This page signposts you to useful resources and information to help you lead and support staff through the changes. We will continue to develop this page as new information becomes available.
Staff engagement during change
Staff engagement is a key ingredient in helping the NHS meet the range of current challenges that it faces. However, maintaining staff engagement during times of change can be difficult. Our website contains a range of information, best practice examples and resources to help NHS organisations through structural or organisational change. These resources can all be found in our staff engagement during periods of change web pages and include:
Letters for staff affected by transition
On 31 January 2012, senior leaders across the health and care system sent letters to all staff affected by transition. Further information can be found on the Department of Health website. This is part of the ongoing commitment to ensure that staff have as much information as possible about how transition affects them as it progresses, subject to the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill. The letters outline, as far as possible:
- the expected location of the function that staff are currently carrying out in the future health and care system
- the timescale that the Department is currently working towards on the transfer of functions, again, subject to Parliamentary approval
- the options for staff to consider going forward.
Staff will be given further details about how transition affects their individual circumstances as these become known.
NHS Trust Development Authority
On 5 January 2012, the Department of Health published Building the NHS Trust Development Authority, which sets out the purpose and functions of the authority and how it will provide governance and support for trusts moving towards foundation status by April 2014.
Public Health Human Resources (HR) Concordat
On 17 November, the Department of Health published the Public Health HR Concordat which provides the principles and standards for managing the HR processes to support the transfer of PCT public health commissioning activity to Local authorities. It sets out the obligations of the NHS and local government employers and trade unions in managing the change.
The Concordat has been developed by the Department of Health with NHS Employers and the Local Government Association, and in partnership with NHS and local government trade unions. A separate set of Frequently Asked Questions are being developed and will be published shortly via both the DH and LGA websites.
NHS Future Forum
In April 2011, the Government announced it would use the break in the progress of the Bill to listen to concerns about the legislation. It set up the NHS Future Forum, which was chaired by Professor Steve Field and made up of frontline staff, clinicians, patient representatives, voluntary sector representatives and others from the health field.
The forum presented 16 overall recommendations to the Government on 13 June 2011, including: "Those NHS staff who are aware of the Government’s proposed changes to the education and training of the healthcare workforce feel much more time is needed to work through the detail."
The Department of Health announced in August that the NHS Future Forum will continue its listening role, focused on information, education and training, integrated care, and the public's health.
Government's response
The Government accepted the recommendations on 14 June and announced key changes to their plans for reforming the NHS, specifically:
- reaffirming that ministers are accountable overall
- wider involvement in clinical commissioning with GP consortia being called 'clinical commissioning groups'
- stronger accountability
- safeguards on competition
- support for integrated care
- a more phased transition.
Read more about the Government's response and Dean Royles' letter to the HR community.
The NHS Future Forum published its second report on education and training in the NHS on 10 January 2012. A summary of the recommendations, as well as our response, is available on our education and training web pages.
Dean Royles again wrote to HR directors in the NHS to summarise the report and highlight the key points for employers. Read Dean's letter.
HR transition framework
The Department of Health published its HR transition framework on 7 July 2011. The framework has been developed by the HR transition partnership forum, comprising representatives from the Department of Health (DH), trade unions and NHS organisations.
The document and a series of FAQs are available on both DH and Social Partnership Forum websites.
Developing the NHS Commissioning Board
On 28 July, the Department of Health published a People Transition Policy for the NHS Commissioning Board to guide the first round of appointments to the Board.
And read the initial thinking about how the NHS Commissioning Board should be designed, published on the Department of Health website on 8 July. Developing the NHS Commissioning Board describes to stakeholders, partners, pathfinders and staff who may potentially work for the board, its potential culture, style and leadership.
The NHS Commissioning Board started work in shadow form in October 2011, chaired by Professor Malcolm Grant and with Sir David Nicholson as its chief executive.
PCT and SHA clusters
Visit the Department of Health website for:
Transition plans and timetable
The Government confirmed a more phased transition to the new health and social care system on 14 June and Sir David Nicholson published a refreshed timetable on 20 June.
Visit our transition timetable web page for details and read Sir David Nicholson's letter of 20 June.
Command paper
Published on 15 December 2010, alongside the NHS Operating Framework 2011/12, the command paper reiterates the Government's commitment to the objectives set out in the July 2010 white paper and acknowledges the need for staff engagement to achieve them.
And the Government set out its plan for updating the draft legislation in its formal response to the NHS Future Forum on 20 June 2011. The Department of Health website has the details.
Assignment for transition guidance
This guidance was published on 31 March 2011 together with a letter to chief executives from Sir Neil McKay, senior responsible officer for HR transition, and an equality impact assessment. A set of questions and answers (Q&As) has also been published to supplement the guidance.
The Q&As, along with the guidance, the letter and equality impact assessment, are available on the Social Partnership Forum website.
Read the assignment for transition Q&As on the SPF website.
Retention and exit terms scheme - guidance published
This Department of Health guidance was published on 3 March 2011. It was developed in partnership with NHS Employers and NHS trade unions to help retain those staff fulfilling business critical roles to sustain business continuity in SHAs, PCTs, abolished ALBs and the Provider Development Authority during the transition. A series of Q&As have been developed to support employers and staff to better understand the guidance. Further details of the scheme can be found on the Social Partnership Forum website.
Department of Health guidance on PCT clustering
On 31 January 2011 the Department of Health (DH) published guidance on the implementation of PCT Clusters. It provided information on the creation of PCT clusters and outlined the process of consolidating management capacity. On the same day Sir David Nicholson wrote to NHS chief executives about the guidance and the rationale behind the clustering process.
For a copy of the guidance and Sir David’s letter see the DH website.
National frameworks
Work is also underway to develop a single set of HR principles and associated HR frameworks to support the proposed changes in the health white paper, reductions to management costs and the outcome of the arms-length review.
Mutually Agreed Resignation Scheme (MARS)
MAR schemes can support service redesign and create vacancies for staff who are being redeployed or are at risk. The national MARS for non-FTs, which ran until the end of January 2011 has closed.
NHS organisations wishing to run their own local MAR schemes should follow the principles set out in Section 20 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook, when developing their schemes.
Supporting staff
It is vital that, as good employers, NHS organisations continue to support staff through the transition, particularly those whose jobs are at risk.
The Jobcentre Plus Rapid Response Service can help employers in this role with comprehensive support packages and advice for staff, including re-training, work trials, identifying transferable skills and job searches.
The Department of Health's NHS HR Steering Group, which was set up to support the changes, produced a guide for employers on support services for staff. This covers areas to consider when sourcing outplacement services, with an early framework developed by NHS Yorkshire and Humber to help their organisations to support staff.
Engaging staff
Keeping staff on board is key to successfully delivering the transition. Our staff engagement web pages have the latest thinking on engaging staff in tough times including how North Dorset Council maintained high staff morale while making significant workforce reductions. Looking to the future, our briefing Talent for tough times scopes how employers can keep and develop the right skills to meet the challenges ahead.
NHS staff passport
This web-based toolkit, developed by the Social Partnership Forum, outlines the employment standards for staff transferring in or outside the NHS. Work is now underway to develop the passport in line with current changes, for example staff moving to GP consortia.
NHS redundancy arrangements
Where there is system-wide change, for example in SHAs and PCTs, it is likely that there will be some redundancies. Our redundancy web pages summarise the current NHS redundancy arrangements, with additional guidance for employers on supporting staff.
Our FAQs about the transitional arrangements explain more about what the transition will mean for NHS organisations.
Your views
If you have any examples of the work you are doing to lead and support staff through the transition, that you would like to share with other trusts, please email whitepaper@nhsemployers.org