What we did:

NHS Employers commissioned Apteligen to undertake an independent evaluation of the national Step into Health programme, which supports members of the Armed Forces community to access careers within the NHS. The evaluation sought to understand the programme’s reach, effectiveness and longer-term impact for candidates and employers, while identifying opportunities to strengthen recruitment pathways and ensure the NHS continues to benefit from the valuable skills and experience that veterans, service leavers, reservists and military families bring to the workforce.

How we did it:

We delivered a comprehensive mixed-methods evaluation, bringing together national survey data, programme monitoring information and in-depth interviews with candidates, employers and key stakeholders. Our analysis examined every stage of the programme, from awareness raising and engagement, through to recruitment experiences, employer participation and longer-term outcomes. By integrating quantitative and qualitative evidence, we identified both measurable outcomes and the organisational factors that influence successful implementation of Step into Health across the NHS.

What the project achieved:

The evaluation demonstrated that Step into Health is making a valuable contribution to widening access to NHS careers while helping employers recognise and harness the skills of the Armed Forces community. Alongside evidencing the programme’s impact on candidate confidence, employer engagement and recruitment, the research identified practical opportunities to strengthen local implementation, improve consistency across participating organisations and enhance support throughout the candidate journey. The findings provided NHS Employers with a robust evidence base to inform the future development of one of the NHS’s flagship workforce development programmes.

A summary of our findings is available here.

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