nhs band 7 personal statement

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• HEE Applicant Guide
• Making a Successful Application

Using the supporting information section to your best advantage

This section is critical to complete well. It’s your chance to really sell yourself as a suitable applicant and get that invitation to interview.

As an external applicant you have up to 1500 words for this section to persuade and influence the recruiting manager that you could do the job and that you deserve an interview.

So how do you do this?

By tailoring your application i.e., by matching your skills, knowledge, and experience to the job requirements. You need to connect your current and past work experience to the requirements of the role you are applying for. This means you can’t just cut and paste any old thing. You need to make it specific to the job in question.

In the Employment History section of your application, you will have listed your previous jobs and the main duties and responsibilities of each. This will have given you some ability to link your skill set with the job in question, by one job at a time. However, the Supporting Information section of your application is where you can sell yourself and really stand out from the crowd.

You have the freedom to organise this section how you want, so you can do this by grouping your skills and work experience into broader themes and strengths that match the job you are applying for.

Using bullet points and subheadings is good. Long paragraphs and essays are not so good. Make it as easy as possible for the recruiters to find the information you need and want them to see.

The critical thing to do here is to pay close attention to the requirements of the role you are applying for and give good examples of your achievements for each. Remember that now with NHS Jobs the shortlisting criteria are included with the advert. Recruiters will be scoring your application against these. So, make sure you cover these.

What makes a good example?

This will be covered in more detail in section 2 on Having a Successful Interview. A helpful framework to use here is the STAR example.

What is a STAR example?

STAR stands for:

• S ituation or T ask – what was the context and what were you being asked to do
• A ction – what you did to achieve this
• R esult – what was the outcome or result, e.g., money or time saved, better customer service, patient care, staff morale etc

In a good STAR example, you address all three elements concisely by writing about your previous experience.

For example:

“At Acme Ltd, as Trainee Accountant, I was asked by my manager, towards year end, to make savings from the budget. This was crucial to the business as we were overspending. I set up a team involving key people from across the business, such as department heads. I asked people to share their ideas and we then prioritised the best ones. For example, I decided to change our electricity supplier to a lower tariff and reduced our stock levels by 10% which improved our working capital. Overall, I achieved £20k in savings, almost 3% of the budget, and we hit the year-end target. My manager was really pleased, and I got a letter of recognition from the Managing Director.”

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• 29 October 2021

My Experience Of Transitioning From A Band 6 Nurse To Band 7 Nurse

• Laura Pueyo Band 7 Bed Manager
• Save for later
• Richard Gill
• Aubrey Hollebon
• Laura Pueyo Galindo
• Elizabeth Purple

Band 7 Bed Manager , Laura Pueyo, talks us through her experience of transitioning into a Band 7 role, outlining key challenges and her tips for taking on more responsibility.

Topics covered in this article, introduction, what is a band 7 nurse, my experience as a band 5 nurse, moving up to band 6, band 7 nurse interview tips, my experience of becoming a band 7 nurse, my top tip to become a band 7 nurse.

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Hello Guys! My name is Laura, I am the Haematology Bed Manager in one of the NHS trusts.

My job is a Band 7 role and today I will talk to you about making that transition from a Band 6 to a Band 7 Nurse and I will give you what’s my top tip to make it happen!

There are many different types of Band 7 Nurses.

It could be Advanced Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Practice Development Nurse and a big etc.

A Band 7 Nurse will be expected to undertake advanced leadership, for example lead a ward in a ward manager post.

Band 7 Nurses also should be able to do management competencies like being able to deal with the patient movements in the hospital in a Bed Manager post.

This is a significant jump from Band 6 Nurse, as the responsibilities are much larger.

In this video I will share my experience on how I reached this position, and will share some tips that I think are important if you want to become a Band 7 Nurse.

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Let me share my experience.

After becoming a qualified nurse 5 years ago, I started working in an elderly ward as a Band 5 Nurse.

After a year I got the opportunity to switch to the Haematology field — you can’t imagine how happy I was, as it’s always been my passion!

I worked as a Band 5 in the Haematology ward for about a year; and I saw my senior colleagues giving chemotherapy or doing bone marrow transplants and I found it very interesting.

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Before I applied for this position, I practiced a lot with my colleagues and my ward manager.

So I not only focused on the theory but also on the practice.

I think if anyone wants to apply for a promotion they must go for it and prepare themselves as it is a real acquire of knowledge that preparation!

In my case, I think practicing scenarios with my colleagues and manager really was what prepared me the best!

For example I prepared scenarios like how a Bed Manager would act in case of a massive infection on the department.

I looked for information in many papers and as well I learned how to look for information resources in the hospital.

I learned how those infections spread, which patients are more vulnerable and why, what protection equipment needs to be used, how can be applied the policy of the hospital, many things.

This is just an example, but the clue is to prepare tones of scenarios.

And even if you don’t pass the interview, make sure to ask for feedback and take it onboard.

You’ll always have a second chance, so make sure you learn from your failures!

Now my life as a Band 7.

Can you imagine my face when I got the offer?

Well, actually... I was really, really scared.

I started when the COVID-19 first wave started, so imagine for a minute the life of a Bed Manager during COVID-19.

The person in charge of the patient movements in the hospital, starts working when the hospital is completely blocked due to the virus.

All the wards changed and so were the way all the departments worked.

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Making successful applications

Once you have successfully found a position you wish to apply for, you need to make sure your application does you justice and provides you with the best possible chance of getting an interview. This means reading the job description and person specification and taking time over your application demonstrating your skills and experience.

How good a match are you?

All employers will be judging how well your application matches the 'person specification' for the position you are applying for. The applicants who closely match the person specification will be the ones that are shortlisted for interview.

To stand the best chance of receiving an invitation is to demonstrate that you do have the skills and experience as stipulated within the person specification and provide clear examples within the supporting information section.

Never submit the same application form twice. Always adapt it to show how you meet the person specification of the particular post you are applying for.

Complete all the parts of the form

Read the instructions within the advertisement and application form very carefully and make sure that you complete all the sections of the application form. The information you give in the 'application for employment' section will be used to decide if you should be shortlisted for interview.

The 'personal information' and 'monitoring information' sections will not be used for shortlisting, but will be kept for administrative purposes only.

Provide good supporting information

The 'supporting information' section is your opportunity to sell yourself therefore make sure you use it to your advantage. You can include any information here that has not been covered elsewhere on the form. Demonstrate why you would be suitable and how you meet the person specification. You need to convince the recruiter that you have the required skills, knowledge and experience and that they should be inviting you for an interview.

You can include, among other things, details about:

• your duties and responsibilities;
• your skills, knowledge and/or experience which is relevant to the post;
• identify any employment gaps;
• voluntary work you have accomplished;
• research, publication and/or presentation experience.

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STEVE FORD, EDITOR

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How to write an effective personal statement

Some nursing jobs may require you to write a personal statement. Here’s how to show how well you can nurse in a few hundred words …

Your personal statement is your first opportunity to impress a possible future employer. You only have a few hundred words, but get these right and you’ll be sat in the interview room before you know it.

Why are you applying?

Employers are looking for someone who is passionate about their specific job, not someone who wants any job they can find. Your personal statement is an opportunity to tell your future employer how enthusiastic you are about the unique position they are offering.

Why should they hire you?

You’ve probably already listed your qualifications in other sections of your application, so don’t waste words repeating yourself. Your personal statement is all about setting you apart from everyone else and is a chance to show what a perfect candidate you are.

Use their job description to your advantage

An employer’s job description tells you exactly what they are looking for in an ideal world. You need to let them know how well you match it.

Run through their job description and list, with examples, why and how you could fulfil each requirement.

If they haven’t given you a detailed guide, although every job will be different, there are certain areas that all nursing jobs want you to be competent in and are definitely worth mentioning:

• Communication skills : being able to talk clearly and convey messages with people in different types of job positions and also being able to empathise with patients
• Multi-professional working : working effectively with different members of the team, knowing who to refer to and building a good relationship with other professionals
• Assessment skills : knowledge and experience of different assessment tools and techniques
• Record keeping : showing accuracy and clarity in your documentation
• Administering medication safely : how you ensure you do not make any drug errors
• Using research-based practice : using the current evidence base to ensure your practice is up-to-date
• Have you checked your spelling?
• Have you given examples?
• Have you shown how you meet all the essential competencies in the job description?
• Have you said why you want the job?
• Have you read it back and made sure it makes sense?
• Have you asked someone else to check it makes sense?

Keep it simple

Although written skills are important, employers are not expecting an essay.

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Keep your points concise and remember that they are looking for someone who shows enthusiasm and professionalism.

As long as you link back to the job description to show you really know what they want, you can’t go far wrong.

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One comment

Thank you for your post, it is really informative! I also think that indicating your ambitions is key. It is better to show admissions tutors that you have a plan, and that your education plans fit with this plan and it is better to mention in your personal statement. You can also read more tips here http://residencypersonalstatements.net/blog/2016/09/02/eras-personal-statement-word-count/

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• HealthJobs Ltd
• 27 June 2018

How To Write A Personal Statement For Your Next Job In Healthcare

• Matt Farrah Nurses.co.uk Co-founder / Co-owner
• Save for later

An excellent personal statement is the key to success in every healthcare job application you make and in this article we look at the steps to follow in order to create the ideal one.

If you’ve written a personal statement before for a previous job application or university course application, you can use ideas and themes from that but you can’t simply use the same one again.

A personal statement must be tailored for each situation, and when you’re applying for healthcare jobs you need to tailor it according to the person specification and job description of the vacancy you’re interested in.

Start with a brainstorm of ideas

If you try to sit down and write your personal statement from scratch by starting with the first sentence, you could find your finished personal statement has no coherence and does not follow a logical order.

By brainstorming your ideas first you can prioritise the points you want to make and assemble all the evidence you want to mention that will back up the claims you’re going to make.

In order to avoid repetition in your personal statement, pick out a couple of points you want to make in your opening statement that really establish you as a serious contender for the job; for example, your qualification or current employment.

Then move on to the centre section where you should elaborate on the all the reasons why you are perfect for the job! Use the person specification and job description from the vacancy advert as a reference and try to check off the points you’re making with the requirements of the employer.

Your closing section should summarise the main points you want the employer to remember you for, especially your professional expertise if you applying for a doctor job , dentist job or any other senior healthcare professional job.

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Put words around your ideas

As you begin to put your ideas into sentences, be mindful of the length of your personal statement. It’s easy to write too much, but you are more likely to be successful if you are succinct and coherent.

It’s essential as you’re writing that you use a variety of examples from your experience to illustrate each point you’re making because you want to demonstrate the range of your experience.

It will also help to make your personal statement as memorable as possible because the employer will have a really good insight into your history and how your experience can make you ideal for their job vacancy.

Proof-read and edit your personal statement several times

When you think you have your personal statement completed go back and proof read it to spot any spelling errors, and to check that the information you have given is accurate.

Your personal statement forms part of your job application so you can be sure that when you apply you are required to confirm all information is correct to the best of your knowledge.

Whether you’re an experienced healthcare professional in a particular field, or you’re applying for your first healthcare assistant job , the personal statement is an essential part of the job application.

It’s your only opportunity to talk directly to the employer before they decide whether or not you are suitable for the job and therefore should be offered an interview.

Try to imagine the questions they will be asking themselves when reading your personal statement and provide clear, concise answers to as many of those questions as you can anticipate.

Once your personal statement has secured you an interview, you'll be wanting advice on how to smash your interview, right? Take a look at how to successfully prepare for interviews in healthcare to find out how to do just that.

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About the author.

I believe people working in healthcare should be able to choose to enjoy work. That is, choose an employer who reflects their values and provides them with a sustainable career. This leads to better patient care, higher retention rates and happier working lives in this most important employment sector.

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What it takes to step up to a band 7 role, nick evans health journalist.

Now could be the time to move to a more senior position. Here are some questions to consider when thinking about a band 7 job

Many nurses will move from band 5 to 6 during the course of their career. The leap up to band 7 is a major step – and one nurses can spend years trying to make.

Nursing Standard . 37, 9, 25-26. doi: 10.7748/ns.37.9.25.s14

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31 August 2022 / Vol 37 issue 9

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• Health and social care
• National Health Service

NHS Constitution plans to strengthen privacy, dignity and safety

Proposed updates to NHS Constitution for England will reflect biological needs of patients and empower people to request same-sex wards and care.

• Proposed updated NHS Constitution for England would introduce new rapid reviews for patients and better recognise the important role of NHS volunteers
• Putting patients and their families, carers and advocates at the heart of decision making, and strengthening links between NHS services

The privacy, dignity and safety of all patients are to be embedded in how the NHS operates under a new constitution that aims to shape the principles and values of the NHS.  

In the proposed changes to the NHS Constitution for England , patients will be empowered to request that intimate care is carried out by someone of the same biological sex, where reasonably possible.   

An updated NHS Constitution would reinforce the NHS’s commitment to providing single-sex wards. This includes setting out that placing transgender patients in single-room accommodation is permissible under the Equality Act 2010 when it is appropriate, such as respecting a patient’s wish to be in a single-sex ward. 

The government has been clear that biological sex matters. The constitution proposal makes clear what patients can expect from NHS services in meeting their needs, including the different biological needs of the sexes. Illnesses and conditions that we know impact men and women differently should be communicated in a clear and accurate way.   

The consultation also plans to embed the right for patients’ and their loved ones’ access to a rapid review from outside the care team if the patient is deteriorating. The importance of this pledge has been made clear by the tragic story of Martha Mills.

It will run for 8 weeks. The government will consider responses from everyone including patients, the public, staff and NHS organisations, before publishing a response and a new NHS Constitution. 

Health and Social Care Secretary, Victoria Atkins, said:  

We want to make it abundantly clear that if a patient wants same-sex care they should have access to it wherever reasonably possible.   We have always been clear that sex matters and our services should respect that. By putting this in the NHS Constitution we’re highlighting the importance of balancing the rights and needs of all patients to make a healthcare system that is faster, simpler and fairer for all.

Additional updates the government is proposing include:   

• embedding the commitment for patients and their family members in acute and specialist settings to initiate a rapid review of care from outside their initial care team, where the patient’s condition is deteriorating. Not only does this provide a boost to patient safety, but it also puts patients at the heart of their own care
• ensuring the health system works together to understand the needs of different groups within each community and reduce disparities in access, experience and outcomes for all
• strengthening responsibilities on patients to cancel or reschedule appointments and on the NHS to communicate appointment information clearly
• making clear that patients can expect their physical and mental health care to be person-centred, co-ordinated and tailored to their needs
• reinforcing the NHS’s commitment to unpaid carers

Minister for Women’s Health Strategy, Maria Caulfield, said:  

Updating the NHS Constitution is crucial to ensuring the principles underpinning our NHS work for everyone.   This is about putting patients first, giving them the dignity and respect that they deserve when they are at their most vulnerable. Our plans include accommodating requests for same-sex intimate care and respecting single-sex wards.  We’ll also recognise the important role of patients’ loved ones in raising concerns about their care.

The constitution aims to safeguard the principles and values of the NHS. It empowers staff to help improve the care it provides by setting out legal rights for patients and staff when using NHS services. It also sets out clear expectations about the behaviour of both staff and patients, and the role they need to play in supporting the NHS.   

The proposed updates to the constitution will also support the government’s mission to help people to remain in, and return to work, which reflects the important impact that work can have on a person’s health and wellbeing.

Louise Ansari, Chief Executive of Healthwatch England, said: 

The NHS Constitution plays a crucial role in shaping the culture of our NHS and helping the public to know their rights.  Since the NHS Constitution launched, it has helped to shift the balance of power from services towards patients and their families. But, with only a third of people knowing their rights, there is still a long way to go.  Given the challenges our NHS faces, a conversation to reaffirm and raise awareness of the most important rights to the public has never been more timely.  We urge everyone to take part in the consultation and have their say. This is your opportunity to send a clear message about the rights you hold most dear. 

Background information

The NHS Constitution for England was last updated in 2015. It has to be updated at least every 10 years by the Secretary of State. It is a document outlining the rights of patients and staff.

The consultation will be the first stage of a review of the constitution and will run for 8 weeks.

The government will consider responses from everyone, including the public, clinicians and medical professionals, patients, carers and organisations representing patients and staff and health stakeholders, before publishing the consultation response.

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