Our Staff 

Whatever the future holds with regards to advances in healthcare and technology, our most valuable resource will remain constant - our Staff.

Without their expertise, enthusiasm and commitment to care, NHS Lothian could not provide the standard and quality of care patients require.

NHS Lothian is a major employer in the region with almost 28,000 Staff. This includes 15,000 Nursing and Midwifery Staff and around 2,700 Medical Staff.

All our clinical staff are fully supported by the invaluable contribution of our support staff.

The team are committed to improving patient care and services for all. NHS Lothian is committed to engaging Staff as key partners in service planning and modernisation. Our Staff partnership framework is the cornerstone of this partnership.

Routes into employment

NHS Lothian offers excellent career prospects and a wide range of job opportunities for potential employees.  It also offers a wide range of work placement opportunities for individuals looking to gain new skills and experiences. 

NHS Lothian is committed to developing links with agencies and organisations which support disadvantaged people back into employment.

It also offers work placement opportunities to individuals who are keen to update their skills and gain relevant experience.  Work placements are a valuable means of providing practical experience to individuals before entering / re-entering the world of work.

Positive about Disabled People

NHS Lothian is “Positive about Disabled People” and as part of our continued commitment to extend job opportunities for people with disabilities, we operate a Job Interview Guarantee Scheme (JIG).  This means that all candidates who have a disability and meet the minimum criteria of the job description are guaranteed an interview.

Modern Apprenticeships

There are many different routes you can take to starting your career within the NHS. Here at NHS Lothian not only can we offer you a full time job from day one, but you will also get the time to study for a nationally recognised SVQ qualification. The modern apprenticeships that we can offer are in plumbing, joinery, electrics and engineering. So come on, take the opportunity to join our team and build solid foundations for your career.

Details of the apprenticeships on offer this year will be on the SHOW website around May or June

Healthcare Academy

The Healthcare Academy (HCA) is a pre-employment training programme, run by NHS Lothian, to support local unemployed people gain skills, knowledge & confidence, enabling them to apply for job vacancies within NHS Lothian.

This is a five week, part time course (15 hours per week), over a variety of days and NHS Lothian venues.
Shadow placements are requested (but not always guaranteed) to allow participants to experience and understand roles within the clinical areas.

On successful completion of the HCA, NHS Lothian is committed to guaranteeing interviews for one year of completion date, if the participant meets the minimal requirements of the advertised post

The selection process for the Healthcare Academy is:

• Interested party should contact local Job Centre Plus advisor or other agency in the first instance, to establish suitability of course and any potential support required i.e. childcare
• Application to HCA is made through an application form (please note minimal age at commencement of course is 17.5 years)
• Selection interviews, which include a short written assessment, take place four times a year
• If successful applicant commences course.
  

The Job and Education and Training Programme (JET)

The Jet programme is a partnership agreement between NHS Lothian and South Edinburgh Partnership to deliver work based learning.  The purpose of the programme is to provide S4 school leavers with skills to aid their move into employment and to promote NHS Lothian as an employer of choice. 

The student will attend the work placement every Friday during the academic year of 36 weeks and must attend for a minimum of five hours.  The main aim of the JET programme is to prevent young people becoming unemployed upon leaving school.  The programme will provide students with the training and qualifications they need to start a career with all students working towards an SVQ Level 2.

Although there is no guarantee, at the end of the programme the aim is that those who have successfully completed their training may be offered:

• Employment
• A Modern Apprenticeship
• Entry into further education

The JET programme is continuing to grow from strength to strength, and has been acknowledged nationally, as a model of good practice.

Enabling work experience in the NHS

Work experience gives those who may be interested in joining the health service a chance, through shadowing staff, to find out what different roles in a variety of professions involve, and what it is like to work in both clinical and non-clinical environments in a variety of hospital and community settings.

For more information please see our "Enabling work experience in the NHS" document.

One-Week Work Experience

NHS Lothian currently offer a one week observational work placement to all S4, S5 and S6 year pupils seeking experience for their chosen career path.  Due to the high demand for work placements within NHS Lothian we are currently committed to providing placement opportunities to our local educational institutes.

Medic Insight

Medic Insight delivers students in Edinburgh and the Lothian’s who are considering a career in medicine a structured and varied week of work experience.  The programme is aimed at year five secondary school students, and seeks to offer them a more streamlined approach to applying for work experience and also providing a well-rounded, dynamic and unbiased glimpse into their potential future career. The programme has been designed to provide each applicant with a week which is not limited to ward work but also involves interactive lecture sessions from experienced clinicians and current medical students to give a balanced and genuine feel of the profession. The programme runs over a three week period in the month of June.

ATI and LEAP

Access to Industry (ATI) provides access to education and employment for disadvantaged and excluded people. NHS Lothian has agreed to provide work experience placement opportunities for participants of ATI’s Passport and Transition projects, as well as to participants completing the Lothian and Edinburgh Abstinence Programme (LEAP) in partnership with Transition. Placements are to be offered for two weeks for five students, three times a year.

Women onto Work (WOW)

WOW provides opportunities for women who are interested in returning to work, education or training. The 12 week course which runs three times a year is generally aimed at women who are over 21 and been unemployed for six months or more.  Trainees undertake a work placement for three days a week for three weeks.

NHS Lothian offers support with work experience placements and interviewing skills training. At the end of the course, the participants are presented with a certificate of achievement.

Workshops are carried out in week two of the programme to promote placements and NHS careers, and to discuss the application process.