HR Connect

• Responsible Officer: Dr Jennifer Armstrong, Medical Director
• Deputy Responsible Officer (Secondary Care): Professor Colin McKay
• Appraisal Lead (Secondary Care): Dr Una Graham
• Deputy Appraisal Lead: (Secondary Care): Dr Veronica Leach
• Deputy Responsible Officer (Primary Care): Dr Kerri Neylon, Clinical Director, Glasgow City HSCP (North West Locality)

These Medical Revalidation and Appraisal pages provide information for non-training career grade doctors in secondary care who have a substantive, locum or honorary contract with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. This includes non-training Clinical Fellows who do not hold a National Training Number (NTN).  It does not include doctors in training (including Foundation Year trainees, Specialty Registrars, Core Trainees and those who hold Locum Appointment for Training posts), for whom NHS Education for Scotland (NES) is the body responsible for revalidation.  

Please note: General Practitioners (GPs) who carry out the majority of their clinical work within Secondary Care should undertake a single appraisal within Secondary Care, which also covers their Primary Care practice. All GPs are required to work an average of fifty sessions per year to demonstrate that they are maintaining their clinical skills.

Please use the titles below to navigate to the required information and guidance.

If you have a specific query or question regarding Medical Revalidation or Appraisal please email medical.revalidation@ggc.scot.nhs.uk and a member of the Medical Staffing Team will get back to you.

Doctors in training with queries regarding revalidation should contact NES for clarification: trainingcontacts@nes.scot.nhs.uk.

Appraisal

All Consultants, SAS doctors and Career Grade doctors employed by NHSGGC must undertake an appraisal once during the period 1st April to 31st March in any given year.  Annual appraisal is a contractual obligation for all Consultants and SAS doctors employed by NHS Boards in Scotland.  It is also a statutory responsibility for all Consultants, SAS doctors and Career Grade doctors, who wish to retain a Licence to Practise, to regularly undertake appraisals in accordance with The General Medical Council (Licence to Practise and Revalidation) Regulations Order of Council 2012.

The appraisal should focus in the main on information gathered during the preceding year using the GMC’s Good Medical Practice Framework as its focus.  If this is a doctor’s first appraisal as a newly qualified Consultant/SAS Grade/Career Grade they should bring along a copy of their Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT), their Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP) and any evidence of patient/colleague feedback gathered in the previous 5 years.  If a doctor has been previously employed as a Consultant/SAS Grade/Career Grade and has undertaken a valid appraisal for the preceding year they should bring along a copy of their signed Form 4 to their first Appraisal meeting.

Appraisals should be completed online using the Scottish Online Appraisal Resource (SOAR). This will assist greatly in record keeping and ensure that through audit the process can be quality assured.  To register with SOAR please access the website http://www.appraisal.nes.scot.nhs.uk/.

Your Chief of Medicine / Appraisal Lead is formally responsible for appointing your appraiser. It is not permissible for an appraisee to self-select an appraiser. Where possible, doctors should be appraised by 2 separate appraisers during the 5 year revalidation cycle

Revalidation

Revalidation is the process by which doctors are required to demonstrate on a regular basis that they are up to date and fit to practice.  Doctors will revalidate, usually every five years, based on a recommendation made to the GMC by the Board Medical Director, as Responsible Officer (RO).  The RO will base their recommendation on a doctor’s appraisals over a five year period (i.e. the revalidation cycle), together with information drawn from the local clinical governance systems.  The RO will be required to make a revalidation recommendation in accordance with the doctor’s due date which has been prescribed by the GMC.  Each doctor will be notified directly of their revalidation due date by the GMC.

The RO can make one of three recommendations:

• Recommendation to revalidate
• Recommendation to defer
• Recommendation of non-engagement.

On the basis of the RO’s recommendation, the GMC will decide whether the doctor’s licence to practise should continue to be revalidated for a further 5 years.  For further information on revalidation please access the the following GMC website: http://www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/revalidation.asp.

Should you have any queries in relation to the above please email: medical.revalidation@ggc.scot.nhs.uk.

The appraisal year & appraisal process for Secondary Care

The appraisal year

The appraisal year is aligned to the financial year, running from 1st April to 31st March.  The appraisal year aligned to an appraisal is predicated by when the appraisal meeting takes place.  For example, if the appraisal meeting takes place in June 2022, the appraisal will fall under the appraisal year 2022/2023 (1st April 2022 to 31st March 2023).  An Appraisal meeting taking place in April 2023 will fall within the appraisal year 2023/2024 (1^st April 2023 to 31^st March 2024).

The information to be reviewed at the appraisal meeting should cover all supporting information gathered since the previous appraisal to being the doctor up to date.     

Supporting information for annual appraisal must include evidence of Continuing Professional Development, Quality Improvement Activity, Significant Events Analysis, a review of complaints and compliments and also evidence of Colleague MSF and Patient Feedback, which are GMC requirements for revalidation (in conjunction with at least one appraisal in every 5 year revalidation cycle).

The phased appraisal process for Secondary Care

Within Secondary Care appraisees (other than non training Clinical Fellows) should be appraised in accordance with a rolling structured timetable. Each appraisee will be required to complete an appraisal during a four month period as determined by their GMC revalidation due date (in particular the month). The appraisal phasing system operates as follows:

• Phase 2:  Doctors who have revalidation months falling during  August, September, October or November, have an appraisal completion window of April – July
• Phase 3:  Doctors who have revalidation months falling during  December, January, February or March, have an appraisal completion window of August – November
• Phase 1:  Doctors who have revalidation months falling during April, May, June or July, have an appraisal completion window of December – March

• Phase 0: If a doctor commences employment within the Board on or after the 1^st November in any given appraisal year, and they are not due to revalidate during that appraisal year, they will not be expected to complete an appraisal for that appraisal year, and will fall into their phasing window for the following appraisal year.

Appraisal timings for Non Training Clinical Fellows

The appraisal completion deadline for Clinical Fellows is dependent on their contract end date.  Clinical Fellows with contracts ending in February should complete their appraisal by the end of January, and those with contracts ending in August, should complete their appraisal between April – July.          

Appraisal process guidance for Specialty Doctors and Associate Specialists and their appraisers can be accessed by clicking on the following links:

• Preparing For Your Appraisal
• Information For Appraisers

The appraisal process for Clinical Fellows who do not have a training number within NHSGGC is similar to that of numbered trainees, and requires the doctor’s appraisal to be taken forward by their allocated Educational Supervisor, which should make reference to the ePortfolio that the Clinical Fellow is completing, and should be recorded on the SOAR system.      

Appraisal process guidance for Clinical Fellows working at Foundation Level, ST1+ Level and their Educational Supervisors can be accessed by clicking on the following links.

• Appraisal guidance for Non Training Clinical Fellows at Foundation Level
• Appraisal guidance for Non Training Clinical Fellows at STR1 + Level
• Guidance on the the appraisal of Non Training Clinical Fellows for Educational Supervisors
• NES Professional Portfolio Guidance for Clinical Fellows

Please click on following link below to access FAQ’s for non Training Clinical Fellows

• FAQ’s Appraisal & Revalidation for Non Training Clinical Fellows

All doctors employed by NHSGGC must register with the Scottish Online Appraisal Resource (SOAR).  This will assist greatly in record keeping and ensure that through audit, the Appraisal process can be quality assured.  To register with SOAR please access the following website: http://www.appraisal.nes.scot.nhs.uk/.

SOAR is mandatory for the recording all appraisal information for medical staff employed by NHSGGC.  If you require guidance on how to get started on SOAR, you can access this via the following link: http://www.appraisal.nes.scot.nhs.uk/help-me-with/appraisal/appraisal-this-year/getting-started.aspx.

To support revalidation, doctors are required to gather patient feedback.  Accordingly, it is asked that all doctors with patient contact attempt the patient feedback exercise at least once in every 5 year cycle.  Any exemptions must be discussed and agreed at the Board Wide Revalidation Group (BWRG) which is chaired by the RO.

The Board recommends the use of the NHSGGC Patient Feedback Questionnaire (a version of CARE) or one of two variations of this questionnaire for use by Radiologists and Child Health Specialists. NHS GGC patient questionnaires are also available in the following languages:- Arabic, Polish, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese and Urdu.  Doctors are welcome to use an alternative questionnaire as long as it meets GMC requirements and has the approval of the RO.

To manage the high volume of patient questionnaires, the Board has purchased an electronic scanner which has been specifically set up to read the NHSGGC Patient Feedback Questionnaire plus the two variations above. At this stage the Board is unable to process any other types of questionnaires.  If, therefore, a doctor chooses to use an alternative questionnaire they will be required to make their own administration arrangements.

We would recommend that, where possible, doctors aim to undertake the patient feedback exercise during the first 3 years of the revalidation cycle.  This is a precautionary measure in case it is necessary to repeat the exercise, perhaps due to low return rates, or the doctor in discussion with his/her Appraiser wishes to repeat the exercise.  The patient feedback exercise must be completed prior to the revalidation due date.

Doctors will be required to distribute 25 patient questionnaires across the whole of their practice and where possible should capture both inpatients and outpatients.  It is accepted that some questionnaires may not be returned.  The questionnaire should be distributed randomly and without influence from the doctor to patients who are competent and well enough to complete the proforma.  It is also possible for parents or carers to complete the questionnaire  instead of the patient.  

Please follow the guidance below to obtain your NHSGGC Patient Feedback Questionnaire:

1. Request the patient questionnaire by e-mailing medical.revalidation@ggc.scot.nhs.uk at least 2 weeks prior to when you wish to commence the exercise;
2. Indicate in your e-mail if you wish the NHSGGC Patient Feedback questionnaire, the adapted Radiology or Child Health Care Questionnaire.  Please also advise if you require these questionnaires in any of following languages:- Arabic, Polish, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese and Urdu
3. On receipt of your email, the Medical Staffing team will post out 25 patient questionnaires with instructions for distribution by a third party.  Please note that it is a GMC requirement that the patient questionnaire be distributed independently of the doctor, i.e. by a third party;
4. Once the questionnaires have been returned, Medical Staffing will scan the completed returns and generate a summary report.  To obtain this report, please contact Medical Staffing by e-mailing medical.revalidation@ggc.scot.nhs.uk at least 2 weeks prior to your appraisal meeting;
5. We would recommend commencing the patient feedback exercise at least 2 months prior to your appraisal meeting, to allow time for the patient questionnaires to be distributed, completed and returned and report produced.

Please note: requests for the NHSGGC Patient Feedback Questionnaire must be made through medical staffing.  This enables the team to administer the process and produce the required summary reports.  The electronic scanner can only read the copies of the questionnaires issued by the Medical Staffing team, so please do not photocopy, scan or downloaded copies from another website.  

For any queries in relation to Patient Feedback Questionnaires please telephone 0141 201 0780

To support revalidation, doctors are required to gather colleague feedback.  This is also referred to as Multi-Source Feedback (MSF).  All doctors are requested to complete the colleague feedback exercise at least once in every 5 year cycle.  Any exemptions must be discussed and agreed at the Board Wide Revalidation Group (BWRG) which is chaired by the RO.

The colleague feedback exercise should be used formatively:

• as a learning and development tool to identify strengths and areas for improvement in a doctor’s practice, to inform continuing professional development; and
• as one of several pieces of information which, when considered together, will inform the decision as to whether a doctor should be recommended for revalidation.

The Scottish Government Health Department commissioned NES to develop a colleague questionnaire that would be suitable for all General Practitioners and career grade doctors in Scotland. This questionnaire is available as a web resource and is free to use for doctors registered with SOAR.

Please click the following link to access the colleague questionnaire:https://www.appraisal.nes.scot.nhs.uk/what-is/faqs/msf/

It is recommended that the doctor seeking feedback invites 15 colleagues to complete the short questionnaire, selected from across the whole of their practice.  For example, colleagues from other specialties, junior doctors, nurses, allied healthcare professionals, management and clerical staff.  Doctors are also encouraged to score themselves as this helps to facilitate a more meaningful discussion in terms of how the doctor views themselves compared to their colleagues.  The results are then collated and a summary report is provided to the doctor (the NES MSF tool does this electronically).  Doctors should aim to complete the colleague feedback exercise in the 4 weeks leading up to their appraisal meeting, to ensure that they have the necessary feedback to form part of their appraisal discussion.

Information on Complaints Certificates

Feedback is often provided by patients and others by way of complaints and compliments, which should also be reviewed as part of the Appraisal process.   The GMC definition of a complaint is “a formal expression of dissatisfaction or grievance.  It can be about an individual doctor, the team or about the care of patients where a doctor could be expected to have had influence or responsibility”.  The doctor may also choose to bring any compliments they have received to their Appraisal meeting.

Doctors should discuss any change in their practice that has been made as a result of any complaints or compliments received since the last Appraisal, either individually or across the team.

The Board is able to provide doctors with a Complaints Certificate, which confirms the number of complaints a doctor has been involved in within the previous year (this data is extracted from the Datix System).  The reports are run three times a year in keeping with the ‘phased’ Appraisal timetable:

• doctors due to be appraised between 1st April and 31st July will be issued with a complaints certificate covering the period 1st April to 31st March;
• doctors due to be appraised between 1st August  and 30th November will be issued with a complaints certificate covering the period 1st August to 31st July; and
• doctors due to be appraised between 1st December and 31st March will be issued with a complaints certificate covering the period 1st December to 30th November.

Please follow the guidance below to obtain a copy of your Complaints Certificate:

1. request a Complaints Certificate at least two weeks before your Appraisal meeting by emailing medical.revalidation@ggc.scot.nhs.uk; and
2. on receipt of your e-mail you will be e-mailed one of two certificates stating either:

• there have been no complaints in the previous year; or
• you have been involved in “x” complaints and the outcome of each complaint e.g. upheld, partially upheld, not upheld and so on.

For any queries in relation to complaints certificates please telephone 0141 201 0780

To support revalidation doctors are required to discuss any Serious Clinical Incidents (SCIs) at their Appraisal, with a particular emphasis on those that have led to a specific change in practice or demonstrate learning.  The Appraiser will be interested in any actions that the doctor has taken or any changes which have been implemented to prevent such events or incidents happening again.  

Areas for further learning and development should be reflected in the doctor’s personal development plan and CPD.  Doctors should bring along their own log of any SCIs recorded in the preceding year up to the date of the Appraisal meeting.  

If you require further information regarding an SCI or SCI’s that you have been involved in, please contact your Clinical Director.      

If you wish to apply to be an Appraiser, you need to complete the application form and equal opportunities form, which can be found along with appraiser training dates on the NES website: https://www.appraisal.nes.scot.nhs.uk/appraiser-training/

The completed forms must be sent to NES by email: Medical.Appraisal@nes.scot.nhs.uk.  A copy of the forms should also be forwarded to the Medical Staffing Team to ensure that a central record of applications is maintained: medical.revalidation@ggc.scot.nhs.uk.

Please note: your application must be authorised by your Medical Manager before submission to NES.

Click on the following link to access the Scottish Medical Appraiser Handbook: http://www.appraisal.nes.scot.nhs.uk/i-want-access-to/resources-for-appraisers/appraiser-handbook.aspx.

There are 5 steps to support the Responsible Officer (RO) in making a revalidation recommendation:

1. The Appraiser and Appraisee should ensure that the Form 4 is completed online using the SOAR system, which allows the RO to review/access the Form 4(s) when it comes to making a revalidation recommendation to the GMC;
2. The Chiefs of Medicine (COMs) are advised by the Revalidation Team which doctors are due to revalidate within their Directorate/Sector in the coming month and are asked if they know of any reasons which may preclude a doctor from being revalidated.  For example, there may be ongoing HR processes, which need to be finalised before a recommendation can be made.  Another extenuating circumstance, which could prevent a recommendation being made, is if an individual has not completed an appraisal;
3. The Deputy Responsible Officer quality reviews the Form 4s submitted to ensure that all the information required has been included, for example CPD, MSF/Patient Questionnaire.  If the Form 4 is incomplete the DRO will make contact with both the Appraisee and Appraiser to advise.  If the Form 4 needs to be edited, arrangements are made by the the Revalidation Team to have SOAR unlock the Form 4;
4. The RO meets the Deputy Responsible Officer, Board Appraisal Lead and Revalidation Team on a monthly basis to review and sign off the Form 4s for those Appraisees who are due to revalidate in the proceeding month.  The RO will make one of three disposals: Recommendation to Revalidate; Deferral; or Non-Engagement.
5. Further to the monthly meeting, the Revalidation Team notifies the GMC of the recommendations that have been made.  Once the GMC has received the RO recommendation they will make a decision about your recommendation and will write to let you know.

• Appraisal and Revalidation Presentation
• Appraiser Workshop 16th August 2013 slides

Newsletters

• Revalidation Newsletter December 2022
• Revalidation Newsletter October 2021

Please click on the links below for GMC Guidance:

• GMC Guidance on supporting information for appraisal and revalidation
• The Reflective Practitioner Guidance for doctors and medical students: 
• Licence to practise top tips

Job Planning is a contractual obligation for all Career Grade Medical Staff, i.e. Consultants, Associate Specialists and Specialty Doctors/Dentists.

Job Planning is required to be undertaken annually, is a prospective process and should determine new ways of working rather than reinforcing existing working practices. The Job Plan should set out the doctor’s duties, responsibilities and objectives for the coming year.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Job Planning Policy provides information for both doctors and managers to assist with the Job Planning process.

E-Job Plan

Doctors within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have access to E-Job Plan (EJP) – an electronic Job Planning system which records all types of activity along with the frequency the activity is undertaken and calculates the number of PAs within the weekly plan. 

The system is web-based and you can access it from wherever you have an internet connection.  Doctors are provided with a log-in which gives them access to a Job Plan “Wizard”.  The Wizard consists of 8 pages similar to the paper Job Plan documentation, and once completed, the Job Plan can be printed or exported to “Word” to allow upload to SOAR.  The system also allows the Job Plan to be signed-off electronically by both the doctor and the Medical Manager. Guidance designed to assist the doctor with logging in, setting preferences and populating/ signing off their job plan can be found by following the below button.

To access EJP open a new browser window and navigate to https://www.healthmedics.allocatehealthsuite.com

If you have not received a username and password to access EJP please contact Ejobplan.admin@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

Consultant Discretionary Points

• What are Discretionary Points?
• Who is eligible to apply for Discretionary Points?
• How many points can be awarded?
• How do I apply for Discretionary Points?
• How will my application be considered?
• Will I be able to appeal the outcome of my application?
• What is the Internal Audit Process?
• Where can I find further Information regarding the Discretionary Points Process?

What are Discretionary Points?

Discretionary Points are a financial award paid at the discretion of the employer to reward excellence. To warrant payment of a discretionary point, consultants will be expected to demonstrate an above average contribution in respect of service to patients, teaching, research and the management and development of the service.

The employer, in determining the award of discretionary points, will follow the guidance in NHS Circular PCS(DD)1995/6 and the SEHD Guidance of 12 January 2000 ‘Discretionary Points for Consultants’.

Who is eligible to apply for Discretionary Points?

The application process is open to all Consultants who:-

• Are employed on a substantive contract or Clinical Academic with an Honorary Contract
• Are on the new contract, and have reached pay point 5 of the salary scale, (or its equivalent, for those consultants on the transitional salary scales), by 1st April of the fiscal year

Or

• Are on the old consultant contract and have reached the maximum of the salary scale by 1st April of the fiscal year

Please note:

• Consultants who are in receipt of a Distinction Award or 8 Discretionary Points are not eligible for payment of Discretionary Points

• Locum Consultants are not eligible for payment of Discretionary Points

• Part-time consultants receiving an award will be paid pro-rata to the full value of the award

• Clinical Academics receiving an award will be paid pro-rata according to the average time per week for which they engage in clinical or public health medicine as per NHS Circular PCS(DD)1995/6

• Consultants who deliver services between two or more Board areas will be considered on their overall contribution.  It will be the responsibility of the ‘lead’ employer to implement the nomination process, to liaise with the other employers and to consider applications from these medical staff

How many points can be awarded?

Employers have discretion on the numbers to be granted in any individual case in any particular year, and on the total number of points to be granted in any year subject to the minimum requirement of 0.35 points per eligible Consultant.

Notwithstanding this principle only in exceptional circumstances will more than two discretionary points be awarded to an individual in any single year.

How do I apply for Discretionary Points?

All eligible consultants will be contacted by email and invited to submit an application. If you think you are eligible based on the above criteria and you have not received an email please check your junk folder first before emailing the Discretionary Points mail box: DiscretionaryPoints@ggc.scot.nhs.uk.

Applicants will be given four weeks from the date of the invite letter to return their completed application form. Please note that the application form is now a web based document. Eligible Consultants will receive an email which will contain a private link to the application form. This year when an applicant clicks on the link the Webpropol System will prepopulate your application form with the following information:

• Payroll Number
• Sector/Directorate
• Job Title
• Date of Last Award
• Unique Identifying Number

Please note that each eligible Consultant will receive their own private link thus links are not transferable. If you have not received an email inviting you to apply please contact the Discretionary Points mailbox – DiscretionaryPoints@ggc.scot.nhs.uk.

The invite email you will receive will contain the above information apart from your payroll number. Please note that applicants will not see the above information when they click on the link as this data will remain ‘hidden’ within the form. This information will though be included in the application form received by the panel. If you think any of the information in your invite email is wrong please contact the Discretionary Points mailbox.

Applicants will thus only complete Sections 1-5 of the application form. An example of the application form is in Appendix 1.

Please note that as each eligible Consultant will receive their own private link thus links are not transferable. If you have not received an email inviting you to apply and you think you meet the eligibility criteria please contact the Discretionary Points team using the email address above.

Please note applications will not be accepted if they are received after the closing date, 5pm on Friday 21 July 2023. The normal four week deadline for receipt of applications has been extended by two weeks to take account of the school holiday period.

Consultants should not apply for discretionary points in the year following the receipt of an award apart from in exceptional circumstances. Where a consultant believes that ‘exceptional circumstances’ apply, then they should complete Section 2 of the application form.

Details on how to complete, save and submit the new form can be found in the Guidance Note on Completion of Application Form.

The Statement of Case is in Section 5 of the new form and each scoring box now has a character limit depending on the number of points available for that section. The number of characters available for each box is indicated under the bottom right hand corner of the box.

Please note that there is also a box in Section 5 to list any publications or research etc.

Anonymisation

Please ensure that your application is anonymised (including any list of publications, research etc.). Failure to comply with this will result in your application being disqualified.

Applications that are not completed in accordance to the guidance specification will be disqualified. As it is an applicant’s responsibility to ensure that their application meets the guidance specification you are advised to double check your form prior to submission. All applications received by the closing date will be submitted to the decision making panels who will decide if an application meets the guidance specification prior to the scoring process. If an application does not meet the guidance specification applicants will be notified in writing of their disqualification from the process.

To apply you will need to read and follow the Guidance Note on Completion of Application Form and complete and submit your Application Form and the Equality Monitoring Form by 5pm on Friday 21 July 2023. To submit your completed application click submit on the final page of the Application form. On submission of your application form you will automatically receive an email from the Discretionary Points mail box confirming the receipt of your form. If you do not receive an acknowledgment email please contact the Discretionary Points Mail box before the closing date stated above. Applicants are advised to use the ‘save and continue’ option, to save their form prior to submitting their completed form. 

After you have submitted your application you will then have the option to either convert and save your form into a PDF document  or email your form to an email address of your choosing.  Please click Finish to exit the form.

Equality Monitoring Form

Completion of the Equality Monitoring Form is a requirement of the application process. Please note that the Equality Monitoring Form will not be sent to the Panel. You will receive an email which will contain a private link to the Equality Monitoring Form

When you click on your private link, Webropol will pre-populate your equality monitoring form with your unique identifying number. This unique identifying number will enable Webropol to analyse the success rate of all applicants including those from protected groups. From this analysis the Board will then will be able to identify if there is any bias within the current Discretionary Points process.

How will my application be considered?

• All applications are anonymised and scored independently by members of the Sector/Directorate Discretionary Points Committee comprised of the following individuals:-
• Sector/Directorate Director
• Chief of Medicine
• Clinical Director
• Service General Manager
• Eligible and non-Eligible Consultants nominated by MSA
• Head of People & Change (Non-Scoring)
• Local Negotiating Committee Observer (Non-Scoring)

The committee composition has equal numbers of management to MSA Representatives

• The scores are discussed at a meeting of the Discretionary Points Committee and the award of points is discussed and agreed
• The deliberations of the Discretionary Points Committee is confidential (subject to the terms of the Appeals Process)
• All applicants are informed of the outcome of their application by letter to their home address. If the application is successful the payment of award will be made in their January 2024 salary at the latest.
• A list of those individuals who have been awarded points in the current year are posted on HR Connect

 Will I be able to appeal the outcome of my application?

Consultants are advised to discuss their application with the relevant Chief of Medicine before deciding on whether to proceed with a formal appeal

In the event that a consultant believes that the process of awarding discretionary points has been unfair i.e. they believe they have been disadvantaged by the assessment or in regard to how many points they have been awarded, there is the right of appeal. 

The purpose of the appeal hearing is for an independent panel to review the consultant’s original application and the scores awarded by the Discretionary Points Committee, to assess whether the process of awarding points has been carried out fairly.  It is not an opportunity for the consultant to present new information.

Appeals must be made in writing to Gavin McFarlane, HR Manager, Medical Staffing at Gavin,McFarlane@ggc.scot.nhs,uk within one month of the candidate receiving notification that they will not be receiving an award. The grounds of appeal must be clearly stated by the applicant in their letter of appeal.

On receipt of an appeal the Medical Staffing Unit will arrange an appeal hearing, within two calendar months of the completion of all the Discretionary Points Committee’ meetings. The appeals panel is comprises of the following individuals:-

• Board Medical Director
• Deputy Director of Human Resources & Organisational Development
• Two individuals nominated by the Local Negotiating Committee

Following the appeal, the appellant will be informed in writing within three working days of the decision.

The decision of the Appeals Panel will be final.

What is the Internal Audit Process?

At the end of each Discretionary Points round, a random selection of anonymised applications will be subject to internal audit to verify accuracy, on an annual basis

List of Consultants Awarded Discretionary Points:

2021-22

Where can I find further Information regarding the Discretionary Points Process?

• Consultants Discretionary Points: Agreement Between NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and Glasgow LNC

• Appendix 1 – Consultant Discretionary Points Application Form

• NHSGGC Discretionary Points Audit Process
• NHSGGC Discretionary Points Verification Tool

Please note:-  Staff should make themselves aware of the changes to the Business Travel Policy which comes into effect from 1st July 2019. Staff will no longer be able to arrange their own travel when the costs exceeds £50, (excluding bus & taxi journeys). All travel will need to go through the purchasing department travel team and must be booked electronically, paper copies will no longer be accepted. You will no longer have an option to claim back expenses for travel exceeding £50.

Please find below links to a number of policies and procedures which will help support you through the process of managing conduct and competence issues and/or concerns for medical and dental staff:

• NHSGGC guidance for managing issues regarding the conduct and competence of Consultant and other career grade doctors and dentists
• NHSGGC Guidance on Conducting a Preliminary Enquiry
• Preliminary Enquiry Record
• Terms of Reference Template
• NHSGGC Remediation Policy
• NHSGGC Clinical Support Group guidance
• PCS 1990(8)DD Disciplinary procedures for hospital medical and dental staff, community medicine staff and doctors in public health medicine
• PCS 1982(8)DD Incapacity of medical and dental staff due to physical and mental disability
• PCS(DD)2001-9 Disciplinary procedures: classification of conduct
• Suspension from Duty of Medical & Dental Staff – Dr Chris Deighan 15th December 2021
• Referral to General Medical Council
• Scheme of Delegation Disciplinary for Consultant and SAS Grades
• Scheme of Delegation Disciplinary for Training Grades and Clinical Fellows

• NHSGGC Removal Policy for STR-CT
• NHS GGC Removal Expenses Short Term Policy (Clinical Fellows, Locum Consultants,  Locum Appointment for Training and Medical appointments of 1 year or less)

Managers and Supervisors

It is important that managers consider their concerns carefully and have read the Prevent Manager briefing.

This briefing outlines the steps that should be taken in relation to processing Prevent concerns about a member of staff.  A copy of the escalation pathway.

Members of staff

If you have concerns about a patient, volunteer or member of staff, please refer to the Prevent Staff briefing. If you believe that a referral under Prevent is needed please follow the steps below:

Non-Urgent Matters

1. Discuss your concerns with your direct line manager.
2. Contact the Prevent Single Point of Contact for advice if required on 07895907414
3. Document your concerns on the Adult Support and Protection Act referral form (AP1).
4. Email the completed AP1 referral to the Prevent generic mailbox: Preventconcerns@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

Urgent Matters

If you feel there is an imminent threat, the situation has become an emergency or a person is at risk of harm or a risk to other people then you should report this immediately to your line manager and contact Police Scotland.

Prevent- e-learning module

An awareness raising e-module on PREVENT is now available on LearnPro and can be found under the specialist subjects section. This is a short module designed to raise awareness of what PREVENT is and outlines our responsibilities in protecting vulnerable patients and staff.

You will require a NHS LearnPro username and password to login.

Workshop to Raise Awareness of PREVENT (WRAP)

If you would like further training on PREVENT, a Workshop to Raise Awareness of PREVENT (WRAP) can be delivered locally.  The training is 1 hour and 10 minutes long.  For further information, please contact LE.support@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

• Adult Support and Protection
• ASP (AP1 form for all staff working in NHSGGC)
• Child Protection

• Prevent Strategy– UK Government
• Playing our Part – Scottish Government
• PREVENT Duty Guidance for Scotland
• Reporting terrorist content on the web  
• Current Threat Level
• Counter Terrorism and Security Fact Sheet

If you would like to discuss any issues relating to PREVENT, or would like to discuss a concern, please contact PREVENTConcerns@ggc.scot.nhs.uk  or phone 0141 278 2700.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is committed to ensure that everyone can access our services. Communication support is available for patients to enable our healthcare staff to provide safe and effective patient care. This is for all patients where English is not their first language and may need communication support in a health setting. This also includes people who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or deafblind.

We have a range of services, and resources to support patients who require an interpreting service. We have our own in-house interpreters, sessional interpreters for spoken and sign language support, and a telephone interpreting service.

Phone: 0141 347 8811

Email: interpretingservices@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

Location

NHSGGC Staffbank
Dalnair Street
West Glasgow ACH
Yorkhill Glasgow
G3 8SJ

Opening Hours

• Monday to Sunday, 8.00am to 4.00pm
• Closed Christmas Day and New Year Day

Interpreting Services Contact Numbers

Contact Centre

Telephone: 0141 347 8811

Contact Centre Team Lead

Andrew Stewart
Telephone: 0141 278 2679
Email: Andrew.Stewart2@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

Contact Centre Supervisor

Laura Traquair
Telephone: 0141 278 2677
Email: Laura.Traquair@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

Equality and Human Rights Manager

Jac Ross
Telephone: 0141 201 4825
Email: Jac.Ross@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

Telephone Interpreting

Please note that the contact number and all codes for telephone interpreting are changing from 1^st April 2023

Telephone interpreting should now be used for all appointments under 46 minutes. This applies to all short appointments unless the patient has additional vulnerabilities, such as a cognitive impairment or hearing loss, or is a child over 2 years old.

DA Languages is our provider for telephone interpreting and can be accessed 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. You can contact the service by calling or via the app.

You will need a 6-digit department PIN for telephone interpreting and a one-off access code for the mobile app. If you do not yet know your new code:

• Acute sites
• All other sites – email: interpretingservice@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

Complaints / Feedback Form

If you wish to raise any issues experienced with the interpreting services provided by DA Languages to NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, please click here to download a feedback form.

Telephone

• Call: 0330 088 2443

Enter your 6-digit department PIN followed by the # key

Enter the 3-digit language code – download the full list

Press 1 for any interpreter, 2 for a male or 3 for a female interpreter

Tell the interpreter if your patient is with you, or if you need to contact the patient on another number. To call your patient, dial 9 followed by their phone number.

If the patient is with you, use your speaker phone to give the interpreter your first question/statement

Let the patient and interpreter know when you are finished the conversation

Leave feedback on interpreter at the end of the call. You will have 8 seconds to do this. From 1 (lowest rating) to 5 (highest rating).

If you have any issues, please press # at any time to connect to the operator.

Mobile App

Download the ILClient App free from your app store

Follow the short tutorial

Complete initial registration by clicking on ‘Register’. Registration is only required once per mobile device.

As part of the one off registration enter your name, email, mobile telephone number, Site Access Code and your 6-digit department PIN.

Log in to the App by entering your department PIN.

Once registered, you will remain logged in and when the App is opened, you will be always taken to the Interpreter Screen.

You can select preferred languages from the Favourite Language screen. Languages can be added or removed at any time from the Languages Screen. Access via the languages icon shown at the bottom of the screen.

Selects the language from the list and click the ‘Dial Interpreter’ button.

Pre booked video remote interpreting

Pre booked video remote interpreting allows you to access spoken language interpreters via a video call. It can be used for short notice appointments, emergencies and for rare languages. Telephone interpreting is still NHS GGC’s preferred primary interpreting method.

Working with a video interpreter (PDF Download)

Raising a pre-booked VRI booking (PDF Download)

To book video remote interpreting

· Reach out to Ebony-Mae.Julienne@dalanguages.co.uk to get access to the DA Link portal
· Log onto DA Link portal – DA Link | Public | List (dalanguages.co.uk) either with an individual or team log in.
· Follow the Guidance provided in the attachments or reach out for further assistance!
· For updates on your VRI bookings, please contact DAL VRI Appointments – dalvriappointments@dalanguages.co.uk
· If any team requires initial or further training on the portal, please reach out directly to Ebony-Mae.Julienne@dalanguages.co.uk

We have a legal obligation to ensure that all patients are communicated with in a way they understand and that best meets their needs, including the use of accessible formats. Consider your target audience to ensure that the needs of equality groups have been taken into consideration.

The Equality and Human Rights Team (EHRT) hold the central budget for translations and other accessible formats. To request information in an alternative format, please download and complete the form and submit for approval (cleartoall@ggc.scot.nhs.uk).

Click here for: Requests For Translations And Accessible Formats Form

Urgent requests (within 4 days), such as appointment letters, clinical instructions or health records for a patient in active care, should be emailed directly to the EHRT (nuzhat.mirza@ggc.scot.nhs.uk). This form does not need to be completed for urgent requests.

We only translate information that has been produced by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. If you need a translated version of a charity or Public Health Scotland publication, please indicate this on the form.

Please note, interpreters should be used to communicate information which is normally given verbally to English speaking patients; translated materials are for written materials only.

You can get advice on translation and accessible formats from the NHSGGC Equalities and Human Rights Team (0141 201 4560) or email: cleartoall@ggc.scot.nhs.uk.

It is the responsibility of NHSGGC staff to provide interpreting support for patients using any of our healthcare services.

Telephone Interpreting

Please use telephone interpreting for all appointments under 46 minutes. This applies to all short appointments unless the patient has additional vulnerabilities, such as cognitive impairment or hearing loss, or is a child over 2 years old.

You can access telephone interpreting by calling or using the app.

Call: 0330 088 2443

Enter your 6-digit department PIN followed by the # key

Enter the 3-digit language code – download the full list

Press 1 for any interpreter, 2 for a male or 3 for a female interpreter

Tell the interpreter if your patient is with you, or if you need to contact the patient on another number. To call your patient, dial 9 followed by their phone number.

If the patient is with you, use your speaker phone to give the interpreter your first question/statement

Let the patient and interpreter know when you are finished the conversation

Leave feedback on interpreter at the end of the call. You will have 8 seconds to do this. From 1 (lowest rating) to 5 (highest rating).

If you have any issues, please press # at any time to connect to the operator.

Mobile App

Download the ILClient App free from your app store

Follow the short tutorial

Complete initial registration by clicking on ‘Register’. Registration is only required once per mobile device.

As part of the one off registration enter your name, email, mobile telephone number, Site Access Code and your 6-digit department PIN.

Log in to the App by entering your department PIN.

Once registered, you will remain logged in and when the App is opened, you will be always taken to the Interpreter Screen.

You can select preferred languages from the Favourite Language screen. Languages can be added or removed at any time from the Languages Screen. Access via the languages icon shown at the bottom of the screen.

Selects the language from the list and click the ‘Dial Interpreter’ button.

Face to Face Interpreting for Spoken Language or British Sign Language (BSL)

For appointments that contain very complex information, or where a patient is receiving bad news, face to face interpreters may be available. 

To request a face to face interpreter please click here

For same day/next day requests and cancellations please call 0141 347 8811.

The phone lines are open from 8.00am – 6.00pm Monday to Friday and 8.00am – 4.00pm Saturday and Sunday.

Out of hours

Face to face spoken 

Global Languages – 0141 429 3429

Face to Face BSL

Deaf Services Lanarkshire – 01236 604 808 and/or

Sign Language Interactions – 0333 344 7712

British Sign Language (BSL) Online Interpreting Service                                                                               

This online service allows you to communicate with your Deaf patients while waiting for a face to face interpreter to arrive, or during hospital stays when an interpreter is not always present.

Deafblind Communicators

Contact Deafblind Scotland on 0141 777 6111 (9.00am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday)

Out of Hours, call 07715 421 388

Note takers and lip speaker for those who are hard of hearing can also be booked through the interpreting service.

It is the responsibility of NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde staff to provide a BSL interpreter for Deaf patients attending any healthcare appointment.

Pre Planned Appointments

For all pre-planned appointments, please contact the interpreting services on 0141 347 8811. We will provide you with a booking reference number (BRN).  

Accident and Emergency / Out Of Hours   

To book a face to face interpreter for unplanned visits or out of hours please contact one of the following agencies – 

Face to Face BSL

Deaf Services Lanarkshire – 01236 604 808 and/or

Sign Language Interactions – 0333 344 7712

N.B We also provide an online interpreting service, enabling the patient to communicate with staff while waiting for a face to face interpreter to arrive.

The online service means that in an emergency, staff can quickly link up to an interpreter at any time – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – and communicate with their patient.

It can also be used during hospital stays, when an interpreter is not available.

BSL Online is accessed through special laptops which come ready to use with simple instructions. Staff should contact the relevant departments to access the service.

For remote BSL interpreting please download the SignVideo app

Face to face spoken 

Global Languages – 0141 429 3429

Face to Face BSL

Deaf Services Lanarkshire – 01236 604 808 and/or

Sign Language Interactions – 0333 344 7712

Please find below the links to additional resources:

• Interpreting Policy (Updated June 2023)
• How to Access Interpreting Support 
• Language Identification Pocket Card
• Language Identification Poster
• Tent Card

Interpreting newsletter 29/02/24

Training Opportunity – How to Use the NHSGGC Interpreting Service.

In response to staff requests, further dates are now available for training sessions on How to Use the NHSGGC Interpreting Service.

It is the responsibility of NHSGGC staff to arrange interpreting support for patients using any of our healthcare services. It is therefore vital that staff know how to access the support available.

Our interpreting service provides a range of services and resources for patients whose first language is not English and who may need communication support in a health setting. Support is also available for patients who are Deaf, hard of hearing, blind or deafblind.

Training includes information on: how to use telephone interpreting; accessing BSL Online interpreting; booking face to face interpreters, requesting translations and direct patient access to telephone interpreting.

Sessions are being run via Microsoft Teams and dates are available from January onwards. To register or to find out more, please go to our web page.

Get in Touch

We are available to answer your calls from 8.00am to 8.30pm every day of the week on 0141 347 8811

We now have the capacity to offer Attend Anywhere (Near Me) video interpreting appointments in a variety of different languages in scenarios where telephone interpreting and face to face appointments are not appropriate.

If you would like to book an Attend Anywhere appointment please email interpretingservices@ggc.scot.nhs.uk giving us the following information:- Your name, department, contact details, Attend Anywhere waiting area link, time and date of appointment, expected duration of appointment and the name of the clinician and patient.

On the day of the appointment the interpreter will be available in the waiting area and will identify themselves as “interpreter” and should be invited into the call prior to the patient.

For more information about Attend Anywhere appointments please do not hesitate to contact the interpreting department on 0141 347 8811.

Patients can now access the telephone interpreting service to contact any NHSGGC service.

For example, patients can use the telephone interpreting service to make an appointment with their GP, discuss medications with their Pharmacy, book a Maternity appointment or contact NHS 24.

An information leaflet is available in multiple languages. It explains how to use the service by calling or by using a mobile app. It provides codes specific to NHSGGC services so can only be used for this purpose.

• Albanian
• Amharic
• Arabic
• Bengali
• Bulgarian
• Cantonese
• Czech
• Dari
• Farsi
• French
• Georgian
• Greek
• Hindi
• Hungarian
• Italian
• Krio
• Kurdish Sorani
• Latvian
• Lingala
• Lithuanian
• Mandarin
• Oromo
• Pashto
• Polish
• Portuguese
• Punjabi
• Romanian
• Russian
• Sinhalese
• Slovak
• Somali
• Spanish
• Swahili
• Tamil
• Tigrinya
• Turkish
• Ukrainian
• Urdu
• Vietnamese
• Yoruba

The NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Nursing and Midwifery Staff Bank teams are here to help when there are planned, or unplanned, shortfalls in the levels of nursing and midwifery staff.

We provide registered and non-registered nursing and midwifery staff to our hospital wards, outpatient clinics, health centres and community settings. The Nurse Bank has approximately 15,000 temporary staff providing shift cover 24/7, 365 days a year.

Bank workers are registered with NHSGGC Nursing & Midwifery Staff Bank and are available to fill short-term shortfalls in manpower resource. The service helps to provide safe, effective, person-centred care for patients across Glasgow and Clyde.

The Nursing and Midwifery Staff Bank service provides a central booking, recruitment and management service for NHSGGC. The Staff Bank Service provides a critical link between NHSGGC bank workers and frontline health care professionals commissioning staffing requests for their services.

Location

NHSGGC Staffbank
Dalnair Street
West Glasgow ACH
Yorkhill Glasgow
G3 8SJ

Nursing & Midwifery, Recruitment and Pay Enquires

• Telephone: 0141 278 2555
• Email: staff.bank@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

Opening Hours

Staff Bank

Monday to Sunday – 8.00am to 8:30pm
Closed Christmas Day and New Year Day

Recruitment and Pay Enquires

• Monday to Friday – 9.00am – 5.00pm
• Closed all public holidays

Telephone Options

• Our contact number for all enquires is 0141 278 2555.

Staff Bank Contact Numbers

Contact Centre

• Telephone: 0141 278 2555

Contact Centre Team Lead

Kelly Smith
Telephone: 0141 278 2640
Email: Kelly.Smith2@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

Contact Centre Team Lead

Andrew Stewart
Telephone: 0141 278 2595
Email: Andrew.Stewart2@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

Contact Centre Supervisor

Laura Traquair
Telephone: 0141 278 2677
Email: Laura.Traquair@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

Contact Centre Supervisor

David Dougan
Telephone: 0141 278 2566
Email: David.Dougan@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

Contact Centre Manager

Neil McGhie
Telephone: 0141 278 2656
Email: Neil.McGhie@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

Nurse Manager

Karen McCoubrey
Email: Karen.McCoubrey@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

Nurse Manager

Carol Allison
Email: Carol.Allison@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

Nurse ‘Manager

Julia O’Neill
Email: Julia.O’Neill@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

Payroll Cut Off Deadline

The BankStaff system for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Staff Banks was introduced in 1^st July 2017 .

Bank workers timesheets are required to be completed electronically, and authorisers are required to confirm the shift has been worked and then finalise the timesheet on the system, to allow the shift to be released for payment.

The payroll cut off for electronic time sheets authorisation is now 12.00pm on Friday.

All shifts which start before midnight on the Thursday must be signed off for payment before 12 noon on a Friday to ensure the bank workers receive payment the following Friday.

Thursday night shifts can now be paid the following Friday i.e:

Shift: Thursday Night shift 7.30pm to 7.30am

If signed-off by Friday midday will be paid the following Friday.

Payroll Cut Off Deadline (Easter 2024)

Week	Shifts Worked	Shifts to be signed off not later than	Payment Date
52	15/03/24 – 20/03/24	12pm on Thursday 21st March	28/03/2024
53	21/03/24 – 25/03/24	12pm on Tuesday 26th March	05/04/2024
1	26/03/24 – 04/04/24	12pm on Friday 05th April	12/04/2024

Rates of pay

If you are a Band 2 member of staff you will be paid the below hourly rates depending on what point of the payscale you are placed on:

Points 00 & 01 = £23,362 (£12.11 per hour)

Points 02, 03, 04 & 05 = £25,368 (£13.15 per hour)

For any hours you work that are classified as Saturday, Night or Unsocial, you will be paid an extra 44% for those hours on top of your basic rate of pay.  These will be shown separately on your payslip for that week.

For any hours you work that are classified as Sunday or Public Holiday, you will be paid an extra 88% for those hours on top of your basic rate of pay.  These will also be shown separately on your payslip for that week.

If you are a Band 3 member of staff you will be paid the below hourly rates depending on what point of the payscale you are placed on:

Points 00 & 01 = £25,468 (£13.20 per hour)

Points 02, 03, 04, 05 & 06 = £27,486 (£14.25 per hour)

For any hours you work that are classified as Saturday, Night or Unsocial, you will be paid an extra 37% for those hours on top of your basic rate of pay.  These will be shown separately on your payslip for that week.

For any hours you work that are classified as Sunday or Public Holiday, you will be paid an extra 74% for those hours on top of your basic rate of pay.  These will also be shown separately on your payslip for that week.

If you are a Band 5 member of staff you will be paid the below hourly rates depending on what point of the payscale you are placed on:

Points 00 & 01 = £30,229 (£15.67 per hour)

Points 02 & 03= £32,300 (£16.74 per hour)

Points 04, 05, 06 & 07 = £37,664 (£19.52 per hour)

For any hours you work that are classified as Saturday, Night or Unsocial, you will be paid an extra 30% for those hours on top of your basic rate of pay.  These will be shown separately on your payslip for that week.

For any hours you work that are classified as Sunday or Public Holiday, you will be paid an extra 60% for those hours on top of your basic rate of pay.  These will also be shown separately on your payslip for that week.

These annual salary value are re-assessed by the Government in April of each year.

NHSGGC Staff Bank Newsletter

• Staff Bank May 2024 Newsletter
• DNA (Did not attend) newsletter September 2023

Previous Newsletters

• Newsletter April 2024
• Newsletter March 2024
• Newsletter February 2024
• Newsletter January 2024
• Newsletter December 2023
• Newsletter November 2023
• Newsletter October 2023
• Newsletter September 2023
• Newsletter August 2023
• Newsletter July 2023
• Newsletter June 2023
• Newsletter May 2023

• Information on Professional Nursing and Governance
• Information on NHSGGC Nursing and Midwifery Bank Operational Protocol
• NHSGGC Staff Bank Incident form

Come and Join the Staff Bank Service

We are welcoming internal applications for both nursing and non-nursing role’s with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Nursing and Midwifery Bank. With a wide variety of flexible shifts across both acute and community services we would be delighted to hear from you. More information and our online application is available through the links below.

• Internal nursing staff (Band 2) who wish to join the bank
• Internal nursing staff (Band 5) who wish to join the bank
• Internal staff who are currently in non-nursing roles who wish to join to the bank as a Band 2 HCSW

Joining NHSGGC Staff Bank

The process for recruiting both registered and non-registered nurses and midwives to NHSGGC Nursing and Midwifery Staff Bank follows the same robust recruitment and selection processes as required for substantive posts.

To register with the Staff Bank there is both an internal and external process.

Internal Applications

Nursing and Midwifery staff that hold a permanent post within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are permitted to join the Staff Bank through the internal application process, by virtue of existing employment, in a nursing role, with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

This is on the basis that as bank workers they are fully supported by their substantive line manager in delivering high standards of care to patients within their bank role. Before completing and signing the reference managers acting as the individuals sponsor should consider the suitability of the individual to undertake bank work i.e. relevant mandatory training and competency.  

Bank workers planning to leave substantive employment within the organisation e.g. retirement and wish to continue to undertake bank shifts will no longer have sponsorship from their line manager and therefore no means for the bank nurse’s competence to be assessed within the responsibilities of the role and job description. 

Bank workers wishing to continue to undertake shifts when no longer substantively employed by NHS GGC will undergo a reassessment process to transfer managerial responsibility to Staff Bank Nurse Management.

It is important that the bank worker and their line manager inform the Staff Bank service of their intention to leave their substantive post at the earliest opportunity to allow the reassessment process which entails Occupational Health check, PVG assessment, mandatory training update and a satisfactory reference. NHSGGC Staff Bank advise they are notified a minimum of 3 months in advance of leaving.

External Applications

External applicants to the Nursing and Midwifery Staff Bank will be subject to NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde recruitment and selection process, which adheres to NHS Scotland PIN Guidelines.

• Application short listed in line with Pin guidelines
• Short listed applicants interviewed
• Successful interviewees are progressed subject to the following checking standards: Occupational Health Clearance, Criminal record checks and membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme, Employment history and 2 satisfactory reference checks, Verification of identity checks and right to work in UK checks.

All external recruitment is advertised on NHS Show Website.

In order to maintain registration with NHSGGC Staff Bank you are required to ensure that you complete all statutory and mandatory training.  

Focus on Policies and Procedures

As members of NHS Greater Glasgow Clyde Staff Bank Team, it is key that we are all committed to the core NHS values of: Care and Compassion, Dignity and Respect, Openness, Honesty, Responsibility, Quality and Teamwork and we use these values to guide us in all that we do.

It is important to maintain your knowledge and understanding of all NHSGGC Policies and Procedures. Please ensure that you are familiar with and follow the policies that are pertinent to your role and current scope of practice at all times.

To support you with this and maintaining these core values, each month we will focus on a different Policy or Procedure. This month we are featuring the following policies:

• NHSGGC Safe and Secure handling of Medicines in Hospital Wards, Theatres and Departments, v2008
• NHSGGC Administration of Intravenous (IV) medicines and Flush Policy v2021
• NHSGGC Acute Division Patient Identification Band Policy v2015
• NHS 21; Policy and Procedures for the safe identification of patients replaces v 2.0
• NHSGGC Safe and Secure handling of Medicines in Primary Care, V2 September 2014

Please be aware that Policies and Procedures are updated from time to time, therefore it is important to regularly check for changes.

Important Information for all Nursing, Midwifery and Health Care Support Workers

Following a recent review of Nursing Documentation by NHSGGC Tissue Viability Team, the ABCD initiative to documentation is now being rolled out Board wide. Please read the information on the new approach.

Further information

• Acute Services – Tissue Viability Service – Acute Division Homepage (scot.nhs.uk)
• Community Services – Pressure Ulcer Prevention – NHSGGC

Annual Leave

Due to current circumstances it has been agreed that the normal maximum 37.5 hour carry over rule for annual leave will be waived and any untaken leave will be carried over to the next financial year. (Therefore if you still had 50 hours on the 31st March 2022, all of this has been carried over on the 1st April 2022)

Additionally, if you have booked annual leave, and wish to also take a bank shift,  then you will be able to do this with immediate effect. We will monitor usage of these to ensure that bank workers are taking regular breaks, as whilst we value your contribution, we also need to make sure you get rest.

Many thanks

The bank office team

COVID-19 Updated Briefings

• Bank workers communication 25th March 2020

The three Workforce Plans focus on Medical and Dental workforce issues and will form part of an overarching plan which will include other elements of the Acute workforce including Nursing and Midwifery, Allied Health Professionals and all other NHS staff groups. Significant work has already been undertaken in Nursing and Midwifery in identifying the workforce challenges with further work for AHP staff and non-clinical roles underway. All workforce plans will form part of a comprehensive Board Workforce Plan and link to National workforce plans.

The Acute Services Medical Workforce Plan describes the current medical workforce challenges facing the Acute Division in delivering clinical services in 2017/2018. The plan takes into consideration key Acute Strategy documents including the Acute Division Delivery Plan and Strategy for Acute Services.

The Mental Health Services Medical Workforce Plan provides a summary of the workforce data across Mental Health services within Partnerships. The document references the Royal College of Psychiatrists recommendations for a standard workforce model, which has been developed and applied for Medical Staffing, and this work is the first step in being able to develop such a model within NHSGGC. NB – a link will be added to access the plan on publication (Autumn 2017)

The Oral Health (Dentist) Workforce Plan focuses on the need to support our current workforce to meet future service needs. The workforce plan contains a series of actions designed to initiate the changes required to create a workforce with the capacity and capabilities required to meet future needs. The workforce plan focuses on Dentists working within Acute Secondary Care Dental Services and the Public Dental Service (PDS) i.e. direct employees of the Board. NB – a link will be added to access the plan on publication (Autumn 2017) 

While each of the plans reflects the specific needs of the service area they cover some of the common themes include:

• Medical staff recruitment and retention
• Creating a stable medical workforce by reducing medical locum usage;
• Developing the current and future medical workforce ensuring access to clinical skills, training and leadership development for clinical leaders;
• Improving medical workforce productivity through application of the allocate job planning tool and review of EPAs across the Acute Division;
• The ageing medical workforce and the impact of this changing demographic for the future medical workforce;
• Shared Services and how this will impact on the future Medical Workforce.

The NHS Scotland Workforce Planning Community Website was established in 2015 for use by the NHS Scotland Workforce Planning and Human Resources community; however it also contains information which may be useful to:-

• NHS staff who are not operational workforce planners but need to be aware of the importance of workforce planning their own services to meet the workforce, service and financial challenges of the future.
• Ad-hoc visitors from partner agencies who want to obtain information on workforce planning in NHS Scotland.

The site has been designed to allow visitors to quickly access information on workforce planning. Most of the site is open and you do not have to be a member of the Community to access information; however access is restricted to certain pages which are appropriate for NHS Scotland National Workforce Planning Forum members only (this may restrict some search functionality).

Using this site will allow you to:-

• Identify workforce planning contacts in each of the NHS Scotland Territorial and Special Health Boards and access workforce planning documents.
• Understand background information on workforce planning and how it integrates into service delivery and financial planning.
• Understand the context in which workforce planning sits within overall NHS Scotland.
• Obtain additional information on the Skills for Health “Six Steps Methodology to Integrated Workforce Planning” (which is used across NHS Scotland) and how it can be best utilised as part of a workforce planning process.
• Develop an awareness of the importance of good workforce data and information to inform the planning process.
• Secure details of and links to recent workforce planning activities within NHS Job Families and Care Groups.
• Understand how to access a variety of support tools and useful links.

The “Six Steps Methodology to Integrated Workforce Planning” has been designed by Skills for Health as a practical approach to planning that ensures you have a workforce of the right size with the right skills and competences.

The Six Steps methodology is used by the NHS across all four countries in the United Kingdom and is also used by a number of social care providers.

Use of the Six Steps methodology within NHS Scotland was noted in the revised workforce planning guidance published in CEL 32 (2011). The Methodology identifies those elements that should be in any workforce plan, taking into account the current and future demand for services, the local demographic situation and the impact on other services, while working to within you define budget. Using the Six Steps provides you with a tool which will:

• Establish a systematic practical approach that supports the delivery of quality patient care, productivity and efficiency
• Ensure closer integration between NHS Boards and social care providers in planning the wider workforce.
•  Identify the key learning and educational needs of the existing and future workforce, the evidence of which will inform national education and training requirements
• Ensure that in developing workforce plans they support corporate goals and objectives
• Ensure that workforce planning decisions taken are sustainable and realistic
• a scalable approach, from small wards plans to large organisations

The Six Steps are:

• Step 1: Defining the plan
• Step 2: Mapping service change
• Step 3: Defining the required workforce
• Step 4: Understanding workforce availability
• Step 5: Planning to deliver the required workforce
• Step 6: Implement, monitoring and refresh.

Revised Workforce Planning Guidance was issued to all NHSScotland organisations in December 2011 to provide Boards with a consistent framework to support evidence based workforce planning.

The guidance is designed to support and assist those responsible for leading on workforce planning, in particular the development of workforce plans at service, NHS Board and regional level. 

Published in June 2017 the 2017/18 National Health and Social Care Workforce Plan (Part 1) covers NHS Scotland and:

• Aims to support NHS Scotland organisations, including independent NHS contractors in the community, to identify, develop, retain and support the workforce they need to deliver safe and sustainable services to Scotland’s people;
• Will enable NHS Scotland organisations to work together over time to broaden this aim in order to help deliver a whole system approach to health and social care;
• Provides an overview of the current NHS Scotland workforce and an assessment of what it could look like in the future;
• Sets out how improved workforce planning can benefit NHS Scotland services at national, regional and local levels.

Part 1 of the Plan has made workforce planning recommendations specific to NHS Scotland.

Parts 2 (Social Care) and 3 (GP supplement) of this Plan (to be published in late 2017, early 2018) will recommend actions for different parts of the system and will be undertaken using a phased approach, reflecting on-going discussions between NHS Scotland, local authorities, primary care, professional and regulatory bodies, trade unions, Integration Joint Boards and the third and independent sector.