Staff who are fit and well to care NHS staff survey 2013
Improving access to IT
Every year the Trust participates in the NHS National Staff Survey. The 2013 survey was distributed to a sample of 850 Trust staff in late September / early October. The administration of the survey, which is overseen by the Care Quality Commission, complies with strict national standards of data protection and confidentiality, so staff can feel confident to share their views in the knowledge that they are doing so anonymously.
As a way of enhancing communications with staff who work in all parts of the Trust, we are working with our Staff Side colleagues on a pilot to improve access to IT and the Trust’s intranet – our internal web based information system.
We encourage all members of staff who receive a survey to share their feedback about working in the Trust, so that we can continue to develop as a good employer. The results from the 2012 survey were used to identify areas where the Trust was performing well and can strengthen; and also those areas where we need to develop and improve. The action plan for 2012 focussed on equality and diversity training, health and safety training, near misses and incidents and staff motivation. As soon as the results of the 2013 survey are received we will work with staff to review what the results are telling us and to identify those areas of improvement to focus on.
Staff bank success The Trust operates a staff bank – people who work for us as and when we need additional support to cover perhaps a particular project or temporarily to cover another member of staff’s absence. This works for both the Trust and those people registered with our bank – it helps the Trust manage staff resource costs effectively and helps people who want to work as and when it fits in with their other priorities. The Trust’s staff bank service has been celebrating after reaching the finals of the Health Service Journals Efficiency Awards. The service entered the workforce efficiency category after expanding the staff bank service, enabling it to review staffing needs, reduce risk, improve quality and cut temporary staffing costs. After being shortlisted, the team was invited to London to make a presentation to a panel of judges. The service were named runner-up and received positive comments about their entry from the judges.
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An exemplary bank service with consistent standards equality – impressive in a post-Francis era.
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The initial pilot, which will focus on Barnsley based catering and domestics teams, will include staff training, provision of log in details and importantly, ring fenced time for regular access to IT facilities. The pilot will also see the installation of PC terminals in suitable accessible areas and there will be monitoring of future intranet usage among this staff group. Results of the pilot will be shared in due course along with plans for roll out to other areas.
Training accredited Learning Disability Nurses and Trust trainers in managing aggression and violence have designed training which has recently been accredited by the British Institute of Learning Disabilities. The training - Caring Approaches to Aroused Situations in Learning Disabilities – is for community staff training and accreditation will help in our offer to other organisations who want to commission training from us in the future. The service is not resting on its laurels, and is already looking at initiatives that will help us improve on training in the future.
Fighting the flu The Trust is keen to share the message about seasonal flu by promoting the flu vaccine. We encourage you to have the vaccine and in turn encourage your family and friends to do the same. We are giving all our staff the opportunity to get their flu jabs at a series of drop in clinics at venues across our Trust. Trust staff provide vital services to our local communities. It is essential we ask staff to get themselves vaccinated against flu - to not only protect themselves and their families but also to protect the people we work with.
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