT The following documents must be prepared before any recruitment activity starts: A draft of the proposed job advert A copy of the job description A copy of the person specification KSF (Knowledge, Skills Framework) When a vacancy arises, the Appointing Officer must send copies of the job description; person specification and KSF, with the Establishment Control Form, to the Associate Director for signature. The Finance Department will then be asked to confirm funding for the post. Finally, the Establishment Control Form Panel (Vacancy Panel) must also approve the vacancy. The ECF Panel meets weekly, it consists of the Chief Operating Officer, the Director of Nursing and the Director of Workforce. The Director of Workforce will sign off all decisions to recruit so that the process can begin. 9. ADVERTISING VACANCIES Once the Vacancy Panel has approved the post, it can be advertised. Adverts are written by the Appointing Officer, and the HR Department can help with this. Previous adverts are kept on file and can be referred to. The HR Department will arrange for the vacancy to be advertised and will discuss the best method of advertising with the Appointing Officer. The HR Department needs copies of the following documents before an advert can be placed: Establishment Control Form Final Job Description KSF Outline Final Person Specification Page 6 of 14

All vacancies are posted on the NHS Jobs Website; www.jobs.nhs.uk, and are included in the Trust Vacancy Bulletin, which is copied to public institutions such as libraries and local job centres. If a vacancy is specialised or there is likely to be a shortage of good candidates, it may be advertised in the local or national press. 10. CLOSING DATES The closing date for a job advert is usually one to two weeks from the date of its appearance so that candidates have enough time to apply. This can be flexible if it is felt that more time would allow more people to apply, e.g.: if an advert has been placed in a specialist journal that is only published monthly. 11. APPLYING FOR A VACANCY Candidates must apply electronically on the NHS Jobs website or complete the Trust s standard application form Applications may also be accepted in different formats e.g.: an audiotape from a blind person. There are different application forms for medical and dental posts. Assistance can be provided by Human Resources for computer access etc. 12. JOB INFORMATION PACKS The HR Department will create an information pack per vacancy to send to candidates. Job Information Packs will always include: An application form A copy of the job description A copy of the person specification Managers who are recruiting can send any additional information that they would like to be included in the pack to the HR Department. All such information must meet the corporate standard. Managerial vacancies may also require more information to be sent out to applicants and there is standard wording for the more senior appointments. Presentation folders are available upon request. For posts that are specific to the NHS more information about the job role is available from www.nhscareers.nhs.uk or www.jobs.nhs.uk or the HR department. 13. SHORT-LISTING The HR Department will, within three days of the closing date, send a short-listing form to the Appointing Officer, together with the completed electronic applications. All personal information is removed from the applications and short listing managers only receive details of each candidate s career history and qualifications. Although the HR Department encourage electronic applications there is the facility for paper applications and these will be sent to Appointing Officers separately. At least two people must complete the short-listing of candidates. This is to ensure that the process is carried out fairly. A record is held of those who have carried out the short-listing. Page 7 of 14

Each application must be compared to the Person Specification. The reasons for not shortlisting a candidate must be recorded on the short-listing assessment form. Electronic applications must also be short-listed in this way and comments recorded in the comments box. If there are a lot of candidates, the HR department will help with initial screening of applications. If, after short-listing, there are too few or too many suitable candidates, it may be necessary to consider more of the desirable list from the Person Specification. There is no precise ratio of number of interviewees that should be seen for each vacancy. There may only be a small number of suitable candidates for specialised or technical posts. If a post is more general, and there are a lot of suitable candidates, it may be necessary to interview a larger number, bearing in mind that some people may not attend the interview or may have already found employment by the interview date. Once a short-list has been agreed it should be sent to the HR Department, at least two weeks before the interview date. The HR Department will check the short-listed candidates against the database, which contains details of Alert letters for Nurses, Midwives, Health Visitors and Professions Allied to Medicine, to identify and exclude anyone who has been struck off or suspended. 14. INTERVIEWS AND OTHER METHODS OF ASSESSMENT The main method of selection is to conduct an interview with each candidate. Interviews will be carried out by an interview panel comprising of at least two people, one of whom will be the Appointing Officer. Any personal knowledge or relationship with any of the candidates must be disclosed to the HR department before the interviews are held. The interview panel plans the interview schedule, allowing enough time with each candidate and, for the interviewers to write up their interview notes. In addition to an interview, it may also be useful to assess candidates in other ways, for example: Presentations Group activities In tray exercise Word Processing exercise Psychometric testing. The panel must discuss these options with the HR department. It is very important that selection methods are relevant and appropriate. Psychometric testing must be carried out by a qualified person. The interview schedule, together with the short-listed candidates details, should be sent to the HR department so that letters inviting candidates to an interview can be sent. The HR department will, at this stage, advise the interview panel if the interview schedule needs to be adjusted in any way. As early as possible before the interview date, each interviewer will receive from The Recruitment Bureau a copy of the job description and person specification together with copies of the full application forms of the short-listed candidates, including personal details, so that the members of the panel can prepare for the interviews. Page 8 of 14

15. INTERVIEWING PROCESS Whilst both the interview panel and others views are important the Appointing Officer will be accountable for all decisions to appoint or not appoint. Interviews are confidential and must be held in an appropriate environment. The panel should follow its agreed interview plan and should record their assessment of each candidate on the Interview Assessment Form. The panel should ensure that assessment comments are objective and constructive in order to allow the HR Support Team to provide non-subjective feedback to candidates when requested. 16. PREVENTING ILLEGAL WORKING It is a legal requirement that the Home Office Guidance for United Kingdom employers on changes to the law on preventing illegal working (2004) is followed to ensure that potential employees have leave to remain and work in the UK. Anyone who is invited to attend an interview will be asked to bring proof of their eligibility to work in the UK, usually a copy of their passport. Original documents must be seen by the interviewing panel and copies taken. If the successful candidate does not have a valid work permit, the job offer must be made conditional upon obtaining one and employment cannot start, under any circumstances, without the permit having been received. The HR Department will handle all work permit applications. 17. PRE-EMPLOYMENT CHECKS Posts with the Trust must always be offered subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks. Employment will not be offered to anyone for whom an unsatisfactory result is returned. The following pre-employment checks are carried out for anyone who has been offered a position with the Trust. Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, that children and vulnerable adults are protected from anyone who may have been convicted for offences against these groups of people. The CRB Disclosure Service gives two levels of disclosure: - Standard - for any post where the post holder is engaged in work where they will have access to patients in the course of normal duties. - Enhanced for all posts that have more contact e.g.: regular caring for or supervising or training or being in sole charge of children or vulnerable adults plus a POCA or POVA check as applicable. There is also a separate CRB Policy that can be found on the Trust s intranet site. References At least two references must be obtained for all successful candidates. One reference must be from the current or most recent employer and cover at least the past two years employment. This also applies to internal applicants. A personal character reference is accepted for people who have not worked for a long period and for school leavers. The HR department will apply for references once the short list has been agreed. Professional Registration Checks - for health professional posts. The HR Department will make a request to the relevant professional body to specify whether: The applicant is appropriately registered The registration covers the proposed role The registration is subject to any current restrictions Page 9 of 14

The applicant is the subject of any fitness to practice investigations, which the regulator body has a duty to disclose. Anyone who has been offered a job with the Trust will also be required to undergo a preemployment health assessment by the Occupational Health Department. 18. OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH ASSESSMENTS Pre-employment health assessment is essential and posts should be offered subject to satisfactory health screening. Nobody should commence work before they have been declared fit and issued with a Fitness Certificate. The HR department will send a Pre-employment Health Questionnaire to all short listed candidates. Managers will also need to provide Occupational Health with accurate criteria for health assessment. Once a job offer has been made, the HR department will arrange for that person to undergo a medical assessment. Candidates for posts involving Exposure Prone Procedures must, in accordance with Department of Health guidance, have their Hepatitis B and C immunity/carrier status determined before their appointment can be confirmed. Exposure Prone Procedures (EPP) are defined as those where there is a risk that injury to the operator may result in the exposure of the patient s open tissues to the blood of that operator. Occupational Health will also advise on disability support where appropriate. Any information concerning the health of the candidate is confidential and managers will only be advised if an employee is fit for the position offered. Details of unfit candidates are not disclosed, other than the fact that they are not fit for work. 19. OFFERING EMPLOYMENT The successful candidate should be contacted within 48 hours of the final interview for the vacancy unless otherwise specified to the candidate by the panel. A decision will be made between the Appointing Officer and the Support Team Manager as to whether a conditional or unconditional offer will be made. Conditional offers the successful candidate will be sent a conditional offer letter by HR within 2 working days of them receiving the information from the Appointing Officer, confirming that they are successful subject to receipt of 2 references satisfactory to the Trust, Occupational Health clearance and all other pre-employment checks required for the post, e.g. CRB clearance, registration check, etc. Candidates will be advised not to resign from their current post pending completion of the checks and receipt of the unconditional offer. Unconditional offer once all pre-employment checks have been completed to the satisfaction of the Appointing Officer, HR will send, within 2 working days, the unconditional offer letter. Important note: Where there is an outstanding CRB check and the employee is due to start in their new role then a communication is sent to the line manager advising of this fact and stating that in circumstances where the employee would come into contact with children and/or vulnerable adults then they should be supervised at all times. It is the responsibility of the line manager to ensure this continues until the CRB check is received with a satisfactory result. Where this is not possible then the employee may not start. These terms will also be brought to the attention of the employee before they start. Page 10 of 14

Job offers can be accepted verbally, in writing or by e-mail. Once the unconditional offer has been accepted the HR department will send out more information, including a Written Statement of Terms and Conditions of Employment, to the candidate. 20. NOTIFYING UNSUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES The HR Department will inform all unsuccessful interviewees, by letter, within 5 working days of the final interview. The letter will include the offer of receiving verbal feedback. Candidates who have not been successful, but who would be considered if there was another post, may be kept on hold and will be informed of this. Their details will be kept on file for 6 months after which time they will be destroyed. The interview panel may prefer to notify candidates by telephone and give feedback. This should be done within 5 working days of the final interview. Verbal or face-to-face feedback is particularly appropriate for internal candidates. It is the Trust s policy that feedback is given on request. 21. INDUCTION The HR Department will book all new employees on to the first available Trust Induction Training Course on their start date or soon after; depending on the staff group (i.e. nursing staff will attend induction prior to working on the ward). Line Managers are responsible for ensuring that all new staff members attend a Trust Induction. Departmental induction training will often be informal but care should be taken to ensure that nothing is overlooked. It is recognised, however, that certain of the points may not be relevant to particular departments and some may be far more important than others. It is therefore up to the departmental manager to make the appropriate emphasis. Staff side Chair agreed: 20 December 2007 (JSC Agenda: 17 January 2008) Ratified by Trust Board Member Director of Workforce: 28 December 2007 Page 11 of 14

Appendix 1 EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES IN RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION (SUMMARY) Direct discrimination occurs when a candidate is not considered for a post on grounds relating directly to their age, gender, marital status, race, nationality, ethnic origin, disability, sexual orientation etc. Direct discrimination is unfair and unlawful. Indirect discrimination. Although less obvious and more likely to be unintentional, indirect discrimination is also unlawful. Indirect discrimination is when a person, or group of people, would find it harder to comply with a job requirement, when that requirement is not justified. Indirect discrimination can also be more subtle. When employee specifications call for qualification that can only be obtained in the UK, e.g. GCSE Maths, but where an equivalent qualification obtained overseas would be proof of the same ability, this will indirectly discriminate against anyone who did not follow the UK registration system. In the same way unjustifiable physical requirements are likely to unfairly discriminate against some disabled candidates. Recruitment publicity should aim to encourage applications from all suitably qualified and experienced people. Although bias is to be avoided, advertisements may include positive messages to encourage applications from under-represented groups. The definition of disability is a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term adverse affect oh his/her ability to carry out normal day to day activities (Section 1, DD Act 1995). In other words, a person does not have to be permanently disabled to be covered by the Disability Discrimination Act. There are special provisions relating to disabled persons, for example to make reasonable adjustments that would enable a disabled person to carry out a job role. To avoid discrimination it may be necessary to seek additional specific information to make a decision about their suitability for a post. Please cross reference to Disabled people in Employment Policy Age discrimination is also unlawful and jobs should not be restricted to young or mature candidates. Care must be taken with the wording of recruitment adverts to ensure that people do not perceive that a vacancy is aimed at a younger or older person. Equal Opportunities monitoring is carried out throughout the recruitment process. If a candidate is not short listed brief reasons must be recorded. All disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for selection will normally be invited for interview Interview questions must be geared to assessing a candidate s ability to do the job. Questions must not be discriminatory. It is important to note that internal applicants have the same right to confidentiality as external candidates and the accepted recruitment procedure will be followed. When interviewing is over, the Equal Opportunities monitoring process requires that reasons are provided to illustrate why an offer was made to the successful candidate and the other applicants rejected. Panel members must be prepared to justify their decision if challenged. All staff involved in the recruitment process will receive training in the importance of equal opportunities and will be made aware of the responsibility involved in recruitment and selection. Page 12 of 14

Once an appointment has been made, all application forms and other information relevant to that vacancy must be retained for one year. Applicants for posts have a right to complain if they feel that they have been unfairly discriminates against through our recruitment and selection process and should be done in writing to the HR Support Team Manager. There are, therefore, important legal, economic and moral reasons as to why it is vital for managers to be aware of their responsibilities in this area when engaged in the recruitment and selection of staff; and it is important that we are aware of the existence of our own prejudices, however slight these may be, and ensure that we do not allow these to interfere with proper recruitment practices. These recommended guidelines will assist recruiting by providing a framework which introduces greater objectivity into what is in essence a very subjective process. Managers should observe the European law relating to the freedom of movement and mutual recognition of a number of professional qualifications. These include diplomas in medicine, pharmacy, nursing and midwifery. However a valid registration from a health regulatory authority does not guarantee competence in the English language. Therefore we have an obligation to ensure that prospective employees have the necessary English language and communication skills to be able to carry out their job safely and effectively. The HR department has implemented systems to monitor selection procedures both to obtain the necessary statistical information and to audit the procedural aspect of the recruitment process. This is necessary to meet statutory requirements and to ensure good employment practice. Page 13 of 14

Appendix 2 RECRUITMENT FLOWCHART Vacancy exists Appointing Officer assesses need to fill position Job description, Person Specification & KSF prepared Regrading? Refer to HR for job evaluation ECF prepared and submitted for approval by Associate Director & Finance Department Post not approved ECF submitted to Vacancy Panel for approval. More information needed or No further action Details sent to HR & Service Manager for post to be advertised Closing date: 1 2 weeks from date of advert Applications collated by HR and sent to manager Short listing takes place, interviewees matched against person spec shortlist details sent to HR Interview letters sent out by HR Interviewee details returned to interview panel Interviews take place Further assessment or 2 nd interview arranged if necessary. Letters sent to unsuccessful candidates within 5 working days Feedback given on request Assessments & recommendation sent to HR Job offer made to successful candidate within 48 hours. Conditional offer sent HR completed pre-employment checks Checks not OK job offer withdrawn refer to interview panel Page 14 of 14 Checks OK unconditional offer sent, manager informed and start date confirmed