NHS Supporting Statement Examples
Four person spec criteria. A weak answer and a strong answer for each.
These are the patterns NHS shortlisting panels score, and the patterns they reject.
Knowing the rules is not the same as knowing how to apply them
Most NHS applicants know they need to use STAR. Most know they need to address each essential criterion. What most do not know is what the difference between a scoring answer and a non-scoring answer actually looks like on the page.
The four examples below use real NHS person spec criteria from typical Band 4 to 7 job adverts. For each one we show a weak answer that looks reasonable on the surface and a strong answer that would score at shortlisting. The difference is not writing quality. It is specificity, structure, and evidence.
"Ability to communicate complex information clearly to a range of audiences"
This criterion appears across almost every NHS job advert from Band 3 upwards. It is one of the most frequently mishandled because candidates assume good communication is self-evident from their career. It is not. The panel needs evidence.
"I am an excellent communicator and regularly deal with a wide range of people in my current role. I am able to adapt my communication style to suit different audiences and always make sure information is clear and accessible. I have experience presenting to both clinical and non-clinical colleagues and am confident communicating at all levels."
Why this fails: No situation. No specific action. No outcome. Every sentence is a claim with no evidence behind it. A panel member cannot award a score because there is nothing to score. This answer could have been written by anyone about any job.
"In my role as a Band 5 Physiotherapist at my current Trust, I was asked to deliver a 20-minute session to a group of 14 ward-based healthcare assistants on fall prevention techniques. The group included staff with varying levels of clinical understanding and two members for whom English was a second language. I redesigned my original slide-based presentation into a demonstration-led session with laminated visual aids and a short practical exercise. I provided translated summary cards for the two staff members in advance. Post-session feedback showed that 13 of 14 participants rated their understanding as improved, and ward fall incidents reduced by 18% over the following quarter."
Why this scores: Specific situation named. The complexity of the audience is evidenced, not claimed. The specific adaptation is described in detail. The outcome is measurable and named. The panel can award a score because every element of the criterion is evidenced.
"Experience of working under pressure and managing competing priorities"
This criterion appears in almost every NHS supporting statement from Band 4 upwards. It is frequently answered with a vague account of being busy. The panel is not scoring busyness. It is scoring your specific approach to triage and the outcome of that approach.
"I work well under pressure and am used to managing a busy workload. In my current role I regularly have to juggle multiple tasks and meet tight deadlines. I am good at prioritising my work and always make sure the most important tasks are completed first. I remain calm under pressure and do not let stress affect the quality of my work."
Why this fails: This is a description of a personality trait, not an evidenced example. "I am good at prioritising" is a claim. The panel needs to see what you actually did when priorities conflicted. There is no situation, no specific decision, and no outcome.
"During a period of unexpected staff absence on our unit, I was responsible for covering two Band 4 caseloads simultaneously alongside my own. On one morning I had three urgent referrals arrive within 90 minutes while managing an ongoing safeguarding concern that required immediate documentation. I triaged the three referrals using the Trust's clinical priority framework, escalating one to the duty clinician as it met criteria for same-day assessment, completing the initial contact for the second, and deferring the third with a documented rationale and a same-day callback commitment. The safeguarding documentation was completed within the required two-hour window. No referral breached its response time that morning and my manager was informed of the escalation in real time."
Why this scores: Specific situation with named context. A real competing priority is described. The triage decision is explained with the framework used. Every action has a named outcome. The panel can score this because the candidate has shown how they made decisions, not just that they stayed calm.
"Commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace"
This criterion is mandatory on NHS person specs at all bands. It is one of the most poorly answered because candidates treat it as a values statement rather than an evidencing opportunity. The panel is not assessing whether you believe in equality. It is assessing whether you have demonstrated it.
"I am fully committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion and believe everyone should be treated with respect and dignity regardless of their background. I always treat colleagues and patients fairly and have completed equality and diversity training as part of my mandatory CPD. I understand the importance of EDI in the NHS and am committed to upholding these values in everything I do."
Why this fails: This is a statement of belief, not evidence of action. Completing mandatory training is not an evidenced example. The panel cannot score commitment to EDI from a statement that says "I am committed to EDI." They need to see what you actually did.
"A patient on my ward was consistently declining physiotherapy sessions without explanation. After reviewing her notes, I noticed she had previously requested a female clinician, a preference that had not been flagged to the team. I raised this with the ward coordinator and arranged for all future sessions to be delivered by a female physiotherapist. I also used the case as an example in our next team handover to highlight how documented patient preferences can be missed during busy periods. Following the change, the patient attended all four remaining sessions. I subsequently recommended that the patient preference field in our EPR system be made a mandatory completion item at admission, which was adopted by the ward manager."
Why this scores: A specific situation is described. The candidate identified a gap, took action, and documented an outcome. The follow-up action demonstrates commitment beyond the individual case. The panel can score this against the criterion because every element is evidenced.
"Ability to work collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary team"
MDT working appears on NHS person specs at every band and in every specialty. It is almost always answered with a list of the teams the candidate has worked with. That is not evidence of collaborative working. It is evidence that the candidate has had colleagues.
"I have extensive experience working as part of a multidisciplinary team. In my current role I work closely with doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, social workers, and other allied health professionals on a daily basis. I understand the importance of communication and collaboration in delivering high-quality patient care and always make sure I contribute positively to the team."
Why this fails: Listing the professions you work with is not evidence of collaboration. "Always make sure I contribute positively" is a claim. The panel needs to see a specific situation where you actively contributed to a multidisciplinary outcome, not a description of the teams you have been near.
"When a patient on our ward was approaching the end of their inpatient stay with an unresolved discharge destination, I initiated a multidisciplinary meeting to coordinate next steps. The patient had complex needs spanning physiotherapy, social care, dietetics, and pharmacy, and the discharge had been delayed for eight days because no single team was taking ownership. I booked the meeting, prepared a one-page summary of the patient's current status and outstanding actions for each team, and chaired the 30-minute session. Each team left with a documented action and a deadline. The patient was discharged to an appropriate residential placement five days later, reducing the delay by what our ward coordinator estimated was ten days compared to the typical trajectory for cases of that complexity."
Why this scores: A specific, complex situation is described. The candidate took initiative rather than waiting for someone else. The preparation and the chairing are both evidenced. The outcome is specific and named. The panel can score this because the collaborative contribution is demonstrated, not claimed.
The pattern that scores across every criterion
Specificity over generality
Every strong answer names a specific situation. A specific ward. A specific number of patients. A specific date or time period. A specific outcome. Generality scores nothing because there is nothing for the panel to mark against. Specificity gives them a score.
Action that belongs to you
Every strong answer describes what the candidate specifically did. Not what the team did. Not what the policy required. What this person decided, initiated, or delivered. The panel is scoring your contribution, not your context.
An outcome with a number or a named result
Every strong answer ends with something measurable or verifiable. A percentage. A timeline. A named change. An acknowledged outcome. "The patient was discharged" is an outcome. "Things improved" is not.
A word count that earns its place
Every strong answer uses the available word count on evidence, not on context-setting or values statements. Every sentence that does not evidence a criterion is a sentence that could have scored one.
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