GREATER FLEXIBILITYMORE CHOICE

DEBBIE MELLOR

HEAD OF NHS

EMPLOYMENT

Department of Health

HR In The NHS PlanHeadline Objectives

Increasing staff numbersRe-engineering NHS jobs around patient pathways

The Three Star Trust The Skills Escalator Improving Staff Morale HRM Development

The NHS as aModel Employer

Improving WorkingLives and Beyond

The NHS as a Model Career

Four Modernisations:Workforce Planning

PayRegulation

Education & Training

The PsychologicalContract

Between staff and Employers

Between Staff and Government

Between Staff and Patients

BuildingCapacityQuality

and‘Attitude’

HR In The NHS Plan

IWL

“Creating a well managed, flexible working

environments that support staff, promote

their welfare and development and enable a

productive balance between work and life

outside work”

Making primary care a place where people want to work is essential if the NHS is to:

•Have enough doctors to deliver services

•Attract the next generation of GPs

•Be able to modernise primary care

•Provide quality healthcare

•Maximise the contribution of the primary care team

Why Doctors Are Not Working As GPs

• No flexibility to pursue other interest or

commitments - especially childcare

• Too stressful

• Too much bureaucracy

• Undesirable working hours

The New GMS Contract

HEADLINES:

movement to a practice-based contract more control over workload more opportunities for working flexibly funding to reflect patient need and cost strategy to expand and develop the primary care sector quality and outcomes framework £1.9 billion additional investment over three years

IWL

• More staff

• Flexible retirement

• Flexible working

• Returners

• New ways of working

• Valuing diversity

• Childcare

• Flexible training

• Counselling

• Mentoring networks

• New support roles

• Zero Tolerance on

Violence

IWL for Primary Care

• Occupational health services for GPs and their staff

• Zero tolerance against violence

• Extension of the Flexible Careers Scheme to GPs

• NHS Childcare co-ordinators for primary care staff

NHS Childcare StrategyAiming to ensure that good quality, affordable and accessible

childcare is available to all NHS staff who need it

• Government investment of over £70m between 2001-2004. Future funding building up to £100m

• Target to build 150 new on-site nurseries, as well as developing other forms of childcare such as holiday playschemes, afterschool clubs, childminder networks and emergency childcare

• All staff will have access to an NHS childcare co-ordinator, who will help them find the childcare they need. 155 are already in post

Strategy for Primary Care

•11 nurseries for PCTs already funded, with more to follow this year

•Many PCTs already have a childcare co-ordinator

•Childcare vouchers being offered to PCT staff

•Specific help being offered to GP returners

•Emergency childcare in child’s own home and emergency places in nurseries

•Arranging flexible childminding services to cover shift working and on call

•Setting up a “sitter’s bank” to cover on-call and emergency care

•Aims to extend these initiatives to all areas

•Research to look at the specific needs of primary care

Extending NHS Zero Tolerance Zone Campaign To General Practice

• PCTs to assess risk of violence to GPs and their staff and put in place appropriate action plans - including arrangements for the provision of secure facilities

• IWL accreditation extended to include actions to tackle violence against GPs and their staff

• Major poster campaign launched in general practice in March

• Best practice case studies on tackling violence in primary care on zero tolerance website - www.nhs.uk/zerotolerance

Flexible Retirement

OPTIONS:

• Winding down - reducing hours

• Retire and come back - part-time, full-time or seasonally

• Working when needed - i.e. winter peaks

• Stepping down - reducing responsibility

• Guidance for GPs via the NHS Pensions Agency

GP Flexible Career Scheme

AIMED AT GPs AT ANY STAGE OF THEIR

CAREER WHO:

• want to work less than 50% of full time

• want to work as a non-principal

• want to work in a more flexible way

GP Flexible Career Scheme

KEY FEATURES:

enables GPs to work flexibly and annualise hours opt out of out-of-hours work if they want to gives an annual contribution of £1,050 towards

professional expenses promotes fair employment rights offers access to the NHS pension scheme

cont...

GP Flexible Career Scheme

KEY FEATURES:

assigns each doctor a clinical educational supervisor contains an educational CPD element identifies from the very start a re-entry strategy lasts for a period of 3 years (or 4 years for GPs joining

the scheme before 1 January 2004) pays a cash incentive to the employer based on a

percentage of the gross salary cost of the FCS GP

GP Returner Campaign• Provides a clear, supported route back to general

practice

• Open to all qualified GPs not currently working in general practice, including those already retired

• Paid, individually tailored refresher training, either full-time up to 6 months or part-time up to 12 months

• May be eligible to receive a “Golden Hello” payment upon taking up a substantive post

• Childcare co-ordinators to help source childcare

Golden Hello SchemeGIVES:

up to £5,000 to eligible GPs taking up a substantive post

up to £12,000 to those whose post is in an under-doctored area

GPs ELIGIBLE ARE THOSE WHO:

have never worked in a substantive post (except as a locum)

those returning from the GP Retainer scheme

those who were not working in general practice (except as a locum) between 24 June and 24 September 2002

Progress so far...

GP Hotline received over 1100 enquires

289 applications returned

100 in post or starting shortly

Making Primary Care A More Attractive Place To Work

• Increasing the number of GPs

• Reducing bureaucracy

• Good quality, affordable and accessible childcare

• Tackling violence

• Promoting Flexible Working

• The Flexible Careers Scheme

• Promoting Flexible Retirement

• Improving Working Lives for GPs