3 questions have been added to applicant profiles and forms to record socio-economic backgrounds.
They've been added to support the government's opportunity mission and the NHS 10-Year Health Plan by helping track workforce diversity and underrepresented communities in NHS recruitment.
The questions were developed in consultation with the Social Mobility Commission.
The 3 questions are:
- main earner’s occupation when you were age 14
- type of school attended between ages 11 to 16
- eligibility for free school meals
The questions are optional. You can select 'Prefer not to say'.
The data is confidential and used for statistics only. It does not affect recruitment decisions and is not visible during the selection process.
Adding this data to the National Workforce Dataset (NWD) helps the NHS and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) understand career progression and address the barriers to fair access and quality employment.
You can read more information in the NWD guidance documents.
Further support and user guides are available on our website.
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