People

The Trust’s enabling plan for People for the next five years.

There are a number of sections within this document. Using the links below, or to the side, you can skip to specific sections. Alternatively you can download this document as a PDF here (please note, this document may reference the organisation’s previous vision and strategy, which has since been updated, however the document is still relevant).

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The summary

If you’re short on time, you can listen to an audio summary of this strategy by clicking the media player below.

A note on our updated vision and strategic priorities

In April 2024, we refreshed our organisational vision. Our updated vision is:

Healthier together – delivering exceptional care for all.

To support this, we’ve introduced four new strategic priorities that underpin everything we do:

  • Patients – We deliver safe, exceptional, person-centred care.
  • People – We are supportive, positive, and welcoming.
  • Partnership – We work together to enhance our services with clear goals for our communities.
  • Pounds – We are efficient and spend public money wisely.

Please note: The enabling plan shown on this page remains relevant, but may refer to our previous vision and priorities. These have now been updated in line with our current direction.

Introduction

Welcome to our People Enabling Plan for all colleagues at DBTH!

Our People Enabling Plan 2023–27 is aligned with the four pillars of the NHS People Plan:

  • Looking after our people
  • Belonging in the NHS – for us, belonging in #TeamDBTH
  • Growing for the future
  • New ways of working and delivering care.

Our People Strategy has been created based on feedback and engagement with DBTH colleagues, leaders and learners on placement with us and in support of our True North ambitions and our We Care values. We have also designed our People Strategy to embrace the ethos of the NHS People Promise and to address the relevant actions outlined in the Future of HR and OD in the NHS report.

People Promise

  • We are compassionate and inclusive
  • We are recognised and rewarded
  • We each have a voice that counts
  • We are safe and healthy
  • We are always learning
  • We work flexibly
  • We are a team

Our ambition is to improve the working lives and experiences of all our people at #TeamDBTH and to embed an inclusive and open organisational culture. We also know that a more motivated and happier workforce, with the right skills and tools to do their jobs, positively impacts on patient care and safety. We strive to be an employer of choice and to also build on our strong record of people who join us as part of a learning pathway choosing to then become a substantive member of #TeamDBTH.

Our People Strategy supports our True North objectives and our strategic aim to be “the safest Trust in England, outstanding in all we do.”

We value #TeamDBTH in its widest sense to include all our people, our learners, students, doctors in training, regular bank workers and colleagues working on our sites from partner organisations.

Looking after our people

National Staff Survey and Learner surveys

The annual national staff survey is a key indicator of colleague satisfaction and experience at DBTH. In 2022, we introduced a new approach to ensure that the national staff survey is meaningful for our colleagues and that feedback is shared and actions identified in a timely manner through engagement sessions with local teams. We will embed this approach to nurture a culture where there is a year-round cycle of engagement with all our colleagues, with leaders understanding their role and responsibilities in this regard.

We will also continue to respond to the results and feedback arising from external surveys with our learners and students, such as the GMC survey.

Success measures

  • Maintained or improved participation rates in staff survey and key learner surveys
  • Improved results in national staff survey and learner surveys

Just Culture

At DBTH, we have previously taken steps to develop a restorative just and learning culture which understands the impact of Human Factors. In early 2023, we will launch a workstream on Just Culture to further grow this ethos in relation to employee relations with a focus on taking a person-centred approach. We will work in partnership with the Patient Safety team to ensure we have a joined-up approach linked to the experiences of our people and the safety of our patients, linked with the continued implementation of PSIRF (Patient Safety Incident Response Framework) at DBTH.

From the people perspective, an action plan will be developed which will include:

  • Review of key HR policies to ensure these embrace the Just Culture ethos
  • Review of language used in HR policies and template documentation, ensuring an appropriate tone and that these are fair, accessible and clearly set out expectations
  • Introduction of trained mediators to improve access to informal resolution options
  • Monitoring trends in employee relations data and correlating themes with Speaking Up themes
  • Implementing an education framework to complement the learning from patient safety and case reviews, to ensure learning is shared and embedded.

Success measures

  • Creation and delivery of Just Culture action plan in conjunction with Patient Safety team
  • Network of trained mediators in place
  • Improved timescales for employee relations cases and case reviews undertaken where appropriate

Flexible Working

In late 2022, we started a conversation about flexible working at DBTH and we have a strategic aim to develop and embed a flexible working culture. We believe this will support our colleagues in balancing home and work life, as well as supporting the delivery of our services. We have launched a Flexible Working workstream with engagement from colleagues from different professional backgrounds from across DBTH and we will develop an action plan, to consider both formal and more informal or ad-hoc flexible working.

Success measures

  • Creation and delivery of flexible working action plan
  • Growth in range and accessibility of formal and informal flexible working opportunities
  • Improvement in staff survey questions on flexible working

Appraisal Season

Our Appraisal Season approach has been in place for a number of years and we will build on this format to develop a cycle where the appraisal is one part of a year-round conversation. Each year, we will review and evaluate the appraisal season including seeking feedback from appraisers/appraisees and we will strengthen quality assurance aspects. For 2023, we will refresh and shorten the appraisal form so that the focus is more on the quality of the conversation and we will review our data reporting processes. Alongside this, we will work with the Medical Director’s team to support continued meaningful appraisals for medical colleagues.

Success measures

  • Achievement of at least 90% appraisal season completion rates (which has not been achieved since this data has been reported)
  • Introduction of quality assurance processes and feedback from these
  • Improvement in staff survey questions on appraisal conversations

Retention

Many aspects of our People Strategy support the retention of our valued colleagues. Some specific areas related to retention are included in this section.

We will develop a more robust process for collating themes from exit interviews whereby all employees leaving the organisation have an opportunity to have an exit interview conversation or to provide written feedback. We are keen to learn from the themes of exit interviews and to understand the reasons people choose to leave DBTH.

Retention clinics have now started for nursing colleagues and we will consider how this approach could be expanded to other areas, so we can understand why people choose to stay and reasons for people thinking about leaving the organisation or their department.

We will work with colleagues to consider the requirements and expectations arising from future generations of our workforce, taking account of the differences between identified generations. For example, Generation Z and later will typically value and expect different aspects of working life to earlier generations and we will need to take steps to embrace this.

Success measures

  • Increase in number of exit interviews held and themes collated
  • Expansion of retention clinics
  • Turnover rate reduced to a maximum of 10%

Education (internally focused)

We recognise that all roles at DBTH can be built on five pillars and we will provide learning and development opportunities to support this: Education, Research, Leadership, Innovation and being an Expert. Our Innovation pillar is primarily covered under our new Research and Innovation Strategy (2023–28).

We will continue to review our Statutory and Essential Training (SET) requirements and framework, providing a range of training delivery methods. This will ensure we are looking after our people and keeping our patients safe by providing critical and mandatory education in line with national standards. We will also develop a framework to support education and training which is not identified as SET although still contributes to the improvement of patient care and the development of our people.

As part of our core education provision, we will continue to work with teams to ensure that education and training requirements are stated in new policies and identified through appraisal conversations and the Learning Needs Analysis process.

In addition to our core training requirements set out in our SET framework, we have a portfolio of Role-Specific Training (ReST) to support skills and knowledge development for all our people. We will undertake an annual review of our ReST programme including consideration of future skills needed to support new ways of delivering care.

From 2022/23, we are building our Learning Needs Analysis review into our annual business planning processes and, in time, this will refine our approach to identifying future learning and development needs.

Success measures

  • Achievement of 90% compliance on SET training (currently at the mid-80% level)
  • Enhanced accessibility and provision of training methods
  • Implementation of a clear education framework supported by an agreed business model
  • Robust annual Learning Needs Analysis process in place and embedded through business planning

Research

At DBTH, we have a well-established portfolio of research activity and we will launch our new Research and Innovation Strategy in early 2023 following engagement with key people and external partners. There is a comprehensive programme of research activity in place which is primarily delivered in partnership with the Clinical Research Network (CRN).

We aim to make research integral to every role across our workforce by developing the necessary resources, education and infrastructure in collaboration with our partners.

We have an ambition to increase the reach of our research activity outside of clinical areas and to include studies focused on supporting our people including developing clinical academic career pathways. A recent example of expansion of research activity outside direct clinical care is our participation with the IGLOo research study (focusing on the management of long term sickness, for which the Chief People Officer is the Principal Investigator).

Success measures

  • Increase in research studies outside of clinical areas
  • Increase in trained Principal Investigators who do not have a clinical background
  • Increase in the number of people involved in research activity from awareness to leading studies through embedding research in everyday practice

Belonging in Team DBTH

Leadership and Team development

Delivering our True North ambition to be in the top 10% for colleague and learner feedback depends on the culture of how leadership is delivered and experienced across #TeamDBTH.

The ‘Leadership for a collaborative and inclusive future report’, also known as The Messenger Review, states:

‘Effective leadership creates successful teams, and successful teams drive better outcomes. The best organisations are those which invest in their people to unlock their potential, and which build strong teams around a unifying purpose. The most successful are those which also foster leadership and accountability at every level, and where everyone is encouraged to become an agent for something bigger than themselves’.

We will launch a new DBTH Leadership Behaviours Framework in Spring 2023 and engagement with our colleagues and leaders began in late 2022. The purpose of the framework is to create ownership and accountability of exemplar behaviours of all leaders at all levels across DBTH. We are using ‘leader’ in its widest sense as everyone can be considered to be a leader in some way. Our new framework will sit alongside our We Care values.

As our next steps after creation and launch, we will develop plans to further embed the new Leadership Behaviours Framework and to incorporate this with other aspects of Trust life such as appraisals and recruitment.

We will build on the success of our Develop Belong Thrive Here programmes to refresh our suite of leadership development activities, once our new framework is in place. This will include providing access to flexible learning opportunities, such as action learning sets, coaching and mentoring, as well as development programmes. We will aim to build coaching and mentoring networks internally and in partnership with other organisations. We will also monitor the impact and outcomes of the TED (Team, Engagement and Development) tool after our two year pilot to consider investment in its future use.

Success measures

  • Creation and launch of our Leadership Behaviours Framework and implementation of a plan for embedding this
  • Refreshed leadership development offer introduced
  • Improvement in staff survey results in the ‘your managers’ and ‘your team’ themes

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Our aim is to further embed an inclusive culture where all colleagues feel a sense of belonging and feel valued at DBTH. We will encourage and celebrate diversity and we expect all our colleagues to show kindness and respect towards each other.

We aim to be representative of the communities we serve and of those from which we recruit and to increase diversity in our leadership positions through nurturing our talented colleagues. In late 2022, we refreshed our overarching Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) action plan to strengthen our ambitions and set clear activities with success measures. We will work with local community and voluntary groups in support of embedding an inclusive culture and to keep learning.

Our priorities within our EDI action plan include:

  • Extending our Reciprocal Mentoring Programme
  • Growing and embedding our range of staff networks
  • Developing a suite of training and development programmes covering various aspects of EDI, accessible to all colleagues and leaders
  • Enhancing our inclusive recruitment practices
  • Developing a new approach to increase Board-level diversity through a development programme to support applicants from under-represented groups.

Success measures

  • Delivery of the EDI action plan
  • Achievement of ambitions in relation to increased representation and diversity in leadership positions
  • Improvement in Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) and Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES) outcomes
  • Delivery of the EDS 2022 (national framework, expected to be launched soon)
  • Improvement in staff survey results related to EDI

Reward and Recognition

We recognise that many aspects of reward in the NHS are set nationally and within terms and conditions. Therefore, we will concentrate on the areas locally where we can make a difference in valuing and recognising our colleagues.

We have a comprehensive rolling reward and recognition programme in place, which currently includes our monthly Star of the Month awards, our annual Star Awards celebration, regular draws for spot prizes throughout the year and specific activities such as the team building events funded by our DBTH Charity in 2022.

Our priorities for future development are:

  • Developing a more sustainable programme for reward and recognition
  • Reviewing and relaunching our Long Service Awards scheme
  • Refreshing and encouraging more nominations for our Star Awards
  • Celebrating the achievements of our DBTH colleagues and teams through external award nominations.

We also want to recognise the contribution of our colleagues once they have retired from DBTH and offer an opportunity to stay connected with others. We will work with the national charity the NHS Retirement Fellowship to support the introduction of a branch to support DBTH colleagues.

Success measures

  • Delivery of specific programmes
  • Increase in nominations for Star Awards and for external awards
  • Launch of a local Retirement Fellowship branch

Speaking Up

We support Speaking Up at DBTH, building on the framework set out nationally on Freedom to Speak Up and by the National Guardian’s Office. We want to embed a culture where all #TeamDBTH members, including learners and temporary workers, feel confident and supported to speak up and be listened to about any concerns or issues as well as any ideas for improvement. In addition to our Freedom to Speak Up Guardian and network of Speaking Up Champions, there are a variety of other routes including our Guardian of Safe Working (which is a nationally defined role designed to support doctors in training), our staff networks, trade union colleagues and Professional Nurse/ Midwifery Advocates (PNAs/PMAs).

In 2023, we will review our local Speaking Up policy in light of the changes to the national Freedom to Speak Up policy and we will continue to complete an annual self-assessment to measure our progress and cultural development as an organisation. We will also review the training we provide on Speaking Up, linked to the national resources.

In late 2022, we published weekly communications on different themes of Speaking Up over a period of several weeks as part of an engagement programme. In 2023, we will use the feedback gathered from this programme and elsewhere to create our new Speaking Up strategy which we will develop utilising the Qi quality improvement framework.

Success measures

  • Robust data collection and themes identified through Speaking Up as well as other sources, used to inform organisational learning and other workstreams in our People Strategy
  • Launch of new Speaking Up strategy, training and policy
  • Improvement in staff survey questions on raising concerns

Growing for the future

Recruitment and Induction

In 2022, we started a Qi quality improvement project focused on improving our recruitment process in terms of quality of experience and timeliness of the process. Multiple actions have already been completed and we will continue to take steps to enhance our recruitment, onboarding and induction experiences for all colleagues. We have developed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure our progress.

We will operate a framework of inclusive recruitment practices and will take actions to consider the needs of people from different backgrounds, to support our commitment to embedding an inclusive culture and supporting ‘widening participation’ activities. Following a review of the recruitment function, we will be able to provide a more proactive service offering specialist advice and support to recruiting managers on promoting DBTH as an employer, interviewing and assessment, open days and keeping in touch with candidates prior to joining as part of their welcome to our team.

We recognise that colleagues can join us as learners or students initially and we want them to feel part of #TeamDBTH from the beginning of their time with us. We will review our induction programmes for new starters and students including considering how we can streamline the practical aspects. We will aim to offer induction programmes which are reflective of individual and role requirements, for example preceptorship.

Success measures

  • Improvement against our recruitment KPIs to achieve the targets
  • Positive feedback from candidates, new starters and recruiting managers
  • Quality induction in place for all new colleagues

Workforce Planning and workforce development

We will work with clinical, operational and finance colleagues to further mature and embed our approach to workforce planning, to be able to develop a multi-year strategic workforce plan across the Trust which will also take account of our role as a system partner. This will build on our current processes to set our strategic direction of travel and future ambitions in relation to workforce transformation and ‘new roles’ such as Advanced Clinical Practitioners, Assistant Practitioners and Nursing Associates. We know these aren’t so new any more!

From early 2023, we will facilitate regular workforce planning ‘deep dive workshops’ at a specialty level to further enhance the workforce plan and build a clearer picture of requirements, ambitions and options linked to service and activity needs. Alongside this, we will introduce and integrate a new strategic workforce planning tool which will give an overview of predicted capacity and demand and the workforce implications.

This work will link with our wider Trust and clinical strategies and include triangulation of data sets. As part of these plans, as a Trust we will set out our ambitions in relation to the recruitment of internationally educated colleagues from different professional backgrounds including how we will support their orientation and welcome to #TeamDBTH.

We provide a range of apprenticeships and we remain committed to using the apprenticeship levy in an effective way to maximise the breadth of opportunities available. This includes people joining us as apprentices as well as existing colleagues undertaking an apprenticeship in their current roles. Opportunities range across clinical professional backgrounds, administration, leadership, facilities management and many others. When we can, we will also use the mechanisms available to ‘gift’ some of our apprenticeship levy to partner organisations who otherwise would not be able to access these opportunities.

We will consider the national NHS workforce plan and strategy, once this is published, and the implications and opportunities for DBTH working across both the South Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire systems. We recognise there will be opportunities for some tasks and roles to be carried out differently and in different locations, as part of a whole system approach to future health and care needs.

Success measures

  • Development of strategic multi-year workforce plan, in conjunction with clinical, operational and finance colleagues
  • Clear plan and support infrastructure in place for recruitment and development of internationally educated colleagues
  • Strategic workforce planning tool introduced and embedded
  • Effective use of the apprenticeship levy with an increase in breadth and number of apprenticeship opportunities

Career development and career pathways

We are committed to providing career development and career pathways for all our colleagues, across professional backgrounds and for people working in both clinical and support roles. We recognise that for some people this will mean working towards being successful in a different role and for others this will mean continuously developing to be the best they can be in their current role.

We have already set out clear career pathways for certain professions, such as nursing, as a means of showing the range of potential options available at DBTH and in our partner organisations, including ‘side-ways’ moves as well as promotional opportunities. We will grow this approach and build further resources to show the opportunities in other areas. As a future step, we will seek to work with system partners to develop career development pathways across organisations.

We will strive to ensure that all colleagues are aware of the opportunities available, through appraisal and talent conversations, one-to-ones with managers, communication channels and links with the Education team. We will provide appropriate support for people from under-represented groups to help individuals reach their potential.

Success measures

  • Suite of clear career pathways guides in place

Talent management and succession planning

We want to nurture, develop and grow our colleagues to enable them to be the best they can be at work, which can include seeking the next steps in career progression as well as ensuring they have the skills for current roles. We will design and introduce a consistent approach to talent management to complement appraisal conversations at DBTH. Alongside this, we will introduce a succession planning format beginning with senior leadership positions and to be cascaded through the organisation.

As a next step for the future, we will work with system partners to develop talent management processes across organisations to support career development.

Success measures

  • Design and introduction of new approaches to talent management and succession planning at DBTH

Anchor institution and widening participation activities

As an organisation, we will continue to embrace our role as an Anchor institution in our local communities and our responsibilities in supporting widening participation through access to education and employment opportunities.

We are committed to maintaining and growing our engagement and collaboration with schools and colleges in our local communities, to develop opportunities for students who wish to pursue a career in a healthcare environment. We offer a range of work experience opportunities across many different job roles and aim to highlight to our future generations of workers the extent of career opportunities available in the NHS.

Our annual We Care into the Future event showcases many of the job roles and professions available in health, including across clinical and support functions, and is attended by hundreds of local students. From 2023, we will launch a We Care into the Future event in Bassetlaw as well as running the established event in Doncaster.

In 2022, we established our second Foundation School for Health partnership with Retford Oaks Academy. This complements our existing partnership with Hall Cross School in Doncaster, which was the first Foundation School for Health in England.

In 2023, we will launch our Health Career Champions programme and intend to grow this in future years.

Success measures

  • Increase in numbers of individuals involved in ‘touch points’ with DBTH before employment, such as work experience and engagement events with local schools/colleges
  • Evaluation of We Care into the Future events
  • Implementation of Health Career Champions and annual increase in participants

Education (externally focused)

We will deliver, support and assure that the education, clinical and wider care experience we provide for our learners is of the highest quality, thereby driving the recruitment, development and retention of an outstanding workforce.

In line with national increases, there is a growing demand for clinical placements for students in practice. We will continue to work with our higher education institute partners and system partners to provide high quality placements and seek to increase our capacity in future years. As a future step, we will explore opportunities for rotation of placements, apprenticeships and other roles at a Place and system level, to enhance the opportunities available to develop the skills needed for future health and care needs.

We also understand that students along with our own people need appropriately educated and experienced supervisors and assessors in order to thrive in their learning environment. We will work with colleagues and aim to increase our numbers of trained supervisors and assessors, recognising these are valuable roles.

We will continue to provide quality placements for doctors in training, pre-registration healthcare students and work experience opportunities for people wishing to consider a career in the NHS. We will do this by working in partnership with our local higher and further education institutions as well as national bodies such as Health Education England and NHS England.

Success measures

  • Increase in our placement capacity each year to meet the national standard for pre-registration healthcare professionals
  • Doctors in training and pre-registration learners will be supervised and assessed by appropriately trained people
  • Improvements in staff survey questions on learning and development
  • Improvements in feedback from learner surveys

New ways of working and delivering care

Digital and People Systems

As an organisation, we recognise the importance of making best use of technology and digital solutions to support our people and the delivery of patient care. Through our People Strategy, we will seek to optimise the use of and ease of access to existing digital solutions within our People & OD and Education functions, including effective use of Electronic Staff Record (ESR) and e-rostering.

As a team, we will implement improvements in data functionality and capability to provide a more efficient and responsive service. At a national level, there will be significant digital developments in the People Profession in the coming years including the new People Digital Solution (successor to ESR) and we have been involved in the national engagement and design work. We will ensure we are aligned with national priorities and we will work actively with system partners to optimise existing digital people solutions.

Specific workstreams will include advances in ESR reporting capabilities, working with finance colleagues on the interface between ESR and the financial ledger and full roll-out of additional modules in the e-roster. We will also improve the navigation and search capabilities of the Hive, as a key source of information for colleagues at DBTH and externally.

We will continue to work with external providers to seek to improve the inter-operability of our systems to streamline processes, for example the recruitment and the Occupational Health systems. We will work with clinical colleagues to support the implementation of Safe Care which will align staffing levels with patient acuity on our wards. In 2022, we started a programme of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in some areas of our people processes and phase two will begin in 2023. This focus on reducing manual processes and removing duplication means our team can focus on more value-added activities.

We are also committed to enhancing and growing our data reporting capabilities to provide high quality people datasets and metrics. As part of this, in 2023 we will develop a new Education Quality Framework setting out our key educational metrics and we will also launch the new HR dashboard. All this information can then also be triangulated with patient and other organisational data to provide a more holistic picture of DBTH.

Success measures

  • Increased use of automation in people processes with a positive impact on timeliness and user experience
  • Delivery of specific projects and roll-out of functionality in our people systems
  • Development of internal people transfer system
  • Refresh of the Hive with positive feedback
  • Enhanced reporting on people metrics including launch of HR dashboard and development of Education Quality Framework

Education

At DBTH we have an ambition to achieve University Teaching Hospital status and progress is largely overseen by our Teaching Hospitals Board consisting of internal and external partners. Alongside this, there are many educational aspects described in our People Strategy which will support our ambition. Working with our higher and further education institutions is a key part of this approach.

We will maximise the external funding streams available to us and take a proactive approach to bidding for opportunities, working in collaboration with system partners where appropriate.

Success measures

  • Staff survey questions on learning and development

Temporary workforce

We recognise that the appropriate deployment of temporary workers alongside our own employees is key to the delivery of safe and effective services and that it is essential to maintain an appropriate balance. We value our temporary workforce as an important part of #TeamDBTH and recognise that many bank and agency workers choose to return to work consistently as part of our team. There are also colleagues from partner organisations working on our sites.

We will continue to work with our bank partners, including NHS Professionals and Holt, and key suppliers to ensure the effective use of bank and agency at the Trust. We work proactively and in collaboration with system partners in relation to agency and bank management and this will remain a key feature of our work.

Success measures

  • Numbers of agency workers choosing to join DBTH substantively
  • Improvements in agency liaison and management to maximise efficiency in resources and support effective patient care
  • Consider establishing a Star Award category for bank or agency workers
  • Liaising with key partners to see improvements in bank worker surveys for job satisfaction when working at DBTH

In summary

Our People Strategy 2023–27 is designed to build on our work so far to improve the working lives and experiences of our colleagues and our learners in line with our We Care values. As a result this will contribute to improving the experiences of our patients and supporting our strategic vision.

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