I would like to request some information regarding nhs employees, via the freedom of information act.
I would like to know who is responsible for verifying qualifications and declaration of employment/work experience.
In particular, who is responsible for checking the credentials of overseas workers employed by NHS Wales?
As I understand it, overseas employees with post graduate level qualifications such as Radiographers and nurses have to be HCPC registered to practise in the UK.
However, I cannot establish who is ultimately responsible for verifying if disclosed qualifications, personal statements and curriculum vitae are genuine.
Thank you for your request dated 30th December 2022.
NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership Recruitment verifies the essential qualifications listed on the Person Specification.
However, for professions where the person must be registered with the NMC or HCPC, they would not verify qualifications such as a BSc degree, as the individual would not be able to obtain professional registration without the required qualifications.
Recruitment have a full suite of pre-employment checks including Employment History checks to verify the work and/or education history provided in the application form. This is done by obtaining references from previous employers/schools/colleges/universities.
Recruitment broadly follow NHS England’s Employment Check Standards - https://www.nhsemployers.org/topics-0/employment-standards-and-regulation
The main exception being NHS England obtain references covering 3 years, whereas NHS Wales cover 2 years.
If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your request and wish to make a complaint or request a review of the decision, you should write to the Corporate Complaints Manager, Public Health Wales NHS Trust, 3, Number 2, Capital Quarter, Tyndall Street, Cardiff, CF10 4BZ.
If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint or review, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by the Trust. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner for Wales
2nd Floor
Churchill House
Churchill Way
Cardiff
CF10 2HH
Telephone: 029 2067 8400
Email: wales@ico.org.uk