How can you streamline your healthcare background checks?

Updated: Oct 31, 2023

With continued staffing shortages across both clinical and non-clinical roles in the healthcare industry, the sector is in desperate need of fast and innovative ways to speed up hiring and combat the current unpredictable staffing challenges. But with fundamental CQC standards that a care provider must meet, how can pre-employment vetting become faster and more efficient?

Required checks and how to streamline them

Once an applicant has been successful and has signed a contract, the employer is required by law to carry out a series of pre-employment checks, which varies depending on the type of healthcare role. These include:

Required Check: Identity & Right to Work

Applicants are required to provide proof of their Identity and Right to Work in the UK. This means producing an identity document, or a combination of documents, to confirm eligibility to legally work in the UK. These have historically been carried out in-person, and therefore create significant delays in time-to-hire, along with increasing admin and resources.

How can I speed this up?

In April 2022, the UK Government launched a new Digital Right to Work Scheme, which allows employers to remotely verify the identity of applicants against applicable documents using a registered Identity Service Provider (IDSP). This significantly speeds up employee onboarding and reduces admin time by using home office approved technology to digitally verify documents.

VettingGateway is seamlessly integrated with an IDSP, enabling you to manage the whole process digitally. Ready to find out more? Click here to book a meeting with a Vetting Expert.

Required Check: Basic, Standard or Enhanced DBS

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is an absolute requirement within the healthcare industry, and the level varies depending on the role. For example, an individual who works in hospital grounds with no direct access to patients, may only require a basic DBS check, a medical secretary may need a standard check, and those roles that work directly with patients will typically require an enhanced check.

Is there a quicker way?

DBS checks can be carried out by using a background checks software provider that offers this solution. The level of check (basic, standard or enhanced) is determined based on your role requirements. VettingGateway offers all three levels of DBS checks. Want to find out more? Click here to speak to one of our vetting experts.

Employment History and References

It’s extremely important to check the work history of your candidate. This can be considerably time consuming, depending on how many places they have worked and how far back you need to go (typically 3 years minimum for healthcare).

How can I streamline this process?

This process can be completely automated by using a software provider that enables reference checks, providing a better candidate experience and reducing your admin time. VettingGateway’s online references are typically returned within 2 days, due to the huge amount of automation the platform has. We understand that chasing referees to complete these forms is a headache, that’s why VettingGateway automatically chases this for you. Our referencing check is one of VettingGateway’s most popular solutions. Ready to find out more? Click here to speak to one of our vetting experts.

Required Check: Professional Registration and/or Qualifications

If the role requires a specific professional registration, you will need to carry out a check with the relevant regulatory body and gain confirmation of the registration. The same is true when a license is required. Other education and qualifications that aren’t associated with a regulatory body need to be checked separately by reaching out to the provider. All in all, a fairly time consuming process.

How can I complete this faster?

Education and qualification checks can be completed digitally by using a background check solutions provider. VettingGateway offers the ability to not only gain the contact information of the education establishment, but also the certificates. Ready to find out more? Click here to book a meeting with a vetting expert.

There are, of course, a multitude of other checks that may need to be carried out as part of your healthcare employee onboarding, and we’re here to help you with that. We offer a wide range of background checks, the most relevant and popular for healthcare are listed below:

Identity Qualifications/Education Right to Work Financial (credit check) DBS Check Social Media Employer References Sanctions