Thank you for your request for information about the following:  

Request 

Please treat this as a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. 

I am seeking information relating to the provision and effectiveness of reasonable adjustments in recruitment processes within your organisation. 

1. Policies and guidance

Please provide any current policies, guidance, or internal documents relating to the provision of reasonable adjustments during recruitment, including any materials specific to neurodivergent candidates (e.g. autism). 

2. Assessor guidance and training

Please provide any guidance or training materials provided to recruitment staff or assessors on: 

1. a) considering and implementing reasonable adjustments
2. b) assessing candidates who have received adjustmen

   3. Adjustment types (summary only) 

Please provide a summary list or description of the types of reasonable adjustments commonly offered to candidates at: 

1. a) application stage
2. b) sift stage
3. c) interview stage

  4. Aggregate data (last 24 months)

Please provide aggregated figures for the most recent 24-month period available showing: 

1. a) number of candidates declaring a disability
2. b) number of candidates requesting reasonable adjustments
3. c) number of candidates provided with adjustments

  5. Outcomes (high-level only)

Please provide any existing aggregated or summary data showing progression or success rates for: 

1. a) candidates who requested adjustments
2. b) candidates who did not request adjustments

If more detailed breakdowns would exceed the cost limit, please provide any high-level summaries or reports already held. 

6. Internal evaluation

Please provide any internal reports, audits, or reviews (if held) that assess the effectiveness or fairness of reasonable adjustments in recruitment. 

Clarification: 

This request relates to recruitment activity undertaken by your organisation, whether for internal roles or roles within the wider public sector where applicable. 

This request is intended to capture existing recorded information, summaries, and guidance documents. I am not requesting the creation of new data or analysis. 

If any part of this request is likely to exceed the cost limit under section 12, I would be grateful if you could advise how the request may be refined. 

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received your request on 9 April 2026  

We have handled your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). 

Our response 

I can confirm that the NHSBSA holds the information you have requested and a copy of the information is attached. 

Please read the below notes to ensure correct understanding of the data. 

The FOI request has been broken down into respective sections. Relevant detail has been pulled from various materials and data sources, these along with their location and audience have been listed below.   

1. Policies and guidance - Please provide any current policies, guidance, or internal documents relating to the provision of reasonable adjustments during recruitment, including any materials specific to neurodivergent candidates (e.g. autism). 

I can confirm that the NHSBSA holds the information you have requested. These documents are hosted on our internal MyHub intranet. 

The relevant policies and guidance are outlined below. Extracts from these materials are provided in the attached PDF. 

• Recruitment & Selection Policy (available on MyHub intranet for all colleagues) 

• Recruitment Process Guidance (available on MyHub intranet for all colleagues, designed for hiring managers) 

• Workplace adjustments guidance for managers - (available on MyHub intranet for all colleagues, designed for hiring managers) 

• Adjustments library – created by our Disability and Neurodiversity Colleague Network group (designed for all colleagues and available on MyHub intranet) 

• Workplace adjustments policy – (available on MyHub intranet for all colleagues) 

2. Assessor guidance and training - Pleaseprovide any guidance or training materials provided to recruitment staff or assessors on: 

a) considering and implementing reasonable adjustments

b) assessing candidates who have received adjustments 

I can confirm that the NHSBSA holds the information you have requested. 

The NHSBSA provides guidance and training to recruitment staff which covers the consideration and implementation of reasonable adjustments during recruitment. The relevant guidance and training are outlined below. Extracts from these materials are provided in the attached PDF.  

• Recruitment & Selection E-Learning training – Making recruitment more accessible module (designed for hiring managers) 

• Recruitment & Selection training material – delivered in person, designed and delivered to hiring managers by the Talent Acquisition team. 

• Lets Talk about workplace adjustments training – designed and delivered to hiring managers by the Colleague Experience team. 

b) assessing candidates who have received adjustments

I am writing to advise you that following a search of our paper and electronic records, I have established that the information you requested is not held by the NHSBSA. 

The NHSBSA does not hold specific guidance or training materials that instruct assessors to assess candidates who have received reasonable adjustments differently as a separate category of assessment. 

3. Adjustment types (summary only)

Please provide a summary list or description of the types of reasonable adjustments commonly offered to candidates at: 

1. a) application stage
2. b) sift stage
3. c) interview stage

The NHSBSA does not hold an exhaustive list of reasonable adjustments that are offered during recruitment. The Adjustments Library provided in question 1 provides examples to support managers and colleagues, but is not a definitive list of workplace adjustments.  

We do not hold a summary list as we are driven by individual candidate and colleague requirements at every stage in the recruitment process. Hiring managers are supported by our Colleague Experience, Corporate HR and Talent Acquisition colleagues to review and implement reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process. This ensures a person centred, intersectional approach is taken as not all adjustments work for everyone, so it's key to ensure people have the ones they need to succeed. 

4. Aggregate data (last 24 months)

Please provide aggregated figures for the most recent 24-month period available showing: 

a) number of candidates declaring a disability

For NHSBSA job adverts that closed between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2026, we received 4,587 applications from candidates who declared a disability. 

b) number of candidates requesting reasonable adjustments

The requested information is not held by the NHSBSA. 

The NHSBSA does not routinely record the number of candidates who request reasonable adjustments during recruitment processes. 

Candidates may choose to disclose a need for reasonable adjustments as part of their application or recruitment journey. Where a request is made, this information is used operationally to support the individual candidate and ensure appropriate adjustments are put in place. It is not captured or retained in a way that enables the NHSBSA to produce aggregate data. 

c) number of candidates provided with adjustments

The requested information is not held by the NHSBSA.  

The NHSBSA does not routinely record the number of candidates who are provided with reasonable adjustments. Information relating to adjustments is not captured or retained in a way that enables the NHSBSA to produce a total across recruitment exercises. 

5. Outcomes (high-level only)

Please provide any existing aggregated or summary data showing progression or success rates for: 

a) candidates who requested adjustments

b) candidates who did not request adjustments

The requested information is not held by the NHSBSA. 

Information held about reasonable adjustments is managed on an individual, case-by-case basis to support candidates during the recruitment process. This information is not recorded or retained in a way that enables outcomes or progression rates to be reported separately for candidates who did or did not request adjustments.  

6. Internal evaluation

Please provide any internal reports, audits, or reviews (if held) that assess the effectiveness or fairness of reasonable adjustments in recruitment. 

The requested information is not held by the NHSBSA. The NHSBSA does not hold any internal reports, audits or reviews that evaluate fairness or effectiveness of reasonable adjustments in the recruitment process.  

Reasonable adjustments in recruitment are managed on an individual basis in line with our recruitment and selection policies and equality obligations.  

Data Queries 

Please contact foirequests@nhsbsa.nhs.uk ensuring you quote the above reference if you have any specific questions regarding this response; or, if you feel you may be misunderstanding or misinterpreting the information; or, if you plan on publishing the data. 

Reusing the data and copyright 

If you plan on producing a press or broadcast story based upon the data please contact communicationsteam@nhsbsa.nhs.uk. This is important to ensure that the figures are not misunderstood or misrepresented. 

The information supplied to you continues to be protected by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and is subject to NHSBSA copyright. This information is licenced under the terms of the Open Government Licence detailed at: 

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/  

Should you wish to re-use the information you must include the following statement: “NHSBSA Copyright 2026”. Failure to do so is a breach of the terms of the licence. 

Information you receive which is not subject to NHSBSA Copyright continues to be protected by the copyright of the person, or organisation, from which the information originated. Please obtain their permission before reproducing any third party (non NHSBSA Copyright) information.