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HR Shared Services Options Appraisal
Option Five: Maintain the Status Quo
Introduction
This document sets out a summary of Option Five. It is designed to provide information to those appraising options so that they can evaluate the suitability of each option to deliver the services we need.
At a glance
Option five is to leave HR services in their current form, with a separate HR team supporting each NHS Board in Scotland.
Key features
• Each NHS Board will have its own HR Team delivering HR services internally with an HR Director responsible for the delivery of those services. • Where practical, or necessary, some larger NHS Boards may deliver specific HR services for other NHS Boards through local agreements.
• All the in scope services (Recruitment, Employee Services, Medical Staffing) will be delivered using different delivery models depending on the NHS Board.
• While national policies exist (PIN), some NHS Boards may choose to tailor these through partnership agreements, or may agree not to implement them for their NHS Board. This means policies are not consistent nationally.
• Staff across NHSScotland may receive varying levels of HR support depending on what services are available locally and how services have been tailored to meet local requirements.
• As similar processes are carried out in different ways across NHS Boards, there will potentially be duplication of work with processes being carried out in 22 different ways across Scotland.
• Staff Governance Standards exist which are common to all
• The other governance committee applicable to HR is the Remuneration Committee • Good practice can currently be shared between NHS Boards, however it is up to
Illustration
The HR service is be agreed at Board level meaning employees from different the way in which their queries will be dealt with will depend on the
managed on a national level to ensure a consistency of service across NHSScotland.
A recent baselining exercise showed a wide variety of delivery models across NHS Boards. number or email address, others contact their HR representative directly.
an online recruitment system. Generally speaking HR services available out of normal office hours.
Accessing the Service – the Customer Experience
Currently customers can access HR services in a number of ways such as face number of sites within each NHS Board area, it is very often not possible for HR staff accessed. Within an individual NHS Board there may be several
numbers, some have call logging systems to manage cases in a consistent manner. Larger
whereas in smaller NHS Boards, staff may contact the same member of HR staff for a range of HR quer
Staff Governance Standards exist which are common to all NHS Boards, with governance of these being through the Staff Governance Committee The other governance committee applicable to HR is the Remuneration Committee.
NHS Boards, however it is up to NHS Boards to decide how to deliver their servic
be agreed at Board level meaning employees from different NHS Boards may have different ways of contacting HR and the way in which their queries will be dealt with will depend on the NHS Board in which they are employed. HR Services are not currently managed on a national level to ensure a consistency of service across NHSScotland.
ery models across NHS Boards. Some staff have access to a central phone representative directly. Some staff have access to online portals of information and to Generally speaking HR services are delivered on a five day a week, 9am-5pm basis with some services
Currently customers can access HR services in a number of ways such as face-to-face, by telephone and online through an advisory portal. As a result of the geography and area, it is very often not possible for HR staff to be present at all sites. Access routes vary by
several phone numbers for staff to access different services. Some NHS
to manage cases in a consistent manner. Larger NHS Boards may have more specialist teams which can be contacted directly Boards, staff may contact the same member of HR staff for a range of HR queries.
hese being through the Staff Governance Committee.
Boards to decide how to deliver their services.
Boards may have different ways of contacting HR and employed. HR Services are not currently
Some staff have access to a central phone ome staff have access to online portals of information and to
some services
face, by telephone and online through an advisory portal. As a result of the geography and to be present at all sites. Access routes vary by NHS Board and by the service being
NHS Boards have implemented central phone Boards may have more specialist teams which can be contacted directly
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Account Managing the Service – In-house HR Experience
Currently NHS Board Chief Executives hold their respective HR Directors to account for the HR service which is provided to the NHS Board. The Staff Governance and
Remuneration Committees oversee HR activity. All NHS Boards are required to work in partnership with staff side colleagues, with an Employee Director on the Board and an Area Partnership Forum in place. There are also arrangements in place, where applicable to the workforce of the NHS Board, for local partnership working and negotiation with the British Medical Association.
Leading the Service – the Management Approach
The HR service is currently managed by individual NHS Boards. Currently NHS Boards have their own HR strategies and KPIs which set out their aims, objectives and operational targets. NHS Boards are held to account over these by their local management structures. Generally speaking HR staff are managed at NHS Board level and resources can be shared within NHS Boards but are unlikely to be shared between NHS Boards.
Smaller NHS Boards may find it difficult to recruit or justify recruiting to specialist posts and may have less resilience to sudden changes in capacity or demand on the HR service.
At present there is inconsistent reporting against a range of KPIs which makes comparisons in HR performance difficult between NHS Boards.
Policies and Processes
Currently NHS Boards have their own policies and processes. These quite often differ by NHS Board with potentially 22 interpretations or versions of each policy possible. This can be confusing for staff and could mean staff working across NHSScotland are subject to different policies and HR procedures.
HR Colleague Experience
There are increasing pressures being placed on HR staff working within the current model. Tight financial constraints and a focus on frontline services will mean HR services will be expected to do more with less in the future. Also with greater flexible working expected to support the 2020 Vision, HR will be expected to deliver services in a more flexible manner. HR colleagues will be required to continue to find more efficient ways of working locally in order to meet demand.
Staff working in HR within NHS Boards will have a range of experience and development opportunities which will depend on the size and structure of their NHS Board. For example, in smaller NHS Boards staff may work across a number of HR functions and gain experience in a wide range of functional areas. In larger NHS Boards it is likely that staff will operate within one specialist function and gain a greater understanding of that function, dealing in larger volumes and a more complex mix of cases.
Opportunities for promotion for staff will depend on the size of NHS Board. Due to a lack of standardised processes and procedures, HR staff may need to be retrained on local policies and processes if they move between NHS Boards.
Systems and Technology
Existing systems and technology are already in place to support this model and are bespoke to individual Boards. There is currently a roll out of a new national system (eESS) underway. Further developments could take place to role out good practice and increase the functionality of eESS.
Efficiency
The baselining exercise carried out early in 2013, identified a large variation in the cost of delivering HR services in NHSScotland. This reflected the wide range of delivery models provided by NHS Boards. When benchmarked against other devolved models of HR, NHSScotland appears to be similar to other devolved models but more expensive than most shared services.
It is anticipated that a shared service approach to HR would lead to a more efficient delivery of HR through standardised tools and processes.
Information Specific to Medical Staffing
NHS Education for Scotland (NES) currently delivers the following services on behalf of NHSScotland:
Scottish Medical Trainees
NES Medical Directorate is responsible for co-ordinating the recruitment of doctors to postgraduate medical training programmes across Scotland. This includes Foundation, Core, Speciality, General Practitioner, Sub-speciality, Locum Appointment for Training (LATs) and AMFTs. On behalf of the NHS territorial boards, NES Medical Directorate co-ordinate with organisations in Health Education England, Royal Colleges and NHS Wales and Northern Ireland to deliver UK recruitment. The recruitment and selection process for most specialties is now undertaken on a UK wide / national level.
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General Practice
As part of Scottish Medical Trainees (SMT) recruitment NES (through HR) recruits (including selection and assessment) under a national UK wide process circa 350-400 GP Speciality Training Registrars (GPStRs) annually. NES employs the GPStRs while undertaking their GP Practice training and we undertake pre-employment screening as part of this process.
Acute Common Care Stem – Emergency Medicine
In 2014 NES will also be running the ACCS-EM (Acute Common Care Stem - Emergency Medicine) selection centre. This is a national recruitment exercise which will raise the profile of Scotland within a UK recruitment system. NES will be running the centre in collaboration with the London deanery.
Dentistry
Recruitment to Vocational Training (VT) trainees1 is co-ordinated centrally by NES HR. NES recruits and assesses on behalf of NHSScotland circa 300 trainees annually which also includes Foundation and Dental Senior House Officer (SHO) training. We are now working with the Dental Directorate to assume responsibility for the recruitment of Speciality Registrars; approximately 10 posts being recruited to per year.
Pharmacy
Recruitment to the pre-registration pharmacist training scheme is managed and coordinated by NES HR. NES manages the recruitment of circa 170 training posts annually managing circa 350 annual applications.
Psychology
NES coordinates the recruitment and selection of approximately 70 training posts in partnership with universities and NHS Territorial Boards’ Management Training Scheme.
Management Training Scheme
NES HR manages the recruitment and selection of circa eight Management Trainees annually. While the number appointed is small the HR team managed over 1,000 applications in the last recruitment round.
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