FAQ - Equal Opportunities

What is the Equality Act?

The Equality Act (2010) is a single Act of Parliament, requiring equal treatment in access to employment (as well as private and public services) regardless of age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, marriage, maternity or pregnancy, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

The National Recruitment Scheme collects equality monitoring data at the application, short-listing and appointment stages of recruitment for monitoring purposes (see section below on equality monitoring reports). 

What equality monitoring data is available to employers?

As Public Sector Employers, NHS organisations are required to collect details about an applicant's age, gender, ethnicity, religion / belief, sexual orientation and disability at all 3 stages of the recruitment process (application, short listing and appointment). This data is collected via an equality monitoring form which is part of the CV. Employers are not be able to see this page of the students’ CVs but are be able to see anonymous collated equality reports on the password protected section of the website after the recruitment cycle has been completed. These equality monitoring reports should be shared with hospital Human Resources departments.

What is the definition of a disabled person?

The Equality Act 2010 defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

Since December 2006, there has been a legal duty on all public sector organisations to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people and significant public authorities have had to publish a 'Disability Equality Scheme'. Each NHS organisation should have one of these.

What adjustments are made for disabled applicants? 

Disabled applicants are entitled to ask for reasonable adjustments to be made at any stage of the recruitment process. All applicants have been asked to notify the hospitals if they are disabled and require any reasonable adjustments to enable them to attend the interview.

If you are disabled and need Pharmalife to make reasonable adjustments to enable you to make an application, please let us know by email nhsprereg@pharmalife.co.uk or phone 0208 4240860.

What is the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?

The Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS) is a commitment is to guarantee an interview to anyone with a disability (as defined in the Equality Act 2010) who meets the minimum criteria for the job. All disabled applicants through NHS Jobs are offered the option to request the Guaranteed Interview Scheme and the National Recruitment Scheme offers this in line with NHS Jobs / NHS employers. The scheme does not mean that all disabled applicants are automatically guaranteed an interview, they are only guaranteed an interview if they meet the minimum requirements of the job.
 
What are the minimum requirements for the job?
 
Each hospital has a Person Specification for the post of pre-registration trainee pharmacist which states the criteria against which applications will be short-listed. Some Person Specifications have essential and desirable criteria listed and the minimum criteria are that listed in the essential part of the Person Specification. Most hospitals have provided a copy of their Job Description and Person Specification on their hospital advert on this website. Students are advised to contact the hospital for a copy of the Job Description and Person Specification if these documents are not available online.

How do I request the Guaranteed Interview Scheme? 

Disabled students wishing to apply under the GIS will need to will need to tick the 'yes' box on the online CV in answer to the GIS question. They will also need to provide evidence in their application of how they meet the essential criteria listed on the Person Specification for the hospital they are applying to. There is no obligation for a disabled student to apply under the GIS if they do not wish to.

I am not a UK Citizen - will this affect my application?

It is unlawful to treat persons less favourably in employment practices on grounds of their race, nationality, colour, national or ethnic origins. Recruitment practices that reject all job applicants because they do not have British, EU or EEA nationality or refuse to consider any non EEA job applicants who may need immigration sponsorship pose a risk of direct race discrimination.

The Code of Practice on Racial Equality in Employment 2005 and the Code of Practice on the Avoidance of Discrimination in Employment issued by the Border and Immigration Agency, both advise that the assessment of a candidate’s right to work in the UK and immigration sponsorship should be addressed at the end of the short-listing and selection process. It should not be used to exclude them from short-listing or selection. All applications should be considered on merit regardless of immigration status. Blanket recruitment policies that effectively screen out non-EEA candidates at an early stage will put employing organisations at risk of an indirect and direct discrimination challenge by applicants.