NHS Employers Research Articles

Staff performance.

To support senior nurses and other health service leaders who face the challenge of performance management as part of their role, NHS Employers, in partnership with the National Skills Academy for Social Care, has launched a new toolkit.

Scottish government will not impose contract changes on junior doctors

The Scottish government has said that it will not impose a new contract on junior doctors in Scotland. Scotland’s health secretary, Shona Robison, said that the government would instead maintain the current “new deal” contract for junior doctors. The news came after the UK BMA’s Junior Doctors Committee announced that it would not re-enter negotiations with NHS Employers over a new contract for trainees.1 In a report published on 16 July the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) made recommendations …

International recruitment

NHS Employers has launched a range of updated guides on international recruitment in response to the new UK immigration rules that came into effect in April.

NHS must try outside ideas to boost staff engagement, NHS Employers says

NHS organisations should explore ideas from other sectors to improve staff engagement, the organisation NHS Employers has said. A briefing paper by NHS Employers highlights examples from local authorities, social enterprises, and private sector businesses in manufacturing, retail, and finance.1 It says that the NHS has a “proud” record on staff engagement and that it was difficult to make direct exact comparisons with other sectors. Available indicators showed …

People performance

Performance management is the subject of a new toolkit from NHS Employers aimed at health service managers. It provides practical support, aims to increase managers’ knowledge about what good people management is, and give them confidence to deal with important performance-management challenges, such as how to manage underperforming staff, review performance and give constructive feedback.

P137 Tackling HIV related stigma and discrimination within NHSGGC services

<h3>Background/introduction</h3> Individuals with HIV report experiencing stigma and discrimination. Outcome 5 of the Scottish Government Sexual Health and BBV Strategy (2011–15) aims to address this issue. Locally a system was established to record and collate events on a ‘third party’ basis, which revealed that most incidents occurred within NHS services. <h3>Aim(s)/objectives</h3> In collaboration with the HIV Patient Forum, we examined HIV stigma among NHSGGC staff by: Assessing knowledge of HIV Measuring HIV attitudes and beliefs Capturing staff experiences of HIV stigma Based on the findings, we are developing an appropriate staff CPD programme. <h3>Methods</h3> Between 8–23 July 2013, an anonymous self-complete questionnaire was sent to all 38,000 NHSGGC employees. This was circulated by email from the Director of Public Health with reminders issued via internal staff bulletins. <h3>Results</h3> A 10% completion rate was achieved (n = 3,971 responses). Staff had variable knowledge of HIV which was much poorer in relation to treatment advances and routes of transmission. held mixed attitudes with less favourable attitudes correlated to poor knowledge reported practice which could be perceived as discriminating against patients expressed a strong desire for greater knowledge and access to training <h3>Discussion/conclusion</h3> This survey from the largest UK NHS employer provides evidence that poor knowledge and attitudes are based on outdated information and assumptions which in turn leads to poor patient experiences. This has provided a platform to develop pro-active anti-stigma approaches ranging from a staff-facing campaign, refreshed HIV training and development of a patient empowerment toolkit.

NHS Employers selects 25 organisations to promote equality and diversity

NHS Employers has chosen 25 organisations to develop and promote equality in the NHS workplace in 2015-16. The 25 were selected from 42 that had applied to be members of a partnership scheme. NHS Employers said that membership would help these organisations “network with each other and the wider NHS, expanding on the success of previous years’ partners in influencing policy and improving performance.” The 25 organisations will …

Dealing with concerns

‘Draw the line’ is an online toolkit that suggests topics managers should consider when dealing with concerns raised by staff, and shows different approaches undertaken by various NHS organisations. Developed by NHS Employers, the resources help address issues highlighted by managers about how to raise and escalate concerns. They also offer practical guidance on managing concerns and improving engagement with board members and senior teams on these issues. The toolkit can be found at tinyurl.com/n78cayh

Unions put the financial pressures facing nurses in the spotlight.

NHS employers should contribute to the Nursing and Midwifery Council registration fee as nurses continue to feel the pinch, the union Unite plans to tell the NHS Pay Review Body.

Seven day services could leave emergency departments understaffed, doctors warn

Consultants have warned that introducing seven day services could lead to the understaffing of emergency departments and acute services. Delegates at the BMA’s annual UK consultants’ conference in London on Wednesday 4 March voted unanimously in favour of a motion which opposed proposals by NHS Employers for doctors to provide elective services at nights and weekends. The motion said that the proposals would “exacerbate the difficulty in recruitment to acute specialties, result in worse services for patients, and incentivise emigration [of doctors].” It said that the plans would also “necessitate increased use of agency staff and …

NHS Do OD app

DO OD was created by NHS Employers, in partnership with the NHS Leadership Academy, to support organisational and system-wide change in the NHS.

BMA says it is willing to continue consultant contract negotiations

The BMA has said that it would be willing to resume negotiations with the government on the contract for consultants. Negotiations on the contract for consultants in England and Northern Ireland were referred to the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) in October 2014 after talks between the BMA and NHS Employers stalled.1 Speaking to BMJ Careers, Paul Flynn, chairman of the BMA’s Consultants Committee, said that the BMA was willing to continue negotiations …

NHS Employers in favour of retaining unsocial hours pay, but wants to reduce rates and hours

More than 80 per cent of NHS employers believe staff should receive extra pay for working unsocial hours.

NHS Employers calls for an end to incremental pay increases for consultants and junior doctors

NHS Employers wants to bring an end to incremental pay increases for consultants and junior doctors. The organisation set out this proposal in its submission of evidence to the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration.1 Negotiations on contracts for consultants in England and Northern Ireland and for junior doctors across the United Kingdom were referred to the review body in October 2014 after talks between the BMA and NHS Employers stalled.2 Under the current contract, consultants’ pay increases incrementally …

Reducing injuries from health care sharps

British Journal of MidwiferyVol. 23, No. 1 LegalReducing injuries from health care sharpsRichard GriffithRichard GriffithSearch for more papers by this authorRichard GriffithPublished Online:29 Dec 2014https://doi.org/10.12968/bjom.2015.23.1.68AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail View article References Council Directive 2010/32/EU of 10 May 2010 implementing the Framework Agreement on prevention from sharp injuries in the hospital and healthcare sector concluded by HOSPEEM and EPSU [2010] Google ScholarHealth and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/645) Google ScholarHealth and Safety Executive (2013) HSE Health Service Information sheet 7 Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013, Guidance for employers and employees London HSE. www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hsis7.pdf (accessed 8 December 2014) Google ScholarNHS European Office (2013) Briefing: Protecting healthcare workers from sharps injuries London NHS Employers. www.nhsemployers.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/Protecting_healthcare_workers_from_sharps_injuries_KL_20130507.pdf (accessed 8 December 2014) Google Scholar FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails 2 January 2015Volume 23Issue 1ISSN (print): 0969-4900ISSN (online): 2052-4307 Metrics History Published online 29 December 2014 Published in print 2 January 2015 Information© MA Healthcare LimitedPDF download

Working longer.

New NHS pension scheme rules come into force in April, and one of the changes is a higher retirement age. To help staff plan for this, NHS Employers' Working Longer Group will publish a suite a resources to help employees understand and prepare for the implications of working into their late sixties. In the meantime, a factsheet with information for staff can be found at tinyurl.com/mjb4u5f and for employers at http://www.nhsemployers.org/your-workforce/need-to-know/working-longer-group.

Consultant and junior doctor contracts to be reviewed by DDRB after talks stalled

The government has asked the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) to consider the consultant and junior doctor contracts after the breakdown of negotiations with the BMA. Dan Poulter, undersecretary of state for health services, wrote to the DDRB last Thursday to ask it to look at the consultant contract and make recommendations for a new junior doctor contract.1 Last month the BMA announced that negotiations on consultants and junior doctors contracts between itself and NHS Employers, the organisation that represents the government in negotiations, had stalled.2 Poulter has now asked the DDRB to comment on …

The threat of imposition

Politicians’ continual demands for doctors to do more, faster, and for less were unlikely to pave the way for easy negotiations over changes to doctors’ pay and conditions. In fact, the BMA has acknowledged that it knew from the start that discussions over changes to the contracts for consultants and junior doctors were likely to be “challenging.” NHS Employers, which …

Sickness absence

NHS Employers has launched a free online tool to improve the management of staff sick leave in the NHS. The tool is designed to help managers adopt a confident and consistent approach, and provides step-by-step information about what to do when staff call in sick, practical advice on some of the common reasons for sickness absence, and information on what to do if staff are off sick frequently or are on long-term sick leave. It also has information about managing return to work and how to prevent sickness absence. Visit the microsite at www.nhsemployers.org/sickness.

BMA’s withdrawal from negotiations was “complete surprise,” says NHS Employers

The BMA’s decision to cease negotiating on changes to contracts for consultants and junior doctors came as a “complete surprise,” NHS Employers has said. Last week the BMA announced that negotiations between itself and NHS Employers, which represents the government in contract negotiations, had stalled.1 The BMA said that negotiations had come to a standstill because the government had refused to agree necessary safeguards to protect doctors from working excessively long hours. In a statement NHS Employers said that the BMA informed it of the decision to “cease negotiating” on both the consultant and junior doctors’ contracts through social media.2 It said that the BMA’s decision to withdraw from negotiations had come “as a complete surprise” and that it had agreed with the association to discuss safeguards on working hours in the consultants’ contract …