How to write NHS supporting information: structure, length and keywords

Updated · By the Tick the Spec team

Your NHS supporting information (sometimes called supporting evidence or a supporting statement) should show, criterion by criterion, how you meet the person specification. The best structure is simple: take each essential criterion in the order it appears, use its wording as a short heading or opening phrase, and give one specific example from your own experience. Then cover the desirable criteria briefly. Keep within the limit on the form, which differs between systems, so check the application form itself.

How long should it be?

There is no single NHS-wide limit. What we could verify:

  • NHS Jobs (used across England and Wales) splits evidence into sections: qualifications, experience, and knowledge and skills, plus any extra criteria the employer adds. Each section has an essential box and a desirable box. NHSBSA's applicant guide gives a character limit of up to 5,000 characters per box. That is roughly 750 to 850 words.
  • Trac and other trust systems usually have a single supporting information box. The limit is set by the system or the employer; check the form before you write.
  • NHS Scotland uses its own national recruitment system with questions and limits set per advert. See our NHS Scotland guide.

Longer is not better. A panel reading 80 applications wants to find evidence for each criterion quickly. For most Band 2 to 5 posts, a clear statement of 500 to 1,000 words in total is usually enough if every essential criterion is covered. Senior posts with long person specifications need more.

A structure that works

  1. Two-sentence opening. The role you are applying for and what you currently do. No life story.
  2. Essential criteria, in order. For each: the criterion's key words, then what you did, where, how often or how much, and what happened as a result.
  3. Desirable criteria. One or two sentences each, only where you genuinely have something.
  4. Values. If the trust lists its values, show one or two in action within your examples rather than listing them.
  5. Short close. Why this post, in one or two sentences.

In NHS Jobs, the structure is partly done for you: put qualification evidence in the qualifications box, experience in the experience box, and so on. Do not paste the whole statement into every box.

Using the person specification's keywords

Shortlisters work from the person specification, so mirror its language. If it says "ability to prioritise a varied workload", write "prioritising a varied workload" and then prove it. This is not about tricking software; NHS shortlisting is mostly done by people. It is about making your evidence easy to find. Avoid stuffing keywords without examples, which reads as empty.

What counts as evidence

  • A specific task you do or did, with context (setting, size, frequency)
  • A situation you handled, what you did personally, and the outcome
  • Training or qualifications, with dates or levels
  • Feedback, audits or results, only if real and not confidential

Never include patient-identifiable details. Describe situations in general terms: "an elderly patient with dementia who was distressed", not names, dates of birth or ward bed numbers.

Step by step

  1. Print or copy the person specification. Highlight every criterion marked as assessed by application.
  2. For each, jot down two possible examples from work, volunteering, study or caring.
  3. Pick the strongest example per criterion. Use one example for two criteria only if it genuinely shows both.
  4. Write a first draft in plain English, in the first person ("I"), past or present tense.
  5. Cut anything that does not prove a criterion.
  6. Check the character or word count against the form.
  7. Read it as a shortlister: could you tick every essential line?

Worked example (fictional)

Invented for illustration. Tom, a supermarket shift supervisor, is applying for a Band 3 medical secretary post. Criterion: "Ability to work to deadlines and manage competing priorities."

Working to deadlines and managing competing priorities. As a shift supervisor I plan the work of a team of eight across a nine-hour shift. Deliveries, shelf replenishment and till cover all compete for the same people, so at the start of each shift I list what must be done by a fixed time (for example chilled deliveries put away within 30 minutes) and what can move. When two staff called in sick on a bank holiday, I reallocated tasks, took a till myself at the busiest period and made sure the chilled delivery was still checked in on time. I would use the same approach to prioritise clinic letters and typing against urgent requests.

The example is not from healthcare, but it proves the criterion and links it to the new role in one sentence.

Councils and universities

Local authorities and universities usually work the same way: a person specification with essential and desirable criteria, and a supporting statement that should address each one. Some councils ask you to number your evidence to match the criteria. The same structure applies.

Common mistakes

  • Copying your CV into the box. The panel already has your employment history.
  • Generic statements that could be about anyone.
  • Missing one essential criterion, often the less obvious ones such as "understanding of information governance" or "willingness to work flexibly".
  • Very long paragraphs with no signposting.
  • Pasting in AI-generated text that does not reflect your own experience. NHS Employers has warned employers that such answers are often generic and may contain false information, and many trusts now ask candidates to declare AI use.
  • Spelling and grammar errors where the post asks for attention to detail.

If you want a quick check before you submit, Tick the Spec's shortlisting sheet shows which criteria your draft already evidences and which still need a real example.

Read next: NHS Jobs essential and desirable criteria boxes: what to write · Trac application form: NHS supporting information tips · How to write a supporting statement (UK guide with example)

Sources

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