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How to write an NHS supporting statement against the person specification

By the Health Job Scout team · 5 min read · Fact-checked 28 October 2026

NHS Jobs says employers judge your application against the person specification, so your supporting statement should answer it criterion by criterion. This post sets out what NHS Jobs says and then gives our own method for writing it. Where we draw on NHS Jobs we say so, and the method is our advice.

What NHS Jobs says about the person specification

NHS Jobs advises you to read the job description and person specification, and take time over showing your skills and experience. It says all employers will judge how well your application matches the person specification, and that the applicants who closely match it are the ones shortlisted for interview. To give yourself the best chance, it says you should show that you have the skills and experience the person specification asks for, with clear examples in the supporting information section.

It also says never to submit the same application twice. Always adapt it to show how you meet the person specification of that particular post.

Which parts of the form count

NHS Jobs says to complete every section of the form and to read the instructions in the advert and the form very carefully. The information in the 'application for employment' section is used to decide whether you are shortlisted. The 'personal information' and 'monitoring information' sections are not used for shortlisting, and are kept for administrative purposes only. Our application checklist covers the rest of the form.

How to write NHS supporting information against the person specification

This is our suggestion. It keeps you answering the question the employer is asking.

1. Copy each criterion from the person specification into a blank document, one heading per criterion, in the same order.
2. Under each heading, give one real example. Say where you were, what you did and what happened. Use numbers only where they are true.
3. Where the criterion matches a question on the form, such as procedures and skills, answer that question directly. See the procedures and skills question.
4. Read it as the person shortlisting would. Can they tick the criterion in ten seconds? If not, move the evidence up.
5. Cut it to fit the advert's instructions and any word limit, then check spelling and dates.
6. Save it, then start again for the next job. Do not paste the same text twice.

What to put in the supporting information section

NHS Jobs says you can use the supporting information section for anything not covered elsewhere on the form. Its examples are:

• your duties and responsibilities
• skills, knowledge and experience relevant to the post
• employment gaps
• voluntary work
• research, publication or presentation experience

For gaps and a home-country job that NHS staff may not recognise, see our posts on employment history and describing a house job.

Example: one criterion in a supporting statement

The shape, not the words. Replace everything in brackets with your own facts:

Criterion: experience of assessing and managing acutely unwell patients.

In [post] at [hospital, country] from [date] to [date], I [what you did, for example assessed patients on admission and started initial management] under [level of supervision]. In one case, [short example]. I [what you learnt or changed]. I would bring this to [the post you are applying for].

Keep it factual. If you cannot say it truthfully, leave it out.

What to do if you do not meet an essential criterion

This section is our advice, not NHS Jobs guidance. Say what you do have that is relevant, and be plain about the gap. Do not claim experience you have not had. Our post on applying without NHS experience and areas for development both help here, and why honesty matters explains the risk of overstating. In our experience, if the advert names a contact for informal enquiries, it can be worth asking whether your background would be considered. NHS Jobs does not say this, so treat it as our suggestion.

A note on using AI

If you use an AI tool to draft, it can only work with the facts you give it, and an invented example is worse than a short true one. Read using AI for an NHS job application first.

Supporting statement: the short version

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