A meeting of the HSE People and Culture Committee was held on Friday 10th June 2022, 9am via video conference facilities.
From: HSE Board
Published: June 2022
Updated: December 2024
Dr Yvonne Traynor (Chairperson), Mr Aogan Ó Fearghail, Mr Brendan Whelan, Ms Bernie O’Reilly, Dr Sarah McLoughlin, Ms Deirdre Cullivan.
Ms Anne Marie Hoey (ND Human Resources); Ms Teresa Heller (AND National HR); Ms Eithne Fox, (AND National HR); Ms Niamh Drew; Ms Breda Moore.
Joined the meeting: Ms Emma Finn, (Head of Internal Communications);
Mr Mark Brennock, (ND Communications)
The Chair welcomed all and commenced the meeting. The minutes of the People and Culture Committee meeting from the 8th April 2022 were approved.
No declarations of interest were declared.
The Chair proposed that an in person meeting would be held in October.
The Head of Internal Communications presented to the Committee with an update on a member of key projects in particular the ongoing developments of the staff website which continues to be updated and redesigned. She noted that the website has been migrated to a new content management system and that content is framed in a simple way for ease of use and accessibility. A new system of communicating to staff via newsletter, which covers a number of topics, has been introduced with positive feedback from staff to the changes. The Committee congratulated the Internal Communications Team on the recent nomination for the PRII Excellence Award for Best Internal Communications.
The Committee discussed the challenges that will be posed with regards to the development and implementation of the Regional Health Authorities noting that a major piece of work will be required The Head of Communications advised that a communications plan is at an early stage of development in this regard noting that this needs to be very focused. The Committee also discussed how employees within Section 38 and 39 area access staff communications.
ND HR gave the Committee a high-level update, on a number of topics and update on actions from the previous meeting by means of the Bi-Monthly Report including;
The ND HR briefed the Committee on the HSE’s Blended Working Policy which is currently being developed in line with the Civil Service Blended Policy Framework published on 31st March 2022. The HSE Blended Working Policy will reflect the five key principles of: - Supporting the business needs of the organisation; Leadership and Management; Be an Employer of Choice; Transparency and Consistency; Health and Safety. However, the HSE policy will reflect the fact that many of the HSE roles are, by necessity, performed on HSE sites, at a service user’s residence or in community settings. The ND HR outlined the approach to development of policies.
The Committee queried how productivity is to be monitored under a Blended Working arrangement. The ND HR advised that staff working at home have the same productivity obligations as when they are in the workplace. Likewise line managers have the same responsibilities to manage staff and take appropriate action when/if issues arise.
The ND HR updated the Committee on the new Recruitment Reform & Resourcing Programme. As part of the Recruitment Reform and Resourcing Programme the new Recruitment Operating Model will introduce a standardised approach to recruitment. This will ensure clarity of responsibilities and consistency for both hiring managers and candidates. Each grade across the HSE have been reviewed and responsibility for its recruitment assigned to either Local Recruitment Teams or the National Recruitment Service. Recruitment capacity has also been improved.
The ND HR informed the Committee that an action plan has been devised to provide support to NCHDs. The plan aims to address area of concern in relation to working hours and on-site facilities. Investment funding has been provided to Hospital Groups to support on site development of training plus improvement of infrastructure such as lockers, on call rooms ets. There has also been recent engagement with the IMO. A Clinical Educator pilot in South/South West Hospital Group and the Children’s Hospital Group will commence in July. This will support professional clinical postgraduate education and training for all hospital doctors.
The ND HR informed the Committee that the tender process in relation to improving Accountability has closed.
The ND HR provided an update on the 2022 Health Service Excellence Awards. The selection panels have met with all 44 finalists and commented on the high quality of the entries this year. The finalists represent projects under the following categories: - Improving Patient Experience; Innovation in Service Delivery; Excellence in Patient and Quality Care; and in engaging a Digital Solution to provide a better Service. The Awards Ceremony is scheduled for the 15th September 2022 in Farmleigh.
The ND HR advised that data from the Staff Survey 2021 has been provided to Senior Managers in Community Healthcare Organisations, Hospital Groups and National Corporate Services. This enables each service to analyse the survey results for their own service. Actions are being directed to responding to staff feedback. Staff retention has been identified as a particular focus and specific actions identified to aid staff retention, e.g. Staff recognition awards, Improving local induction programmes; Improving communication at all levels across services; Expanding the availability of Coaching for staff; Improving staff Health and Wellbeing – e.g. EAP programme, H&WB local committees, wellness seminars; Dignity at Work Training is now designated as mandatory training; Diversity, Equality and Inclusion initiatives e.g. multicultural days. Updates on the progress of the actions taken by CHOs and HGs are now being recorded on a quarterly basis and will form part of the ND’s Report to the Committee going forward.
The ND HR updated the Committee on a pilot Training Needs Assessment system being run at selected sites by the National Health and Safety Function. This was as a result of discussion at the last P & C Committee meeting. This automated system will be managed by line managers to record the statutory and mandatory training needs of staff, the line manager will update when the identified trainings are completed.
The ND HR advised the Committee that applications for the three Health Service Leadership Academy programmes recently opened, these are the MSc in Leadership in Healthcare; the Professional Diploma in Management; and the Professional Diploma in Strategic Transformational Leadership in Healthcare. In additional HSeLanD continues to be a great resource to staff.
The ND HR updated the Committee on challenges relating to workforce planning. There has been an increase in staff turnover this year. This is not unexpected as opportunities for travel are now available again. There are a number of recruitment strategies, national and international, in place. However, recruitment is a challenge with other jurisdictions actively targeting nursing and medical graduates. The Committee asked if recruitment times could be shortened. ND HR advised that screening processes have improved and digitisation will further improve the situation. On average it is 13 weeks from advertisement of a post to completion of the process. This represents a significant improvement on previous years. However, it was acknowledged that work has been undertaken and will continue to improve the recruitment time for Consultant posts.
Further to a request from the previous P & C Committee meeting the ND HR provided comparative data from the UK on the ratio of management/admin staff to clinical staff in the HSE. The data confirmed that the 16.4% ratio of management/clinical staff was lowest in the HSE; Scotland was 18.5%, Wales 22.5%, Northern Ireland was 19%. The Committee requested further analysis of how social care is adjusted in the UK figures which may impact on the ratio.
The ND HR briefed the Committee on the impact of the reversal of Haddington Road hours which is due to come into effect on the 1st July. A steering group with working groups and implementation teams has been established. The change to working hours represents a reduction of 3,800 WTEs. This reduction will have an impact on the Service Plan in the context of recruitment of development posts. The HRA reversal will require changes to rosters for numerous grades. Part time workers are being encouraged to maintain their hours.
The ND HR advised the Committee that the HSE Dignity at Work policy is currently being reviewed and the revised policy is scheduled for implementation in July.
The ND HR briefed the Committee that negotiations between the DoH and HSE; and the IHCA; IMO, on a new Consultant Contract, are due to enter an intensive phase. In addition, negotiations in relation to a new Public Service Agreement are entering formal stage.
The ND HR confirmed to the Committee that payment of the Covid-19 Pandemic Payment is currently progressing.
The ND HR advised that implementation of NiSRP in the South is due to go live in March 2023 and the moment that date is achievable. Rollout in the 3 integrated sites in the North West, Midland and MidWest is progressing well.
There was discussion on the Workforce and Recruitment Risk rating. There is a risk to effectiveness of current and new health services due to difficulties retaining and recruiting staff and the impact of the reversal of HRA hours. The ND HR outlined the controls and additional actions in place to mitigate the risk.
Eithne Fox, AND HR joined the meeting at 11.45.
The AND HR shared a presentation on the Recruitment Reform and Resourcing Programme noting that challenges that the HSE is facing with regards to recruitment. The recruitment reform and resourcing programmes vision is to empower services to attract, develop, retain and engage the workforce that will deliver safer, better health and social care services. The programme will take a holistic view of workforce demands and supply and use relevant data, research and insights to analyse current and future workforce challenges and create a strategic resourcing plan per profession, with short, medium- and long-term actions.
The Programme represent a significant transformation journey and the transitioning to a new recruitment model has commenced. The terms of reference are currently being drafted with a first draft of the program due by year end. The ND HR confirmed that she will keep the Committee updated on progress via her bimonthly report.
The Committee welcomed the presentation and the direction of travel proposed. An in-depth discussion was held with the Committee noting the volume and challenges of delivering this programme. The Committee also discussed horizon scanning and using data from the WHO to forecast potential changes in trends. The AND HR confirmed that it will take a number of years for the project to be completed and highlighted the importance of keeping the steering group effective.
Meeting concluded at 12.25pm.
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