Need to know
For #TeamEEAST Last updated: 04 May 2024 at 14:18
The next episode of our Fit for the Future podcast is now available.
Each episode, we talk to a workstream lead from the Fit for the Future improvement plan to demonstrate what achievements have taken place and how this will help to develop our Trust for the future.
This episode, Julie Hollings, Director of Communications and Engagement, and Sean Bennett, Accessibility Officer and podcast facilitator, chat with Marika Stephenson, Director of People Services.
This episode discusses the Workforce workstream and the impact this has for our staff and our patients.
Please listen to the podcast below. We hope you enjoy.
Transcript Details
00.00
Marika Stephenson
Hi, I'm Marika Stephenson, the director of people services and joined the trust in December 2021. I'm here today recording a podcast on the fit for future work stream of workforce with Sean Bennett.
00:18
Sean Bennett
Thank you very much for that. So, to sort of kick things off, can you tell me a bit about what your workstream in particular is trying to achieve in the fit for futures project?
00:30
Marika Stephenson
Absolutely. So, the workstream is workforce as I've already mentioned. So we've got five key objectives or high level objectives within there. So firstly, to look at the people vision and strategy for the trust, so really working in line with the NHS people plan and people vision which takes us through to 2030. So, some really clear goals within there. And so that's objective number 1.
Number 2 is really around fixing the basics within our people services and delivery. So, I would say that includes things like our structure and how we're set up to deliver services to the trust and how many people we have within that, strengthening our capability to partner with the business and the operational teams specifically to support them with a lot of the people activities.
I think we have a number of processes and ways of working that we can make slicker, so we'll be looking at those types of things as well. So fundamentally getting the basics correct and in good place to give us a good foundation.
The 4th objective we have is around digitalization. So, we still have a lot of paper processes that we use, as I'm sure you're all aware. So we really need to focus on how we can use the technology we have in place, to use that to its full potential and to try and reduce the amount of paperwork that we, as a directorate, create, to create those efficiencies for both for the team, but also obviously all of our employees.
The next objective we have is around great employee experience and I think you know that comes after fixing the basics and some digitalization, you know really focusing on employee engagement and listening to our employees feedback through our employees surveys and what we can do to make or help our employees to be the happiest and productive they can be whilst they’re at work, which is obviously very, very important.
And the final one is just around HR governance, so making sure that we're doing all of the regulatory and mandatory things that we need to do and that we've got really good processes and setups in place for all of those activities.
03.47
Sean Bennett
That's excellent. So, it's nice to hear that there's a lot of positive, people-centric focuses in the workstream. To sort of delve a bit further into that it, what kind of differences do you see this specifically making to trust staff and colleagues and the people around us?
04.06
Marika Stephenson
So I think, touching on the digitalization piece, I hear that a lot that people are frustrated by the amount of time and the complexity of some of the ways of working. So I think that will make a significant difference to our line leaders and frontline leaders especially where they have volumes of tasks and activities that they need to do. I think also having the partnering model will support our frontline leaders as well and to coach and support them through the people activities that they have as but as part of their KPIs. So I think people will see and feel that difference as we as we start to move through.
I guess one of the things I didn't touch on in the first bit when talking about the objectives is this is a one to five year plan, I would say, this isn't going to happen quickly and easily as much as I would love that. It's going to take us time and we need to get the foundations right and then build on it over the coming years. But I'm confident we can make a big difference and our direction in what we're focusing on really is coming from the feedback I've had from our colleagues within the trust and the employee survey. So, I'm pretty confident we're on the right road.
05.45
Sean Bennett
Obviously this work stream is focused very much on staff and the kind of experience within the trust. But we are always patient focused in everything we do to one extent or another. So how will this work stream… what difference will it make for patients even though it is focused on our own people? How do you think it will impact the care that we're able to give as a trust?
00:06:13
Marika Stephenson
I think where we can impact the engagement and performance of our colleagues has a massive impact on their ability to provide excellent patient care. And I think it's well documented that the higher the employee engagement, the impact on patient care is evident.
I think having more time as well to focus on their patients by some of the transformation work we’ll do, I think will also create some capacity as well.
00:07:00
Sean Bennett
Excellent. So you said that this is a long term plan which I'm sure everybody understands. But in both the short term and the long term, what are the next steps that you're taking now? So what are you doing now? What will you be doing sort of in the near future? And then the long term changes that you see coming on the horizon?
00:07:22
Marika Stephenson
Yeah. So the key things we're working on at the moment is the People Directorate itself. So ensuring we have the right people and structure in place to support the trust. So we've got some ongoing recruitment programs to get ourselves in really good shape and to do that. So both with setting up an ER team and separately to focus on some of the big volumes that we have in that area and provide that dedicated support and then the business partnering piece to support our leaders and also in that resourcing and transactional space as well.
So they’re the key things at the moment, along with the scheduling of activities to the people plan and people strategy. So looking at what we think we can cover in the 1st year and 2nd year and 3rd year. The other key area that we're kicking off, we've had Martin Short join us as the wellbeing lead in the last couple of weeks, So he is busy looking at the strategy that we have in place and defining how that will look this year and the years coming up. So I feel there's some really beneficial work that will come in that space as well.
Digitalization, I'm keen to get going on that, but obviously it takes time to scope that piece of work out and to get the right team around that. So I think that's going to come up a little later. And also I think opportunities for leadership development and learning within the trust will also follow.
09.30
Sean Bennett
OK, well, that was all very interesting and all sounds very positive. I'm sure people will be very happy to hear about this particular work stream and the positive changes that are coming up both in the short and long term. So thank you very much for taking the time to speak to us and hopefully we will speak to you again soon as things progress.
09.52
Marika Stephenson
Great. Thanks very much, Sean.
Published 26th April 2022