NHS Lothian participates in the Disability Confident Scheme and has recently achieved Level 3 – Disability Confident Leader status.

There are three levels of scheme membership, graded on what an organisation can demonstrate it is doing to support people with disabilities in work.

As a Disability Confident Leader, NHS Lothian has committed to actively:

Meet all the requirements to become a Disability Confident Employer
provide a short narrative to show what we have done or will be doing to support our status as a Disability Confident Leader
confirm we are employing disabled people
report on disability, mental health and wellbeing through the Voluntary Reporting Framework

Level 3 Disability Confident Leader status requires the employer to demonstrate progression by undertaking a self-assessment process against a set of statements, which is then validated by another Disability Confident Leader. The employer must also demonstrate that they are taking positive action to attract, recruit and retain people with disabilities.

Once an organisation meets the criteria for this stage they are awarded a badge for three years.

NHS Lothian is able to demonstrate that it is practicing ALL of the Level 2 Core Actions as well as ALL the activities required to get the right people for the organisation and retain and develop them as well.

CURRENT NHS LOTHIAN STATUS: LIVE MEMBERSHIP VALID UP TO 25/08/2027.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the Disability Confident Scheme?

The Disability Confident Scheme aims to help employers make the most of the opportunities provided by employing people with disabilities. It is a voluntary scheme, and has been developed by employers and disabled people’s representatives. There are three levels to the scheme.

The scheme has a requirement for ALL core actions and AT LEAST ONE activity from a list are being practiced. There are two themes:

Getting the right people for your business
Keeping and developing your people

2. What is classed as a disability?

Someone is considered to have a disability under the Equality Act 2010 if they have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ or ‘long term’ adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day to day activities. That means that:

The person must have an impairment that is either physical or mental
Impairment must have adverse effects that are substantial, e.g., it takes much longer to complete a daily task such as getting dressed than it would normally take
Substantial adverse effects must be long term, i.e., having lasted or expected to last 12 months or more
Long term substantial effects must be effects on normal day to day activities, e.g., a breathing condition that develops as a result of a lung infection.

This includes physical and mental disabilities, visible or hidden, as well as neurodivergence and long-term health conditions. Further information on what is a disability can be found in Schedule 1 of the Equality Act 2010.

3. Why did NHS Lothian decide to become a Disability Confident Employer?

NHS Lothian sees being a Disability Confident Employer as an opportunity to demonstrate a commitment to ensure that disabled people are treated fairly and have access to the same opportunities as non-disabled people. This includes new applicants and existing staff.

4. What does it mean if the Disability Confident logo is on a job advert?

This means that NHS Lothian will guarantee to interview all disabled applicants – provided they meet the essential criteria for the post and provided they have indicated in the appropriate section of the application form that they have a disability. Applicants do not need to give any further information or declare the nature of their disability at this stage.

5. Under the terms of the Scheme, what has NHS Lothian committed to do for external/internal job applicants?

For all external and internal applicants NHS Lothian has committed to:

Interview all disabled applicants who meet the ‘essential criteria’ on a person specification and consider them on their abilities
Provide a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process
Be flexible when assessing people, so that disabled applicants have the best opportunity to demonstrate they can do the job
Make reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process as required

6. What if I am already employed by NHS Lothian?

The guaranteed interview commitment also applies to existing employees – provided they meet the essential criteria for the post, and provided they have indicated in the appropriate section of the application form that they have a disability.

7. If I am appointed what will NHS Lothian do for me?

If you are appointed NHS Lothian will:

Make reasonable adjustments in the workplace as required
Ensure that there is a mechanism in place to discuss, at any time, but at least once a year, with disabled employees what can be done to ensure that they develop and use their abilities
Make every effort when an employee becomes disabled to ensure that they stay in employment
Take action to ensure that all employees develop an appropriate level of disability awareness to make these commitments work; review the commitments annually and plan ways to improve the experience for people with disabilities – this will include consulting with key groups as necessary.

For more information please see our Equality & Human Rights pages

8. What if I need adjustments to be made for the interview?

If you are invited to interview your letter will ask you to advise the recruitment team what adjustment(s) you will require at the interview to allow you to attend.

NHS Lothian will endeavour to comply and will discuss any difficulties they have meeting your requirements with you.