NHS Values
NHS Scotland values guide how we work, how we treat one another, and how we care for the people and communities we serve, including how we recruit and welcome new colleagues.
As a hiring manager, you play a key role in embedding these values through values‑based recruitment, ensuring we recruit people whose behaviours and approach align with NHS Scotland’s values as well as the skills required for the role.
For hiring managers, this means looking beyond skills and experience alone. Values‑based recruitment helps ensure that the people we appoint share these values and can demonstrate them in practice.
This page will support you to:
By embedding NHS values throughout the recruitment process, you can help build inclusive, compassionate teams and ensure a positive experience for every candidate.
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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.
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NHS Scotland Values: What they mean for Recruitment
Our shared values of care and compassion, dignity and respect, openness, honesty and responsibility guide how we work, how we support each other, and how we care for the people of Scotland.
Our values are at the heart of everything we do across NHS Scotland. They shape our culture, our leadership, and how we deliver care and services.
NHS Scotland Values
| NHS Scotland Value | What it Means | What this Means in Recruitment |
|---|---|---|
| Care and compassion | Showing kindness, empathy and a genuine concern for others. | Assess candidates’ ability to demonstrate empathy, person-centred behaviours, and understanding of others’ needs (e.g. through values-based interview questions and examples of supporting patients, colleagues, or service users). |
| Dignity and respect | Treating people as individuals, valuing differences, and promoting inclusion. | Ensure fair and inclusive recruitment processes; evaluate how candidates demonstrate respect for diversity, equality, and inclusive working in their behaviours and decision-making. |
| Openness, honesty and responsibility | Being transparent, accountable, and acting with integrity. | Use structured, evidence-based assessment methods; look for examples of accountability, ethical decision-making, and honesty in candidate responses. Maintain clear, transparent recruitment processes. |
| Quality and teamwork | Working collaboratively to deliver high standards and continuous improvement. | Explore candidates’ ability to work effectively in teams, contribute to shared goals, and maintain quality standards. Use scenario-based questions to assess collaboration and problem-solving. |
These values apply to all roles, clinical and non‑clinical, and should be reflected in how people work, communicate, and make decisions every day.
What Values Based Recruitment Means
As a hiring manager, this means:
- considering values alongside skills, experience and qualifications
- using consistent, evidence‑based methods to assess values
- ensuring decisions are fair, transparent and defensible
We do not recruit on values alone. Values‑based recruitment complements skills‑based assessment and supports safer, more inclusive recruitment decisions.
Why Values Based Recruitment Matters
Recruiting people who align with NHS Scotland values helps to:
- improve patient and service user experience
- support positive team cultures
- reduce conduct and performance issues
- promote inclusion, dignity and respect in the workplace
Values‑based recruitment supports Once for Scotland principles by helping ensure consistency and fairness across Health Boards and roles.
Applying NHS values during recruitment
Values should be considered at each stage of the recruitment process.
Job design and adverts
- Use inclusive language aligned with NHS values
- Clearly describe behaviours expected in the role
- Avoid unnecessary requirements that could exclude candidates
Shortlisting
- Assess applications against the person specification
- Look for evidence of values demonstrated through experience, behaviour and decision‑making
- Avoid assumptions based on background or career path
Interview and assessment
- Use structured, values‑based questions
- Ask candidates to give real examples using the STAR method
- Score responses consistently across the panel
Understanding the values in practice
Values are best understood through real‑world behaviours. Below are examples of how NHS Scotland values may be demonstrated at work.
| Description | |
|---|---|
| Care and compassion | Demonstrating empathy, kindness and attention to detail, whether working directly with patients or supporting services behind the scenes. |
| Dignity and respect | Treating colleagues, patients and partners fairly, valuing difference, and creating inclusive environments where people feel safe and heard. |
| Openness, honesty and responsibility | Being transparent, accountable and willing to listen, learn and act with integrity, particularly when decisions are complex or challenging. |
| Quality and teamwork | Working collaboratively, maintaining high standards, and recognising that the best outcomes are achieved through shared responsibility and teamwork. |
Supporting fair and inclusive recruitment
Values‑based recruitment supports equality, diversity and inclusion by:
- Focusing on behaviours rather than background
Placing emphasis on how candidates demonstrate values such as compassion, respect and teamwork ensures that recruitment decisions are based on behaviours relevant to the role, rather than traditional indicators such as qualifications, career pathways or personal background. This helps create fairer opportunities for individuals from a wider range of experiences.
- Recognising transferable skills and lived experience
Valuing the breadth of skills and insights that candidates bring – including those gained outside formal employment – enables organisations to attract talent from more diverse communities. Lived experience, community engagement and non-linear career paths can all contribute meaningfully to role success, supporting a more inclusive workforce.
- Reducing bias through structured assessment
Using consistent, objective and structured recruitment methods (such as standardised interview questions and scoring criteria) helps minimise unconscious bias and enables fair comparison across candidates. This leads to more transparent decision-making and improves equity in outcomes.
Responsibilities for hiring managers
Hiring managers play a critical role in embedding inclusive recruitment practices. This includes:
- Offering reasonable adjustments
Ensuring that candidates are supported throughout the process (e.g. alternative formats, extra time, accessible interview settings) so that everyone has an equal opportunity to demonstrate their abilities. - Assessing candidates consistently and respectfully
Applying the same criteria and standards to all applicants, while maintaining a respectful, inclusive and welcoming experience. This helps build trust, supports fairness, and reinforces organisational commitment to equality and inclusion.
Identify how candidates demonstrate values through their behaviours and experience
Values-based recruitment focuses on how candidates behave and respond in real situations, rather than solely on qualifications or job history. This helps ensure you select individuals whose values align with those of NHS Scotland and who will contribute positively to patient care and team culture.
When assessing candidates, consider:
| Area | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Examples of behaviour | Ask candidates to describe situations where they have demonstrated key values such as care, respect, teamwork or accountability. |
| Application of experience | Look beyond job titles to understand how candidates have applied their skills in different settings, including voluntary work, education or lived experience. |
| Decision-making and judgement | Explore how candidates approach challenges, particularly where compassion, integrity or collaboration are required. |
| Consistency of values | Assess whether values are demonstrated consistently across different examples, not just in one scenario. |
Using structured, values-based questions and scoring criteria will help you assess candidates fairly and consistently, while gaining a deeper understanding of how they are likely to perform in the role.
Top Tips for Hiring Managers
| Top Tip | What this means in practice |
|---|---|
| Put values and behaviours at the centre | Ensure NHS Scotland values and behaviours are embedded at every stage of recruitment, from advert and job design through to selection and final decision-making. |
| Assess behaviours as well as experience | Focus on how candidates demonstrate values through their behaviours, not just their qualifications or technical skills.
|
| Use a behavioural, evidence-based approach | Ask candidates to provide specific examples from practice.
|
| Apply a fair and consistent process | Use structured, values-based questions and agreed scoring criteria for all candidates to ensure a consistent and equitable approach. |
| Make objective, evidence-led decisions | Base assessments on demonstrated behaviours and evidence, rather than assumptions or “gut feel”. Ensure scoring reflects how well candidates meet the values and behaviours required for the role. |
| Promote equality, diversity and inclusion | Apply inclusive recruitment practices by:
This supports compliance with equality duties and helps create a workforce that reflects the communities served. |
| Recognise and challenge bias | Be aware of unconscious bias and actively challenge it to maintain a fair and objective assessment process. |
| Work collaboratively as a panel | Use the panel to share perspectives and reach balanced decisions. Collective discussion supports consistency and reduces individual bias. |
| Reflect NHS values in candidate experience | Treat all candidates with respect, compassion and professionalism throughout the process. A positive experience reflects NHS Scotland’s commitment to its values and strengthens employer reputation. |
| Appoint for values and long-term contribution | Select candidates who not only meet the role requirements but who will promote and strengthen a values-driven culture across NHS Scotland. |
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