What Are NHS Jobs and Where Are They?

The National Health Service (NHS) offers a huge range of NHS jobs and opportunities in the health industry within the United Kingdom (UK) and throughout the European Economic Area (EEA). The healthcare system in the UK, and particularly with regard to the NHS jobs, are uniquely structured. They are very different from the healthcare system in the US, but have a broad list of careers to choose from.

NHS jobs in hospitals are managed by NHS trusts, where the trusts are run by boards. The role of the trusts is to oversee spending and insure the hospitals maintain a high quality health care system. The mental health and ambulance trusts are similar in their structure, but they tend to oversee a broader range of responsibilities. There are about 300 hospitals, mental health, and ambulance trusts in England.

Primary care trusts (PCTs) manage the community doctors (GP), dentists, opticians, pharmacists, and the NHS walk-in centre. The hospitals and mental health trusts depend on the PCTs for district nursing, outpatient care, and other promotional services.

Private companies run Independent Sector Treatment Centers (ISTCs), where the patient has a choice of where to go when choosing elective surgery or hospital treatments. The Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) oversee other NHS organizations and cover large city areas or counties with regard to capacity and development issues. Do a healthcare job search for the NHS jobs to find more information about this system.

Working in the NHS

Getting NHS jobs while seeking a career in health care through the NHS can be challenging if you are not a resident of the UK. In this case, you are considered to be an international healthcare professional. There are special guidelines for eligibility to work in the NHS if you are not a citizen of the UK. The NHS views international recruitment as an option and resort to this to fill vacancies in areas where there are shortages in certain professions. There are general immigration rules about working in the United Kingdom, so be sure and check that out carefully.

Pay and benefits for NHS jobs can be extremely rewarding. On top of a basic salary, there are other perks like occupational health and counseling services and at least 27 holiday days off every year. The NHS jobs guarantee a salary and opportunities to increase that level if you pursue additional training or develop additional personal skills. The NHS jobs are the most sought after jobs in the UK due to their flexible benefits and attractive pay scales. The highest paying jobs may require some skill and effort.

NHS jobs are very attractive due to their salary ranges. Some are better than others. Detailed NHS careers information for each profession have a break-down by categories such as health professionals, ambulance, doctors, dental team, health informatics, healthcare science, management, midwifery, and nursing. Also, a wider healthcare team provide careers in administration, clinical support, and corporate, domestic, estates, and other support services. 

The highest paying jobs will require multiple skills and more education in the medical field. Most of the NHS jobs are covered by the Agenda for Change (AFC) pay scales. Naturally, the NHS jobs that are staff oriented, pay more in the sectors that provide services by doctors, dentists, and senior managers. But those sectors themselves are paid out of a different pay system.

Using AFC, a points score is determined by the NHS job evaluation system. This is then used to match jobs with levels of salaries within nine pay bands. So each career post is placed in one of these pay bands, and paid accordingly. For example, a medical secretary would be in either Band 3 or Band 4, where an HR advisor would be in Band 5. Managerial posts would be even higher.

How To Get One of the NHS Jobs?

There is a process to getting one of the NHS jobs. The NHS job application process includes a careful verification of identity, criminal records bureau check, and other checks for references, occupational health, right to work, and qualification to the NHS job you are applying for. The online recruitment site is www.jobs.nhs.uk, where most of the employers advertise their job vacancies and post a list of careers in NHS jobs. Another source for additional information about specific NHS job requirements and specifications can be found at www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk.

So whatever medical field careers you decide to look into, be sure and do a healthcare job search on the NHS jobs in the UK for a list of careers you may like.