Clinical Admin Review Q&A

Why did we start the Clinical Admin Review?

The review started in August 2016. The purpose has been to refresh this function so that it supports all Care Groups (soon to be Divisions) in the Trust, providing a patient-focused and top-notch admin facility.

It was our ambition to make a positive difference to the working life of our admin staff, building upon the things that work, and improving the things that don’t.

The reasons for the review are:

• To enhance consistency of our patient pathways between areas and departments
• To provide a coherent structure for the role, with room for advancement and development
• To improve operational performance, communication and data collection
• To truly define the role of an admin and ensure consistency at the Trust – currently we have over 60 job descriptions for members of Team DBTH doing similar roles
• To empower our admins and clerical staff to apply their skill and expertise to help deliver excellent patient care across the organisation, as efficiently as possible

Why has it taken so long?

This Review has been one of the biggest projects ever undertaken at the Trust and as such we’ve gone to great lengths to ensure we get it right.

The work over the past two years has included:

• Evaluating and analysing our current admin service
• Validating this analysis against ESR data
• Developing a ‘base-line’ and related indicators
• Undertaking a number of data collection exercise (some of you will have been involved in this)
• Developing a toolkit to calculate our requirements based on patient activity
• Comparing potential models with what is in place Alderhay, Nottingham and North Lincolnshire and Goole
• Working with senior staff to design Clinical Admin structure
• Creating a methodology and vision
• Sharing this with all Care Groups (Divisions) for feedback which has then been collated
• Developing a smaller number of standardised job descriptions to compliment the new model
• Developing a refreshed Clinical Admin service and taken to senior managers for sign-off
• Conducting a HR assessment and what this means for current staff
• Planning what is needed for successful delivery and transition

This has been a substantial piece of work, however, we want to thank team members for their patience and also apologise for any challenges or difficulties this has inadvertently caused. The review is a crucial project for the Trust and an essential undertaking.

Will we be put at risk or made redundant?

We do not expect to make any redundancies as a result of the review and down-banding of roles will only be used as an absolute last resort.

When will we move from fixed-term contracts to substantive contracts?

We will now be appointing to substantive positions, bringing to an end the period of fixed-term contracts.

It’s important to note that temporary staffing was a crucial part of the review which has allowed us to continue to carry out critical hospital work while also undertaking the analysis and investigation needed for the review.

Will our line manager be different?

Potentially – in implementing the findings of the review we hope to put in place a much more robust career pathway with room for development as well as apprentices. This will hopefully translate into much more opportunity for the team.

Will my job role be different?

As stated, it was always our goal to reduce the number of job descriptions, which we feel has been achieved. We have also looked at ensuring consistency across roles and what types of tasks are expected and this has resulted in the following roles (down from a high of 60).

As a result, we have proposed changes to job titles but these are not final:

• Apprentice
• Clinical Administration Clerk
• Receptionist
• Clinical Admin Facilitator: Booking/Reception
• Ward Clerk
• Clinical Typist
• Medical Secretary
• Team Leader
• Service Manager.

We would welcome staff views and opinions on job titles, below:

What happens next?

As agreed with staff side representatives we plan to launch a formal consultation with all effected staff in the very near future. The consultation process will provide an opportunity for further discussions within your Divisions to allow staff to give feedback and comment.

The Divisional Management Team will then be asked to review their structures, communicate with staff and consider options to move towards the new structure and operating model. The team will then submit plans of how they intend to manage the changes and the timescales in which they propose to move to the new model.

Plans will then be considered centrally and career development/job opportunities will be advertised internally. Throughout this process we intend to communicate and engaged (delete the d here) with you and we thank you for your patience throughout this project.

Is this review linked to the Trust considering creating a Wholly Owned Subsidiary?

No