NHS Jargon Buster
The NHS uses a lot of acronyms, job titles and specialist terms that can be confusing, especially for new hiring managers, panel members, colleagues recruiting outside their usual area, candidates, or people joining the NHS from outside the organisation.
This NHS jargon buster explains common NHS terms in clear, simple language, helping you quickly understand key phrases, roles and processes used throughout recruitment. It’s designed to support clearer communication and a more accessible, inclusive recruitment experience for everyone involved.
Use this as a quick reference whenever you need a refresher or want to check you’re using plain, understandable language.
On this page you'll find:
- Who is this for?
- Supporting Candidates Applying for Roles in the NHS
- How to use this page
- A-Z NHS Terms Glossary
- Inclusive Language
- Related Resources
Have a question or suggestion?
If you have any questions about the information provided, or if you think additional content would be helpful, please contact the Centre for Workforce Supply at nes.cwsmarketing@nhs.scot.
Share your feedback or ideas
We’d love to hear from you! 🔗 Complete our short form to submit these instantly!
Who is This For?
This jargon buster is for hiring managers and anyone involved in recruitment across NHS Scotland, by making NHS language clearer, more accessible and easier to understand.
This page is designed to support anyone involved in, or navigating, NHS recruitment. Whether you are a hiring manager or panel member, supporting a candidate applying for a role, or someone joining the NHS from outside healthcare or the public sector, this resource helps make NHS language easier to understand.
It provides clear, plain‑English explanations of common terms used throughout recruitment, helping everyone feel more confident and informed at each stage of the process.
Supporting Candidates Applying for Roles in the NHS
This tool is designed to help you support candidates by:
- helping them understand job adverts and role descriptions
- explaining recruitment‑related emails and interview information
- building confidence ahead of interviews and assessments
- helping navigate the application and onboarding process
Using this resource can help ensure candidates feel informed, supported and able to perform at their best throughout the recruitment journey.
How to Use this Page
You can support candidates by using consistent terminology at key stages of the recruitment journey, for example when advertising roles, sharing recruitment emails, or preparing candidates for interview. It can help candidates interpret job titles, acronyms and terminology, particularly those applying from outside the NHS or healthcare.
The ambition is to support clearer communication, build candidate confidence, and help ensure applicants are able to focus on demonstrating their skills and experience rather than decoding unfamiliar language.
A-Z NHS Terms Glossary
This glossary is designed to support hiring managers to reduce unnecessary barriers by providing clear, plain‑English explanations of commonly used NHS Scotland and recruitment terminology. It can be shared with candidates or used to sense‑check job adverts, recruitment communications and interview information.
NHS Terms
These are general terms candidates may see when exploring NHS Scotland roles or working environments.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| NHS Scotland / NHS | Scotland’s publicly funded healthcare system, providing free care to people living in Scotland. |
| Agenda for Change (AfC) | The national NHS pay and grading system for most staff, grouping roles into Bands 1–9 based on skills, responsibility and experience. |
| Band | The Agenda for Change (AfC) pay band assigned to a role, reflecting its responsibilities, knowledge and skills requirements. Most NHS Scotland posts are graded from Band 1 to Band 9. |
| Level | A term often used to describe the seniority or progression stage within a profession, programme or qualification route. A level is not the same as an AfC pay band. |
Annex 21 | An Agenda for Change provision used for certain trainee roles where an individual undertakes a structured training programme while employed. Pay is normally based on a percentage of the qualified rate until training is completed. |
| Clinical | Roles that involve providing direct patient care or using clinical expertise, either face‑to‑face or behind the scenes. |
| Non‑clinical | Roles that support the NHS without providing direct patient care, such as roles in administration, finance, digital, estates, catering and support services. |
| Bank staff | Staff who work flexible, temporary shifts, often choosing when and where they work. |
| Multidisciplinary team (MDT) | A group of professionals from different disciplines working together to support patient care. |
| Out of hours (OOH) | Working outside standard daytime hours, such as evenings, nights or weekends. |
| Whole‑Time Equivalent / Full‑Time Equivalent (WTE / FTE) | A way of showing how many hours a role involves compared to a full‑time contract (usually 36 hours per week). |
| Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) | Health professions such as physiotherapists, paramedics, dietitians and occupational therapists. |
| Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) | A framework linked to Agenda for Change that defines the skills and knowledge needed for a role and supports development and review. |
| Occupational Health (OH / OHS) | A confidential service that supports staff physical and mental wellbeing at work. |
| Hybrid working | A working pattern that combines time working from home and time working at an NHS Scotland location. |
| Remote working | A working pattern where duties are carried out from home or another remote location. |
| SPPA (Scottish Public Pensions Agency) | The organisation that manages the NHS Scotland pension scheme. |
Inclusive Language
Hiring managers should use inclusive language throughout NHS Scotland recruitment. This includes using clear, plain‑English wording, avoiding unnecessary jargon, and explaining NHS‑specific terms where needed. Inclusive language helps ensure roles are accessible to a wide range of candidates, including those new to the NHS, changing careers, or applying internationally, and supports fair, values‑based recruitment by enabling candidates to fully understand role requirements, processes and expectations.
Related Resources
Explore NHS Scotland's Hiring Manager Centre
