Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 September 2022 to Question 48396 on Hong Kong: Foreign Nationals, where in (a) the guidance by NHS Employers entitled Criminal Records Checks, published in May 2022 and (b) other guidance it is stated that employers are sometimes required to obtain Certificates of No Criminal Conviction.

The NHS Employment Check Standards outlines the six mandated checks that National Health Service employers in England must consider when appointing to NHS positions. This includes where roles are eligible, any criminal record checks either through the Disclosure and Barring Service and where applicable, overseas police checks as aligned to the Home Office’s guidance. The standard does not specifically refer to ‘Certificates of No Criminal Convictions’ as this is specific to Hong Kong nationals and the guidance is not country specific.

The Home Office provides national guidance on the type of checks which can be obtained from any overseas country and how these can be obtained. The guidance also outlines any legal requirement for overseas police checks to enable the Home Office to grant a skilled worker visa for those working in either health or education.