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Career planning

Assessment centre without fear

Assessment centres can feel intimidating, especially if you’re not sure what to expect. But with the right preparation, they can also be a great opportunity to show what you’re capable of in a structured, supportive way.

Find out how assessment centres work in the NHS, what panels are looking for, and how to approach the process with confidence.

Date Friday, 15 May 2026 12:30 PM - 13:30 PM
Where Details Online Online - MS Teams
User Details Members:
Level Details Suitable for all levels
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Radio11049 people viewed this event
This event has already taken place, but you can watch the recording and download resources below.

Lead facilitators

Rob Wright

Rob Wright’s niche is leadership career pathways in the NHS. He was previously Head of Executive Talent & Appointments at NHS England where he worked on CEO talent strategy, the creation of the Leadership Competency Framework and the appointments to the ICB boards.

Prior to that, as a Senior Programme Lead in the NHS Leadership Academy, he helped establish the NHS Executive Search team that supported board appointments in the NHS. He was also worked on the national Aspiring CEO programme, the Clinical Executive Fast Track, the Aspiring Director of Nursing, HR Director and Medical Director programmes and as well as the Aspire Together regional talent boards.

He has a background in search and selection and also took a time out to complete an internship with the RSPB, as an Education Officer – a position which involved encouraging school parties to explore the natural world.

Sally Vaughan

Sally started her career as an NHS General Management Trainee in 2006, gaining an MSc in Healthcare Leadership and Management as part of this programme. She has worked in various operational management roles across mental health and acute services since then, mainly in London teaching hospitals. More recently she was the Associate Director for Surgery, Theatres, Anaesthetics and Critical Care at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, successfully leading those services through the Covid pandemic surges and elective recovery phases. Sally is a qualified coach and has training in Quality Improvement methodology.

Sally supported the opening of the Heatherwood Hospital as a state of the art orthopaedic and opthalmology elective centre at Frimley Health and increased Critical Care capacity permanently as part of the post-Covid response. Her leadership and coordination of surgical services at Frimley saw some of the first 'green pathway' elective patients treated outside of London in a Covid-safe environment against a backdrop of her Trust treating the 4th highest level of Covid patients in the country.

Sally has completed the Nye Bevan Programme and she is a MBTI Step I and Step II qualified facilitator. She also has a Post-Grad Diploma in Organisational Development Practice.

What participants say

98%

of attendees would recommend this session to a colleague.

“There were lots of good tips and a methodical process to follow. I wish I had some of these tips last week when I did interviews.”

Resources



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