Employment checks for young people in primary care
We would like to employ a young person in our practice — do all the same rigorous identity checks need to be completed for young people too?
Q
We would like to employ a young person in our practice — do all the same rigorous identity checks need to be completed for young people too?
A
When looking to employ young people who are in or have recently left full-time education (16–19 year olds), it can feel like there are many more barriers to taking them on if they don’t have a UK passport or driving licence — maybe they can’t afford the application for one either, and they often can’t produce utility bills bearing their name to give proof of their current address.
However, an employee can’t start work in a new job until the required checks are completed, so it is worth thinking about some of the solutions when recruiting new, younger staff. Normally, NHS employers will need to do identity checks; qualifications checks and any relevant experience; and employment history and reference checks; as well as possible disclosure and barring service (DBS) checks, work health assessments and right-to-work checks.
