Investing in flexible workers

 

We are stepping forward to understand flexible workers’ needs and help them to build a long term, innovative career path in the NHS.

 

We believe that our Bank Members deserve access to the best training and career development, alongside their substantive colleagues. Whether they are new to the NHS or already established within health or social care, we believe flexible workers should always be offered new opportunities to work shifts where they can learn new skills and develop their career.

 

Last week, we took that message to a virtual workforce seminar, organised by the Health Service Journal (HSJ: Workforce Virtual Forum 2021 Programme | HSJ Workforce Virtual Forum).

 

During the session, our CEO, Nicola McQueen, and Chief Nurse, Juliette Cosgrove, outlined our commitment to continually investing in our flexible workforce, ensuring that they are ready to provide the highest standards of patient care.  

 

Nicola said:

“Our Bank Members have told us that they want to be trained and developed to deliver care across the NHS alongside their substantive colleagues. This equitable support is critical to ensure that the NHS has access to the right people, in the right roles where their specific skills are best utilised. 

 

“This is a people-centred approach; it benefits the flexible worker and the Trust, as well as contributing to the continuity of patient care.”

 

Juliette added:

“We also need to understand the competencies that our flexible workers have and grow and champion them where appropriate. As NHSP’s Chief Nurse, I am passionate about the need to provide more personalised opportunities that address the varying needs of all our members. 

 

“For example, the recent introduction of our COVID Safe Seminars, and developing specialist flexible worker roles that help our members learn new skills and grow professionally, have been incredibly well received and we’ll be doing more in this area.”

 

Delegates also had an opportunity to hear from Helen Ives, Executive Director of Workforce for Hampshireand Isle of Wight Integrated Care System (ICS).  NHSP is working closely with the ICS on a number of strategic recruitment initiatives.

 

Helen said:

“In the past month, the NHS has provided a design framework for Integrated Care Systems. The framework highlighted the importance of ‘one workforce’, by aligning partners across each ICS and through closer collaboration across the health and care sector, and with local government, the voluntary and community sector.

 

“There is no point for us as an ICS to try and build our own staffing structure when there are already partners in the market, such as NHS Professionals, who we can work with. Our role in the ICS is to create great strategic partnerships that deliver services that the NHS needs. Together, we must create new partnerships and new roles, that work for us locally.”

 

To find out more about the benefits of becoming an NHS Professionals Bank Member, please visit our ‘Joining NHSP’ pages.