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Students to be assessed for right values

Students applying to nursing and other healthcare courses in England will be given face to face interviews, to ensure they have the right values to work in the NHS, under a new framework released by HEE.
Students applying to nursing and other healthcare courses in England will be given face to face interviews, to ensure they have the right values to work in the NHS, under a new framework released by HEE. The Values Based Recruitment framework intends to ensure that all students and staff intending to work in the NHS have both clinical competence and compassionate values. Those applying to work in the NHS will be assessed on both their academics and their attitudes towards care to ensure the NHS has the 'right people for the right role.' The framework was created as a response to the findings of the Francis report, specifically the recommendations to create a common culture of care, commitment and compassion in the NHS. Some universities and trusts have used value-based assessment of applicants for some time. The University of Worcester, for example, has used the process on its nursing and healthcare courses since 2009, and updated it in 2013 to meet the requirements of the 6Cs Compassion in Practice document . The university evaluated the process, with 98 per cent of the 466 candidates reporting that the method was a fair and positive experience. Professor Nicki Latham, HEE's chief operating officer, said: 'The national VBR framework will, for the first time, ensure that the workforce is aligned with the values of the NHS constitution. Various inquiries have shown that values are equally important as skills when it comes to caring for patients as skills when it comes to caring for patients.'