NHS supporting statement examples, and how to write yours

The supporting statement is where an NHS application is won. Shortlisters score it against the person specification, criterion by criterion, so the statement that gets an interview takes each essential criterion in turn and gives a specific example of meeting it. Keep it to the point, use the headings from the person specification, and show the NHS values in what you did — not by listing them.

How shortlisting actually works

Each vacancy on NHS Jobs comes with a job description and a person specification. The person specification lists essential and desirable criteria — qualifications, experience, skills, values. The shortlisting panel reads your supporting information and marks whether you have shown each one. Anything you do not mention cannot be scored, however good your CV is.

That is why a generic statement fails. The same nurse can be shortlisted for one ward and rejected by another because one statement answered the person specification and the other told a career story.

A structure that works

• Open with two lines: the role, why this trust or service, and what you bring.
• Take the essential criteria in the order they appear, each with a short heading.
• For each one, give one real example: the situation, what you did, and the result (the STAR method).
• Cover the desirable criteria briefly after the essential ones.
• Close with your availability and a line on why you want the role.

Stay within the character limit of the box and check whether the advert asks for anything specific, such as your registration number or driving licence.

Example: healthcare assistant (Band 2 or 3)

Person specification: 'Experience of providing personal care' (essential).

Example: 'In my current role at Riverside Care Home I support eight residents a shift with washing, dressing, eating and mobility. When one resident with dementia became distressed at mealtimes, I worked with the nurse in charge to move her meal to a quieter room and sit with her; she began eating full meals again within a week, and we recorded the change in her care plan.'

Why it works: it names the setting, the scale, a real problem, the action, and a measurable result — and it shows compassion and teamwork without using either word.

Example: newly qualified nurse (Band 5)

Person specification: 'Ability to recognise and escalate the deteriorating patient' (essential).

Example: 'On my final placement on a surgical ward, a post-operative patient's NEWS2 score rose from 2 to 5 over two sets of observations. I repeated the observations, informed the nurse in charge and the doctor using SBAR, and the patient was reviewed within 20 minutes and treated for early sepsis. The experience taught me to trust the score and escalate early.'

Showing the NHS values

The NHS Constitution sets out six values: working together for patients; respect and dignity; commitment to quality of care; compassion; improving lives; and everyone counts. Many trusts add their own. Shortlisters look for them in your examples. 'I am compassionate' earns nothing; the example above about the distressed resident earns the mark.

Mistakes that cost interviews

• Pasting your CV into the box instead of answering the person specification.
• Writing about duties ('I was responsible for…') rather than what you did and what changed.
• Using the same statement for every vacancy.
• Ignoring the desirable criteria — with many applicants they often decide who is shortlisted.
• Leaving out your registration (NMC PIN, HCPC) where the role needs it.