The NHS & Good Corporate Citizenship.
Partnerships for Employment. The NHS Working with Voluntary Organisations.
A practical guide for NHS organisations to offer employment opportunities for socially excluded groups, with particular reference to people who are recovering from mental ill-health.
E. Hodgson Version 3
Northwest Regional Development Agency
Introduction.
The NHS is one of Europe’s largest employers, providing employment opportunities for a wide range of professional and skilled groups, as well as training opportunities for the unskilled. In some communities a large trust may well dominate the local labour market. In the North West alone the NHS employs 192,000 full time equivalent people and spends £2 billion on goods and services. There are many statistics regarding mental ill-health. Two salient ones are: • •
One in four people will experience some kind of mental health problem in the course of a year (1). Only 13% of people with diagnosed mental health problems are in employment, compared with 33% of all people with long-term health problems (2).
NHS organisations are well placed to set an example to other employers in positively discriminating in favour of persons living with a disability. This is allowed within the terms of the Disability Discrimination Act. With some few exceptions, such as the Guys and St Thomas’ Trust in London, NHS trusts have not sought proactively to assist such groups in any systematic and sustainable way. The Government’s policy, as epitomised in the establishment of locally accountable Foundation Hospitals, is for health organisations to recognise more fully their corporate citizenship responsibilities and the fact that they are embedded within their local communities. Strategic Health Authorities are keen to see their constituent health organisations demonstrate progress in this area, and the Local Authorities will wish to see similar evidence within Local Strategic Partnerships and at Scrutiny Panel meetings. It is recognised that trusts have a crowded agenda and that many demands are made upon time and resources. The procedure outlined in this document seeks to ensure best use of resources, and make available additional resources through partnership arrangements.
Eric Hodgson
Northwest Development Agency
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Summary.
Most Human Resource Departments follow the standard discipline of ensuring that a Person Specification (PS) is produced whenever a vacancy arises. Typically the PS will cite any qualifications, skills, experience and personal qualities the post-holder must have. The PS is used as an objective tool with which to assess applicants for the post. In the larger trusts several hundred vacancies arise within the year. NHS organisations, whilst safeguarding the safety and security of its core services, have the ability to present opportunities for employment to socially excluded groups. What they do not have is the time and resources such people may need in terms of personalised support to make their return successful. Many of the larger Voluntary Organisations (VOs) providing services for those experiencing or have experienced mental ill-health have very well developed infrastructures, policies, procedures and codes of practice. They have a skilled and dedicated workforce, many of whom trained and worked within the NHS. They also have several clients, whose recovery would be enhanced, and their self-esteem restored, if they had paid and worthwhile employment. Such VOs have expert staff who have profiled the qualifications, skills and personal attributes of their clients. VOs are able to provide individualised and robust support packages for appropriate clients to support them return to the world of work. What the VOs do not have is access to a range of job opportunities that may suit their clients. Trusts can demonstrate in a sustainable way their good citizenship by entering into partnership arrangements to make available employment opportunities for socially excluded groups within the local community. VOs can introduce prospective employees and guarantee support to them if appointed. It should be understood that it is not proposed that certain jobs within the trust are designated as suitable for such clients. Clients are people from all walks of life and from the full range of abilities, experience and qualifications. In order not to institutionalise discrimination, all vacancies within the trust should be available to clients provided they meet the person specification. It is not expected that clients be given a job simply because they are recovering from a mental illness. The trust must ensure the quality of its staff by insisting that any person to be short-listed for a job fulfils the requirements of the Person Specification. Hence the central importance of that document. The partnership is intended to produce a preferred shortlist only. Once shortlisted, the client is to be interviewed and given the chance to obtain the job on personal merit.
Eric Hodgson
Northwest Development Agency
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The Human Resource Department’s contribution. The role of the Human Resource (HR) department is central to the success of the partnerships. As well as facilitating the procedures it will ensure that the trust keeps full control of the recruitment process and that the trust’s decision regarding the appointment or otherwise of an individual is final. The trust must be assured that the support promised by a VO to an individual is delivered. The confidence the trust has that the VO will provide a reliable service, and vice versa, will be built up over time. Nevertheless the trust is taking a risk in relying upon an external organisation to provide support to an employee. It is reasonable therefore that a quality control procedure is established. The trust will not be expected to make a partnership arrangement exclusively with one VO. There may be two or three locally that have the capacity to enter into such an arrangement. The HR department will require prospective partners to demonstrate to them that they have the necessary infrastructure and resources to deliver their part of the agreement. If they can do so then the HR department will formally accredit them. Accreditation can be renewed annually. Should a VO fail to deliver its part of any agreement, their accreditation would be lost in terms of rights to introduce new clients. For this reason it would be advisable to avoid a VO having a monopoly on client introductions.
The Voluntary Organisation’s contribution. The VO must recognise that HR departments are taking a risk in potentially issuing employment contracts on the basis that the VO provides mutually agreed support to the client. It is on the basis of good citizenship that the trust voluntarily enters into such an arrangement. Once an accreditation is lost with a trust it is likely to prove exceedingly difficult to regain it. The VO will have identified clients who wish to obtain employment, either for the first time, or to return to their profession or skilled employment. The VO can identify the skills and knowledge that a client could bring to a trust, and also the help and support the client would need from the VO to ensure that the client is not set up to fail. The VO would agree with the trust the exact nature and duration of the support package for the individual.
Eric Hodgson
Northwest Development Agency
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Procedures: The Trust will: • • • •
• •
Ensure that Person Specifications are produced for every vacancy Ensure that the Occupational Health Department is aware of the scheme and operates in accordance with The Department of Health’s guidance: Employment of People with Mental Health Problems in the NHS. Receive the Client Profiles from the VO and compare them to the Person Specifications of every vacancy as they arise. Call the prospective employee for interview if there is a match, and apply all remaining normal recruitment procedures. The trust may wish to call the client, with the VO supporter, for an informal meeting before arranging the formal interview. Agree with the VO the package of support they will provide, should the person be appointable, Proceed to interview and appointment, if satisfied.
The Voluntary Organisation will: • • • • • • • • •
Identify clients who are ready to take up employment. Draw up a Client profile that identifies clearly the qualifications, skills experience and aptitudes of the client. Decide the nature and type of work that would suit the client. Identify the package of support the client would need if appointed to a job within the trust. Identify the resources that would be available to implement the package of support. Obtain the permission of the client to forward appropriate personal details to the trust’s HR Department Send the Client Profile to the trust and, in order to assist the HR staff, suggest areas of work likely top suit the client. Support the client through the short-listing and appointment procedure. Agree with the trust the support package. Deliver the support required.
There will be an annual review to ensure that the partnership is working, and for the Accreditation of the Voluntary Organisations involved to be renewed by mutual agreement.
References:
Eric Hodgson
1. Goldberg, D & Huxley, P. Mental Health in the Community.
Northwest Development Agency
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2. Read, J & Baker, S. Not Just Sticks and Stones, A Survey of the Stigma, Taboos and Discrimination Experienced by People with Mental Health Problems.
Eric Hodgson
Northwest Development Agency
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