People Strategy - NHS Gateshead · to ensure that they continue to be aligned to the revised Trust...

People Strategy Final 06/2016 Page | 1

VALUING OUR PEOPLE ‘Our People are the difference between good and outstanding’

People Strategy


1. Introduction and purpose

This document sets out the strategic workforce priorities the Gateshead Health NHS

Foundation Trust (GHNT) has agreed for the next five years (reviewed annually) and the

work that is required to realise our ambitions for ’Our People’. People who work and

volunteer for the Trust make the difference between good care and excellent care. They

save lives and change lives. People make our organisation a great place to work and to be

treated ensuring that compassion and caring are at the heart of our organisation.

This document outlines the approach we will take to deliver the People Strategy. We will be

ambitious, building on our excellent foundations. Our strategy will support a culture of ‘can

do’ that enables engaged and competent people to deliver excellent patient care.

The healthcare workforce is changing, roles and responsibilities are evolving and traditional

organisational boundaries and professional demarcation lines are being eroded in the face

of new ways of working. There is a reduction in the supply of some elements of the

workforce and we need new roles to fill that gap. Our workforce as well as our patients are

ageing and we need to make sure that we support them and nurture our people, finding

ways to enable them to continue working as they age.

We need to be innovative in our offer to our workforce to enable us to fulfil our ambition of

being the best employer in our local health economy. We will ensure that the environment is

one which is open to challenge, acts without retribution if uncomfortable truths are aired and

is transparent and consistent in its decision making. We want to create an environment

which fosters and removes barriers to the realisation of the ideas and suggestions of our

people for the future success of us all.

We aim to develop the talents of all our people and we will ensure robust education,

development, training, talent management and succession planning processes are in place

to enable us to build workforce capacity and capability to deliver personalised and integrated

services for the people of Gateshead.

GHNT will pursue the concept of a workforce without walls, with its people being developed

and actively working across and between health and social care systems to deliver quality

and seamless pathways of care.

Our people are at the heart of everything we do and we can only achieve our vision and live

our values if we engage and maximise the contribution of all our people.


Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust

Vision & Values

2. Changing Environment

The NHS is changing both nationally and locally, our People Strategy needs to adapt and

respond this changing environment to ensure we have the right workforce capacity and

capability to deliver high quality care into the future. Specific local challenges

(i) The emerging ‘Sustainability and Transformation programmes’ (STP) setting out

an ambitious vision for local health care services which will lead to the adoption of

new models of care across the full STP footprint of Northumberland Tyne and Wear.

Strengthen working relationships with Newcastle NHS FT in terms of areas for

corporate and service level collaboration underpinned by clinical engagement

throughout. Whilst also recognising changes occurring in neighbouring footprints, in

particular the stated ambition for more formal collaboration and partnership working

between South Tyneside and City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trusts.

(ii) Transformation, integration and community services having been awarded the

contract for the delivery of community services from 1 October 2016 in partnership

with Gateshead Community Based Care (CBC - the local GP federation) and local

authority the Trust will be working to ensure the service transformation vision is

delivered. The Trust will collaborate with Gateshead Newcastle CCG Alliance

(NGCCG), in implementing its successful bid for Vanguard status, building upon the

successful Gateshead Care Home Initiative.

The Trust is a member of the North East Urgent and Emergency Care Vanguard is

focusing on new models of care, targeting primary care and community services to

reduce hospital attendance/admission avoidance.


(iii) Workforce alignment to our service line strategies and associated capacity and

demand planning is vital. The Trust is committed to reducing the reliance upon

waiting list initiatives, flexibility in terms of referral to treatment, locum and agency

use to manage the gap between demand and capacity. Our workforce plans will

address the challenges:

- Seven Day Services: as an early adopter our focus will be on: Time to

consultant review (standard 2); Access to diagnostics (standard 5); Access to

consultant-directed interventions (standard 6) & On-going review (standard 8)

- Nursing recruitment and retention will remain a focus in an increasingly

competitive market to ensure nurse staffing levels are safe and efficient.

- Midwifery recruitment & retention and expanded roles will be the focus to tackle

the increasing complexity of births and high levels of retirement predicted i.e.

nearly 50% of midwives will be eligible to retire in the next 2-5 years, in our

community midwifery teams alone.

- Development of new roles and working practices including assistant

practitioner, practitioner, advanced practitioner, physician associate roles in a

variety of settings.

- Medical workforce demand is forecast to be stable over the coming years

however continuing transformation is critical given the recruitment challenges

being faced, where ‘difficult to fill’ posts are placing strain on service provision

- Allied Health & Healthcare Science Workforce: will continue to develop skill

mix models across therapy services focusing on generic skills and roles;

Specialty training will be pursued in areas such as injection therapy, independent

prescribing and imaging referral to underpin service developments.

(iv) CQC. Following inspection in the autumn of 2015, the Trust was awarded a rating of

‘Good’ in early 2016. There were many outstanding and good practices evidenced

across the organisation including being well led underpinned by the appropriate

leadership capacity, experience and capability. Improvement is always possible and

future focus will be the sustainability of safe staffing in all areas, facilitating

specialising where required and addressing the medical staff gaps.

(v) NHS National Staff Survey most recent outcomes (2015) highlight positive shifts

against comparable NHS Trusts in regard to communication between senior

management & staff; reduction in work-related stress; fewer near misses or incidents;

better equal opportunities for career progression; staff engagement. Areas for

improvement highlighted include staff motivation & the ability to contribute to

improvements in service delivery and working practices.

(vi) Productivity challenge to review Lord Carter of Coles’ report (Operational

productivity & performance in English NHS acute hospitals) recommendations,

assess the organisation against each and to progress those across the key resource

areas of clinical staff, pharmacy and medicines, diagnostics and imaging,

procurement, back-office functions, and estates and facilities, where improved

productivity and efficiency can be realised.


3. Trust Strategic Objectives

Our Trust’s Strategic Objectives are outlined below. The focus of this strategy is our people

in the context of these strategic objectives and drivers.

4. Key Workforce Drivers

The following are key workforce drivers that the Trust needs to be aware of and ensure are

addressed through its strategic people objectives:

Aging population and changing pension provisions resulting people extending their working lives. As an employer we face a labour market with fewer young people and older employees. The flow of young people joining the labour market may not be sufficient any longer to be the principal means of meeting demand for higher skills levels among the workforce. This implies a greater focus will be needed on retaining skilled workers and re-training the existing workforce. In addition, the societal need to provide continued welfare support for an ageing population will depend in part on how well we provide employment opportunities for older workers and those caring for the elderly.

Increasing carer responsibilities as a consequence of the aging population and the need for flexible working practices to support our people in balancing these life demands.

Migrant population resulting in a more diverse population requiring our people at all levels to be culturally competent, ensuring we can react to the changing employment market and appeal to the increasingly diverse local communities. Offering an employment experience that attracts & retains this diverse workforce.

Greater diversity in the employment relationship and how people work in terms of flexibility of hours, start & finish times, structuring of work to meet operational demands and expectation of seven day services

1 • To provide high quality, sustainable clinical services to our

local population in new and innovative ways

2 • To develop new effective partnerships with organisations

in health and social care to offer high quality, seamless care

3 • To optimise opportunities to extend our business reach in

the delivery of high quality clinical care

4 •To deliver the proposed portfolio of services and quality of

care within the agreed financial envelope


Increased education participation leading to a shift in demand and competition for more highly skilled, knowledge intensive workers and occupations, leading to potential recruitment & retention issues as a result of the mismatch of employees expectations versus the specific job expectations

Technological changes impact on the methods and timing of working, location, accessibility, expectations of employees, speed and productivity with the implications this has for employee relationships, conditions and recognition processes.

Workplace health and well-being has risen sharply up the public policy agenda over the past decade, accompanied by growing recognition of the positive link between employee well-being and long-term organisational health. The world of work is moving at an ever-faster pace, and pressing environmental factors such as the ageing population only increase the responsibility on employers to not only mitigate the workplace risks to, but optimise, people’s health and well-being. An approach to employee well-being needs to be sustainable and linked to both the organisation’s corporate strategy and workforce needs, and integrated within every aspect of its people management activities.

5. Values and Behaviours

The Gateshead Health ethos Caring for You is at the heart of how we operate, looking after

our patients and taking care of our staff. The Trust’s values of ICORE;

Innovation, Creativity & Reform

Care & Compassion

Openness, Honesty and Transparency

Respect, Trust, Dignity& Equality

Engagement & Partnership

embody what the Trust expects of all of the people who work for the organisation at any level

when dealing with patients, fellow employees, and partner organisations, other providers of

health and social care and commissioners.

Whilst our people continue to recognise and embody these values, they are to be refreshed

to ensure that they continue to be aligned to the revised Trust strategic objectives and are

simplified and consolidated to reflect 2016 & beyond. Underpinning the values will be a

behaviours framework with supporting behaviours to ensure good people management,

patient safety and quality shaping the way the organisation operates.

6. People Strategy

Our vision is to ‘Be the Best Employer’ in the local area ensuring that we are leading,

recruiting, developing, training and retaining the very best people. Striving to ensure that our

staff work in a culture where they feel engaged and supported to suggest improvements and

are empowered to make changes. The impact that a motivated workforce has on delivering

high quality care is well researched and recognised.


‘Being the best employer’ will involve us in working towards creating a workplace in which

our people have the right to expect and the responsibility to do.

In summary our people will be expected to:

- Be fully engage with our organisational values and act as advocates of the Trust

- Understand and be involved with our strategic objectives and support their delivery in

their teams and roles

- Actively engage in communities of practice and seek to be inspired and influenced by

wider knowledge, intelligence and experience to develop services

- Be flexible, dynamic and willing to take on new challenges

- Accountable for their performance and take responsibility for their own professional

development

In return, we will ensure our people:

- Are managed by good line managers who have the skills and motivation to manage

others

- Are recognised and rewarded fairly, taking into account national & local labour

market conditions and are provided with flexible employment options

- Have flexible working opportunities to balance service and personal needs

- Experience a ‘learning culture’ where they are supported to achieve, through their

professional, technical, managerial and leadership development

- Have their performance is routinely reviewed relative to peers, with feedback given

and recognition given for excellent performance and support offered to address areas

of development


7. Our People Strategy – how it relates to our Trust strategic objectives

Strategic Objective How This Relates to our People Strategy

To provide high quality, sustainable clinical services to our local population in new and innovative ways

To deliver high quality care requires our people at all levels to be equipped with the right skills, with access to relevant education & training opportunities. Working in an environment that encourages learning, information sharing and continuous improvement. The sustainability of services will require effective engagement of our people with career pathways and workforce models to address key skills challenges. Our service strategies will shape our workforce plans to ensure we have the right capability and capacity to deliver our services

To develop new effective partnerships with organisations in health and social care to offer high quality, seamless care

To deliver seamless services that patient need in an integrated way, across 7 days / 24 hours will require us to develop flexible, adaptive and collaborative people who are supported to work in partnership with other health, social care & education providers

To optimise opportunities to extend our business reach in the delivery of high quality clinical care

To optimise business opportunities requires our people need to be flexible, develop their skills and competencies in line with changing career pathways and workforce models. Allied to the development of entrepreneurial skills, and partnership working.

To deliver the proposed portfolio of services and quality of care within the agreed financial envelope

Having competent, engaged and supported people with the right skills, systems and processes will help us to improve how we deliver services and become more efficient and productive


8. Workforce Strategic Priorities

Our people and our organisational culture are our ‘unique selling points’ which will

differentiate us not only in providing high quality, sustainable clinical services to the people

of Gateshead but they will also be instrumental to us as we develop new effective

partnerships with organisations in health and social care and pursue opportunities to extend

our business reach.

We need a highly skilled, committed and engaged workforce. This strategy will describe the

support and opportunities we will provide for our people to enable them to fulfil our strategic

ambitions and their personal /professional goals. The impact that a motivated workforce has

on delivering high quality care is well researched and recognised.

In developing this strategy we are mindful of the key national and local drivers which this

Strategy needs to adapt and respond to, to ensure we have the right workforce capacity and

capability to deliver high quality care:

People Priority: Recruitment & Retention of the Right People, with the Right Values,

Right Behaviours, in the Right Numbers, at the Right time to deliver safe, high quality

care.

People Priority: Organisational Development to encourage innovation and transformation of the way we do things to improve patient experience and support the delivery of the Trust’s organisational vision and its sustainability People Priority: Maintaining and enhancing a ‘learning culture’ which delivers excellent patient care through supporting individuals, teams & directorates to maximise their potential to progress their careers and develop their skills to support service delivery, improvement and transformation People Priority: To improve the health & wellbeing of all our people, where they can realise their potential, cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and contribute to improvement to enhance their experience at work and the organisation’s vision to be the best employer People Priority: Ensure our people are rewarded and recognised for their performance

and quality of service delivery underpinned by individuals being accountable and

taking personal responsibility for their own & their team’s performance and

development

People Priority: To develop a workforce that embraces equality and is diverse and inclusive.

This strategy will be supported by the Trust’s workforce plan and is aligned to the health &

wellbeing, leadership and organisational development frameworks. It details the workforce

team’s contribution, governance and monitoring arrangements.


People Priority: Recruitment & Retention of the Right People, with the Right Values, Right Behaviours, in the Right Numbers, at the Right time to deliver safe, high quality care.in the Right Numbers, at the Right time to deliver safe, high quality care.

How: Recruitment/ Retention:

- Develop the recruitment & selection skills of managers to include behavioural & value based techniques.

- Develop and embed a strong employer brand, making best use of technology & social media.

- Refine, develop recruitment processes so people join the organisation quickly and we reduced any reliance on temporary staff to cover vacancies / workforce gaps.

- Nursing, midwifery, medical and allied health professions shortages – international recruitment, ‘home grown’ through close partnerships with Further Education providers, targeting ‘return to practice & return to acute care courses’

- Analysis of staff turnover by business unit & service to develop knowledge of the reasons and impact.

- Develop employee retention action plans that focuses on the particular issues and causes of turnover, for example:

- Job previews - Give prospective employees a realistic job preview at the recruitment stage.

- Career development and progression

- Ensure that our people have a 'voice' through consultative bodies, regular appraisals, staff surveys and grievance systems.

- Offering flexibility through where possible accommodating individual preferences on working hours and times.

- Avoid a culture of 'presenteeism' where people feel obliged to work long hours

- Fair & equitable treatment of people

Workforce Planning:

- Analysis of current & future workforce needs

- Develop service / specialty workforce plans aligned to capacity & demand plans to understand demand & supply, identifying mitigation to address risks of workforce gaps

- HEE NE, Local Workforce Action Boards (LWABs) & professional network participation / engagement to influence future supply strategies & the associated education & training commissions to address the Trust’s need

Widening Participation:

- To be the future career destination for people of all ages, backgrounds and cultures.

- To work with local schools & career services to build awareness, skills & qualifications to underpin career choices

- Offer as widely as possible work experience for people of different ages and backgrounds

- Increase the scope & range of apprenticeships across the organisation

- Employment offerings to support the extension of our people’s working lives


Outcomes: Values based recruitment techniques are introduced & adopted in all areas An Increased number & range of apprenticeships & work experience opportunities are

provided contributing to future workforce supply. A sustained reduction in bank and/or agency usage & spend The alignment of the Trust’s workforce plans with service strategies & their capacity &

demand plans Employment opportunities for those individuals choosing or having to work longer Workforce shortages / gaps are minimal and risks are managed Reduction in the % turnover rate across all staff groups % of people working extra hours has fallen (currently 69% - NHS Staff Survey 2015) % of people satisfied with the opportunities for flexible working patterns has not deteriorated

(current 50% - NHS Staff Survey)

People Priority: Organisational Development to encourage innovation and transformation of the way we do things to improve patient experience and support the delivery of the Trust’s organisational vision and its sustainability

How: Culture & Values:

- Review through engagement with our people the current Trust values to refresh / revise given the strategic environment & identify associated behaviours to ensure good people management, patient safety and quality

- Confirm with senior leaders the desired organisational ‘culture’ & communicate this & embody it within all our people activities, people management development and performance management processes

- Develop an auditing tool to assess the current cultural status & implementation plan to transition to our desired state

Staff Engagement: - Develop our leaders’ enabling, empowering, listening and communication skills

to help them in harnessing staff ideas & to empower them to make changes - A requirement of the performance review process for managers will be

evidence of having developed and secured staff engagement in service delivery & development

- Evidence of open and honest communication including the establishment of a local ‘Freedom to Speak Up’ champion to enhance the confidence of our people to raise any concerns they may have about patient safety without fear of reprisals.

- Active listening to the views and opinions of our people, giving them an active ‘voice’ on the development and operation of the organisation

Leadership Development - Develop leadership behaviours which are consistent with NHS Healthcare

Leadership Model - Develop and implement a ‘Leadership Framework’ to further develop effective

leadership within the Trust to support the organisation’s on-going sustainability,


- Development and implementation of a ‘people management’ competency framework to ensure managers have the right knowledge, skills, competencies, behaviours and values

- Further embed a clinically led organisation based on accountability, devolved responsibility and a commercial outlook driven by high quality care & value for money.

- Continued Board development of Executive & Non-Executive Directors

Talent Management & Succession Planning

- In partnership with the NE Leadership Academy develop and implement a talent management framework to attract, identify & retain talent, to ensure the organisation’s future transformational leaders capability and capacity is secured.

Appraisal & Performance Management - Ensure there is a shared responsibility between managers & staff to achieve

95% completion of agreed PDPs each year - Development & implementation of further guidance for appraisers to enhance

consistency of application - The continued achievement of medical & nursing revalidation, with robust &

validated frameworks in place

Service Improvement & Transformation

- Encourage staff to work together not just in their own departments or services but also across the organisation to identify ideas and solutions to problems. Engaging early with staff when planning changes so they can help come up with solutions

- Coaching and mentoring for staff will be offered supporting creativity, trial & testing of new ways of working including making best use of technologies.

- Removal of barriers / ‘red tape’ that restricts innovation and improvement of services for patients and staff

- Review organisational systems, processes, procedures and protocols so they are efficient, effective and enable staff to work innovatively and responsively to the changing environment

- Sharing of good practice & innovation through engagement and communication activities

- Develop the capability of managers (& aspiring managers) to o lead change effectively as we acknowledge this can be an anxious time

for our staff o work collaboratively, in partnership across organisational boundaries

and sectors to deliver service transformation o have the skills & knowledge to ‘horizon scan’ so that new challenges

and opportunities are planned for. - Drive efficiency and productivity through the improvement programmes

managed through the Programme Management Office (PMO) - Use of equality analysis to assist us in understanding our people, patients and

local communities to help inform service design / transformation.


Outcomes: Trust wide values & standards of behaviour are known by all our people developed and

implemented; 95% of our people consistently have an annual appraisal and have access to the training

opportunities they agree in their linked personal development plans, Staff engagement as evidenced through the national annual NHS Staff Survey to improve

beyond the current score of 3.82 when compared to trusts of a similar type remain stable & staff satisfaction scores evidenced through the NHS Staff Survey, Future ‘talent’ and supporting succession plans in place aligned to workforce needs Managers and leaders having completed enhanced people management competencies

development in line with agreed framework Increased % of leaders participating in leadership development programmes, both internally

& externally Return on investment (ROI) on leadership and talent management activities is monitored

and delivers value for money and is effective % of people trained in service improvement tools & techniques available & staff trained in

their use; feasibility study into the adopting a corporate ‘service improvement methodology’ % of people able to contribute towards improvements at work increased (currently 68% 2015

NHS Staff Survey) Achieve the new ‘Generation Six’ Investors in People standard at gold level

People Priority: Maintaining and enhancing a ‘learning culture’ which delivers excellent patient care through supporting individuals, teams & directorates to maximise their potential to progress their careers and develop their skills to support service delivery, improvement and transformation

How: Statutory & Mandatory Training: - Promote compliance amongst our people & include this within the

performance review process at all levels - Adopt user friendly delivery methods appropriate to the changing working

and technological environment to facilitate compliance - Pursue inter organisational transferability / passport to recognise previous

compliance and remove unnecessary duplication

Coaching & Mentoring: - Further develop the organisation’s ‘pool’ of coaches & mentors - Promote access to coaching & mentoring to support performance

improvement & learning - Share ‘best practice’ from other organisations

Learning & Development: - Annual education and training needs analysis to underpin funding priorities - Agreed and funded workforce development plans aligned to strategic

service plans & new skills development - Return on investment (ROI) is monitored annually to ensure value for

money and determine effectiveness


Clinical Education:

- Collaboration with the medical school, deanery, HEE NE, LET, universities to maintain & enhance post graduate, undergraduate and non-graduate training experiences to attract & retain clinical staff (for example medical, nursing, allied health professions, scientists) to deliver service needs

Outcomes:

90% of people are compliant with their mandatory training requirements Increased numbers of coaches & mentors trained and active across the organisation, Joint / Integrated Workforce Development infrastructure responsible for all professions, % of people who receive training, learning or development in the previous 12 months

believe it has helped them do their job more effectively has improved (current 80% - NHS Staff Survey 2015)

% of people believing that the organisation provides equal opportunities for career progression or promotion is improved (current score 90% - NHS Staff Survey 2015)

People Priority: To improve the health & wellbeing of all our people, where they can realise their potential, cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and contribute to improvement to enhance their experience at work and the organisation’s vision to be the best employer

How Health & Wellbeing

- Easy and timely access to Occupational Health services & counselling services, ensuring early interventions to support our people who are off sick or potentially going to be.

- Develop and offer a range of wellbeing initiatives to improve our people’s

working lives and their health & wellbeing.

- Ensure our people are trained to recognise the symptoms & signs of

mental health so individuals and teams can be supported

- Develop managers’ skills to raise awareness of achieving staff wellbeing

and to improve attendance rates

- Provide good working conditions and safe systems of work, including

taking breaks & providing rest areas, working with staff to understand the

environmental challenges & develop solutions for safe & effective working

in community settings

- Provide healthy food for NHS staff, visitors and patients (led by QE Facilities)

- Improving the uptake of flu vaccinations for front line clinical staff (75%)

- Review of Harassment and Bullying advisors & investigate the provision of a mediation service.

- Undertake regular stress risk assessment surveys, identify ‘hot spots’ for

action.


- Implementation of a ‘Mindfulness Programme’ for our people that are

currently on long term sick or for those who may go off on long term sick, providing strategies to cope with stress through meditation

- Introduce NHS Health Checks for staff aged 40 years and over

Outcomes:

Achieve the Trust’s sickness absence target of 3.4% Achieve the new ‘Generation Six’ Investors in People standard at gold level Retain the national occupational health quality standards accreditation The people who recommend the organisation as a place to work or receive treatment is

improved (current score 3.91 - NHS Staff Survey 2015); Achieve the Better Health at Work Award Staff motivation improves (current score 3.87 - NHS Staff Survey 2015) % of front line staff vaccinated annual against the flu is in accord with national target

(current target 75% - 2016/17) Achievement of national Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) scheme

standard focussed on the health and wellbeing of NHS staff.

People Priority: Ensure our people are rewarded and recognised for their performance and quality of service delivery underpinned by individuals being accountable and taking personal responsibility for their own & their team’s performance and development

How Reward & Recognition:

- Develop a reward & recognition framework recognising the boundaries of

national terms & conditions whilst acknowledging the flexibilities locally to

improve benefits for staff and differentiate us from other employers.

- Reward to be based on contribution and performance ensuring there are

clear objectives for every role against which performance can be regularly

reviewed

- Committed to ensuring staff feel valued and recognised, we will continue to

recognise the importance of ‘thank you’; annual awards events; long

service awards

- Peer to peer recognition, to provide managers with a range of options to

recognise individuals’ & teams performance

Outcomes:

The people who recommend the organisation as a place to work or receive treatment is improved (current score 3.91 - NHS Staff Survey 2015);

Staff motivation improves (current score 3.87 - NHS Staff Survey 2015) Annual staff awards recognise both individual & teams performance Reduction in the % turnover rate across all staff groups improving retention of our people Trust’s values and behaviours are lived by our people An increasing proportion of our people report that they believe the organisation and its


management are interested in and take action on health / wellbeing (current score 3.67 – NHS Staff Survey)

A reduction in % of our people reporting the felt they suffered work related stress in last 12 months (current 31% - NHS Staff Survey)

A reduction in % of our people reporting recent experience of harassment, bullying or abuse (current score 38% - NHS Staff Survey 2015)

People Priority: To develop a workforce that embraces equality and is diverse and inclusive.

How - Create a representative and supported workforce - Promote a culture of inclusion where employees have the

opportunity to work in a supportive and positive environment and find a healthy balance between working life and personal commitments.

- Develop a mediation service which encourages informal resolution and an approach to build positive work relationships.

- Promote flexible working options and guide managers on developing more flexibility into workforce planning.

- Develop the functionality to comply with equal pay reporting

- Implement the Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) to identify any imbalance or underrepresentation in our recruitment processes and develop appropriate solutions to promote equality of opportunity.

- Develop and foster inclusive leadership, where ‘Leaders’ within the

Trust are informed and knowledgeable about the impact of business decisions on a diverse workforce and the differing needs of the communities we serve.

- Improve the quality of patient and employee data to inform service design and help make meaningful business decisions.

- Promote opportunities of inclusive leadership in all management training and develop a culturally competent workforce by raising awareness of diversity and inclusion.

- Establish robust communication tools to encourage fair and inclusive employment practices.

- Develop culturally competent leaders through ensuring leadership interventions address this

- Staff work in an environment free from discrimination, with access

to opportunities to fulfil their potential & are trained to be confident

& competent to deliver care in a culturally competent manner

- Leaders & managers celebrate diversity and nurture an

environment free from discrimination

- Use the EDS to improve equality & diversity performance


Outcomes Compliance with the Equality Act & the Equality Delivery System (2) Meet all statutory requirements including the workforce Race Equality Standard Board level leadership of E&D Improved representation of diverse groups at all levels within the workforce A culture of inclusion where employees have the opportunity to work in a supportive and

positive environment and find a healthy balance between working life and personal commitments.

Trust ‘leaders’ are informed and knowledgeable about the impact of business decisions on a diverse workforce and the differing needs of the communities we serve.

% of people experiencing discrimination at work in last 12 months decreases (current rate 8% - NHS Staff Survey 2015)

% of people believing that the organisation provides equal opportunities for career progression or promotion is improved (current score 90% - NHS Staff Survey 2015)

9. Workforce Team contribution

The Workforce team have a critical role to play as a business partner. The team’s focus will

be on ensuring we have the required leadership and professional capacity and capability to

maximise our effectiveness and contribution.

There are rising expectations of the workforce team to offer a strategic rather than

transactional service, hence the focus will shift to contributing to strategy, enabling the

execution of business plans and delivering tangible benefits. The Workforce Team will work

closely with the business leaders and line managers of the business units & service lines,

influencing and steering strategy and strategy implementation.

There will be a journey to reach this that will require cultural change, mind-set shift and

increased capacity and capability of line managers, our leaders. This will require all first line

managers to become a people manager.

The Workforce team will ensure it supports the development of skilled, creative, motivated,

healthy and committed employees to drive the Trust’s vision forward. Engaging appropriately

with relevant national and local partners to ensure the unique and specific needs of the Trust

& its service are reflected and align to workforce discussions, activity and solutions

progressed in support of sustainability and transformation plans by Local Workforce Action

Boards (LWABs).

10. Communicating the People Strategy

The Strategy will be communicated through a variety of methods including QE Weekly,

workshops, screensavers, and social media (when developed). We will also use the key

themes as a framework for our staff survey results in order to align them and support their

understanding across the organisation.


11. Monitoring & Evaluation

HR Committee will oversee the implementation of the Strategy and will progress through its

minutes / report to the Trust Board.

Delivery will be through an annual workforce delivery plan developed alongside the annual

business planning cycle and corporate objective setting process which will encompass all

elements of the workforce team’s delivery areas, thereby avoiding multiple action plans and

confusion. The ‘Plan’ will include key performance measures and outcomes, with the 2015

staff survey results being mapped against our key themes so that we can understand the

starting point for each Directorate and for our corporate services teams and agree a tailored

plan to move forward.

The intention is not that this Strategy is ‘set in stone’ and will still be appropriate for the Trust

in 2021. Instead, the intention is to make ongoing updates to the Strategy to make sure it

remains as relevant in two or five years’ time, as it is to today. The process of updating the

Strategy will be annual review taking into account any major organisational or system wide

changes and by gathering the views of HRC members and conducting interviews and focus

groups with staff.

This flexible approach will result in the retention of a ‘core’ that remains recognisable, rather

than having a ‘static’ product which quickly becomes out of date. We intend the Strategy to

adapt and be regularly updated to provide the Trust with the most relevant workforce today

and in the future.

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