Medical concerns including body mass index, mental health and childhood broken bones are among the issues preventing the British Army’s recruitment partner from hitting its hiring targets, MPs have been told.
Capita, which has held the recruiting partnering project (RRP) contract since 2012, is responsible for attracting, sourcing and selecting officers and soldiers for the British Army, but has missed its recruitment target every year since the RRP was reset in 2018.
The company told MPs on the Defence Select Committee this week that it only expects to hit 70% of its recruitment target for 2023/24.
HR and communications professionals are particular “pinch-point” areas, with only around one in four roles being filled.
It was revealed that it takes on average 150 days to complete the recruitment process, with some candidates dropping out to find a job elsewhere.
Richard Holroyd, CEO public service at Capita, said that many candidates are being screened out of the process because of medical conditions including broken bones they sustained in childhood and for having a BMI above 30, which the NHS considers an indication of obesity.
“I think that the current England rugby team would struggle to join the Army,” he said.
“Broken bones [are] a particular issue; a childhood rugby injury can preclude somebody and therefore we are constantly challenging the Army to relook at their policy and processes.”
Tattoos are also a problem, with people being screened out of the process if they have a tattoo on their hands or above the collar. Photographs of tattoos are now being assessed by an Army panel, and where a tattoo is rejected Capita has set up a fund for candidates to access financial support for removal or cover-up.
Holroyd said that a few years ago candidates with a history of asthma had to have a medical report showed they had been clear of asthma symptoms for four years. Capita produced evidence to the Army that it should be reduced to two years, which has been taken on board, and it has since proposed dropping this requirement further to one year.
Maria Mallet, chief operating officer for RRP at Capita, said 400 extra candidates have made it through the pipeline as a consequence of the Army changing its approach to asthma.
It has also reduced the length and complexity of its online medical form, which has resulted in an additional 2-4% of candidates, while people who are “borderline” of the BMI requirement can access a soldier development course.
Perceptions of mental health are also an issue. Holroyd said that many young people now see that it’s “okay to not be okay”, but the Army requires any declaration of a mental health issue to be followed up with a detailed report on the individual’s wellbeing.
He said that the medical standards that candidates are assessed against assume they will serve for 22 years, however the average length of service is just above six. Capita and the Army are working together to see if the criteria can be adjusted, he said.
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