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In NHSGGC, there are a number of alerts that are distributed around the organisation by the Health and Safety department.

Safety Alert Policy – June 2022

Medical Devices Alerts (MDA)

MDAs were introduced in England on 1 January 2003, to replace the previous types of safety warnings (Hazard Notice, Safety Notice, Device Alert, Advice Notice, Safety Notices and Pacemaker Technical Notes).

Safety Action Notices (SAN)

SANs are notices that disseminate relevant NHS England Patient Safety Alerts relating to equipment. This is to ensure that the communication is being sent to the right people and that the communication is being actioned appropriately, and does not get confused with any other Scottish initiatives.

Estates and Facilities Alerts (EFA)

EFAs started in 2010; a new format safety warning dealing with Estates and Facilities equipment, and is issued in one of two priorities: Action (standard priority) and Immediate Action (top priority).

Field Safety Notices (FSN)

FSNs are alerts received directly from equipment manufacturers. 

Internal Safety Notices (ISN) and Risk Awareness Notices (RAN)

ISNs and RANs are generated from incidents that have occurred internally, and have been investigated by either the Health & Safety departments, or Risk Management department respectively.

Product Recalls (PR) and Customer Advice Notices (CAN)

PRs and CANs are alerts / recalls that have been issued from the National Procurement department of NHS Services Scotland.

The reporting of accidents and incidents within NHSGGC will enable the safety performance of the organisation to be monitored and allow statistics relative to the accidents and incidents occurring to be compiled. These statistics will provide information about the hazards that employees, patients, visitors and others encounter on Division premises and ensure that suitable precautions can be taken to minimise these hazards and prevent a recurrence of an incident that has already caused or could potentially cause injury.

The incident report is a primary tool for collecting data about an incident, analysing the data, and translating the information into a strategy for change.

Datix is the software used by NHSGGC for clinical and non-clinical incident reporting (and managing complaints and legal claims) and forms part of the Risk Management Strategy. It is a web-based application that allows any staff member with access to Staffnet to report an incident

All Incidents (Clinical and non-Clinical) within your Directorate should now be reported though the Datix System, rather than using paper forms. For further information please use the link below.

Additional documents

At NHSGGC we acknowledge that Violence and Aggression (V&A) is risk that many of our employees are exposed to. We also know that it is a risk that can cause considerable fear & distress to those who are exposed to it. We want to look after & ensure the health, safety & well-being of our staff, as well as our patients and visitors.

We acknowledge that the V&A risk may never be, fully, eliminated, but it is our aim to reduce it to its lowest practicable level & to develop positive, respectful, relationships with each other and those who access our services.

To achieve this we have adopted a strategy which will help our services accurately identify the risk and implement measures to reduce and manage it.

Our strategy is based upon the NHS Scotland Core Values: 

  • Care and Compassion
  • Dignity and Respect
  • Quality and Teamwork
  • Openness, Honesty and Responsibility.

We also strive to embed the following principles into our culture and working practices:

  • Professionalism, Effective Leadership and Teamwork: The presence of a competent, skilled, informed and proactive workforce
  • Compassion and Empathy: An authentic concern for the well-being others
  • Honesty and Trustworthiness: The ability to be relied upon to be truthful
  • Reflection: A thoughtful process seeking to make sense of behaviours actions, events and situations that occur in the workplace
  • Early Intervention, Prevention and De-escalation: A range of skills, strategies and environments designed to provide support at an early stage, reduce risk and reduce the need for tertiary measures and promote positive, respectful relationships 
  • Trauma Informed: A workforce that is aware of psychological trauma, its impact & prevalence within society   
  • Least Restrictive Alternative: A process where employees will only use the least Restrictive Intervention that is available to them at the time, to help them manage and contain risk Reciprocity A process whereby NHSGGC will work to ensure that the rights, safety and well-being of its employees, patients, visitors are protected as far as is reasonably practicable   

The Health and Safety Violence Reduction Service HR Connect page contains information, resources, tools and links to further support, that are designed to help our services & staff to promote safety, reduce risk and promote positive, respectful relationships.

For an overview of Health and Safety training provided by the health and safety service that you may be required to undertake please refer to this training matrix.

If you require additional advice on Health & Safety training, please contact health.safety@ggc.scot.nhs.uk or any of the Health and Safety Service.

For Sharps and Falls eLearning training and Moving and Handling Competency Assessment programmes, the following scoping document will help you identify whether you require to undertake one or more of these programmes – Scope.

Health and Safety Education

Health and safety corporate training courses are accessible to all NHSGGC staff. Additional service specific and specialised courses are provided to Directorates and Services.

Nominations

Nominations are to be made via eESS with our course sitting under the Corporate Health and Safety Category.

Please note that you will need to ensure your information is up to date on eESS for receiving communication including MS Teams links. The refer to the Employees Help Guide on eESS for additional guidance For assistance with booking courses please refer to the following

For help booking please email Health.Safety@ggc.scot.nhs.uk.

Records

Attendance will be recorded on eESS. Managers also have a duty to keep a record of who has attended training. To assist with this, if a delegate does not attend, managers will be notified via an eESS generated email..

Courses

Health and Safety Management

This course is for Health and Safety Management Manual holders and where identified their deputies. The manual holder will normally be a manager or supervisor with responsibility for the management of health and safety within their area of work.

This course is for managers who have a remit for health, safety and wellbeing; or staff with the management of health, safety and wellbeing identified within their personal development plan.

The course explains:

  • Health & Safety Roles & Responsibilities,
  • Safety Management System,
  • Health, Safety and Wellbeing Culture Framework.
  • Leadership & Behaviours The Plan, Do, Check, Act standard that the Health & Safety Executive promote and audit against.
Risk Assessment

This course is for staff who have been asked to conduct workplace risk assessments. The course will provide the delegate with a general awareness of how to undertake a generic risk assessment and complete the approved documentation. The awareness gained will supplement the workplace knowledge the delegate has in assisting them with the risk assessment process. The delegate, by attending this course, agrees to undertake risk assessments as directed by their Manager.

Those attending will:

  • Gain knowledge on the development of Risk Assessments within H&S Legislation.
  • Learn how to apply the principles of hazard and risk.
  • Increase their awareness of hazards at work and how to control them
  • Be able to undertake risk assessments
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Assessors

This course is for staff who have been designated as the COSHH Assessor by the manager responsible for H&S for their service / area they work in. The delegate will be expected to undertake COSHH risk assessments when they have completed this course. It would be expected that generally only one COSHH Assessor would be required locally in any one area with the potential for this role to be shared between similar departments

Those attending will:

  • Gain awareness of The COSHH Regulations,
  • Understand the Chemical and other hazardous materials, labelling and Packaging Regulations
  • Be able to complete a COSHH Risk Assessment
Display Screen Assessment (DSE) Assessors

This course would be beneficial for departments or services with large DSE users groups. It is for staff who have been designated as the DSE Assessor by the manager responsible for H&S for their service / area they work in. Once trained, delegates will be expected to undertake DSE risk assessments.

It would be expected that generally only one DSE assessor would be required locally in any one area with the potential for this role to be shared between similar departments

Upon completion of the course delegates should:

  • Be aware of their responsibilities as a DSE Assessor
  • Be able to complete the DSE risk assessment form
  • Understand how to arrange a workstation appropriately
  • Be confident in identifying poor practice and giving practical solutions to resolve identified issues
  • Know where to access additional information or support Know how to order equipment
Face Fit Testers for FFP3 Respirators

About the course

This course is for staff identified to undertake the role of a face fit tester. The need for this will be expressed through a clinical risk assessment, which has identified the need for FFP3 oral nasal disposable mask respiratory protection to be used against respiratory borne pathogens. To use these masks, relevant staff must be ‘face fit tested’ to ensure that they can achieve a suitable face fit of the mask and that it operates at the required efficiency.

This 3.5 hour course is designed to ensure that the candidates selected to become face fit testers are provided with both the background knowledge and the practical skills set out in the HSE document INDG479, a copy of which can be found below. It is asked that candidates familiarise themselves with this document prior to attendance.

Delegates

Delegates are requested to bring testing kits if available from their department and drinking water for the training.

Please use the links below to print off the relevant documents to bring to the course.

Training Venue – West Glasgow ACH – Training Room T5 – Level 5 from 9.30am – 1.30pm

  • 24th January 2024 Course Cancelled
  • 14th February 2024 Course Cancelled
  • 21st February 2024
  • 6th March 2024
  • 20th March 2024
  • 10th April 2024
  • 24th April 2024
  • 8th May 204
  • 22nd May 2024
  • 5th June 2024
  • 19th June 2024
Health and Safety Violence Reduction Education

The health and safety violence reduction training page contain details of courses available to NHSGGC staff.

Moving and Handling Training

The moving and handling training page contains training courses for acute, partnerships and facilities staff.

Health and Safety Training

Protect yourself, your colleagues, patients and visitors

It is important that all NSHGGC employees complete the health and safety training that is required of your role to ensure your Health and Safety knowledge is up to date in order to protect yourself, your colleagues, patients and visitors.

We agreed a number of targets with the Health and Safety Executive with regards to the following training:

  • Sharps
  • Falls
  • Moving & Handling Competency Assessments.
What do you need to do?

All staff within the scope of any of these training modules should complete the e-learning modules identified as a requirement for your role.

If you are not sure whether this applies to you please check your LearnPro account or speak to your line manager.

If you have any difficulty accessing the learnPro platform please either email  LE.Support@ggc.scot.nhs.uk or access the HR Portal.

I am a manager, what do I need to do?

As manager it is important that you ensure your staff are aware of and complete the statutory and mandatory training requirements.

Reports are issued to managers by email on a monthly basis to show the role-specific and statutory and mandatory training compliance of all employees for whom you are identified as supervisor in eESS.

Compliance is colour-coded, and employees considered out of scope for role-specific training or who don’t have a LearnPro account (and have not undertaken face-to-face training) and so are considered Unknown are highlighted in grey

Staff who are unknown either need to create a LearnPro account, or ensure their pay number is recorded as their Identification Number on LearnPro. Step-by-step guidance on creating and updating a LearnPro account can be found here.

If you have a question about an individual employee’s training record please email Learning and Education.

If there is an employee on this list that shouldn’t be, or an employee missing from the list, please contact eESS.

Sharps Training

All NHSGGC staff members must complete the following sharps training:

LearnPro NHS module GGC: 002 – Health and Safety, An Introduction. This module forms part of the NHSGGC statutory / mandatory suite of e-learning modules and must be retaken every three years.

In addition to GGC: 002, clinical staff who use sharps must also complete:

LearnPro NHS module NES: Prevention and Management of Occ. Exposure. This module forms part of the Scottish Infection Prevention and Control Education Pathway (SIPCEP) suite of e-learning modules and must be retaken every two years

Progress for all other staff

We want to remind everyone in scope to complete their training as soon as possible.

We are currently providing fortnightly updates to Directors and Chief Officers and this will continue until we achieve a sustained our 100% compliance rate.

We also recognise that some staff will be due to renew their sharps and falls training as it is valid for two years. Please ensure your certification does not expire by undertaking your refresh prior to it going out of date.

These programmes of training are vital for not only your health and safety but that of your colleagues, our patients and visitors.

If you require any further information on what is required please contact your line manager or email Health.Safety@ggc.scot.nhs.uk.

Mission Statement

To provide effective and high quality health and safety, moving and handling and violence and aggression advice, guidance, training and education to managers and staff, to enable them to ensure that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde complies with relevant legislation and provide the best and safest possible healthcare for patients, staff and others.

Vision Statement

Our vision is to provide excellence in all aspects of our Service, thereby reducing work related accidents, ill health and injury to our staff and patients, year on year, by creating a positive health and safety culture across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

This page has links to the rest of our site and more information of our service including contact details.

Contact Us

The Health and Safety Service is made up of a number of teams and services. Contact details for each team is available through the internal email system Health.Safety@ggc.scot.nhs.uk or through the main HR contact number: 0141 278 2700 (Option 4).

Further information on the teams

Moving and Handling Teams

There are three Moving and Handling Teams:

  • Acute Services North Team which covers everything north of the river, the new children’s hospital and renal services
  • Acute Services South Team which covers everything south of the river, with the above exceptions
  • Partnerships Team which covers all Partnerships within NHSGGC.

Additional Information

eESS is a single, national NHS Scotland approach to HR systems providing a high quality, standardised HR function. 

All NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde staff will have an employee record on the system which interfaces with Payroll and the Scottish Standard Time System (SSTS) to provide real time workforce information and reports.  Key features of the system will include:

  • Employee Self Service – Employees can view their employment record, make changes to personal data (eg. address), and request training.
  • Manager Self Service – Managers can approve requests and process changes (such as change of hours) through to payroll and will also be able to use manager self-service for improved workforce record keeping and reporting.
  • Core HR – see below
  • Oracle Learning Management System (OLM) – see below
Core

eESS Core is the control centre for HR Staff and Line Managers to capture workforce information in relation to employee personal records.

The Core Employee Record captures:

  • Changes to Contract
  • Eligibility to Work
  • Essential workers
  • Exit Interviews
  • Mentorship for AHP and NMC
  • Occupational Health Passport
  • Other non-NHS employment
  • Previous NHS employment
  • Qualifications and registrations
  • Supplementary roles
  • Terms and Conditions

HR users will have access to run and generate standard and non-standard reports to support workforce monitoring and planning.

By allowing staff eESS access, employees can view and update information, and ensure that HR and the Board holds accurate and the most up-to-date information.

Oracle Learning Management (OLM)

The Oracle Learning Management (OLM) component of eESS will enable improved access to and monitoring of all the activities associated with the learning and development of staff. This will include the administration of courses and the recording of learning undertaken by every employee, including e-Learning.

Courses can be linked to defined competencies, including national competence frameworks, so that current employee competencies and progress towards those competencies can be updated and monitored. 

Benefits

Enables NHSGGC to manage all aspects of the delivery and maintenance of a learning service including the ability to access national courses which are centrally maintained.

OLM supports a blended approach to learning with NHSGGC able to offer a single point of access for all classroom courses and e-Learning across the Board through a unified catalogue.

Maintains information on:

  • Courses (any educational or development activity designed to enhance an employee’s competencies, qualifications or experience)
  • Classes (a single occurrence of a course on a particular date)

Resources (such as trainers, equipment or venues)

  • Employees can directly enrol to courses, subject to manager approval.

The LearnPro interface will automatically update learning records when an e-Learning course is completed.

Employee competencies can be associated with courses. Once a member of staff has completed the course, his or her employee record can be updated with the new competency automatically.

Monitoring of compliance with mandatory training. For example, a skill may require a refresher course every 12 months; OLM will enable you to report on those employees who are due for refresher learning.

A wide range of reports enables learning and development to be monitored at a local and national level.

Automatic system generated e-mail delivered to staff upon:

  • Enrolment (Joining Instructions)
  • Cancellation of Enrolment
  • Update of class details (e.g. time/date/venue).

Useful Information

Full access to all Standard Operating Procedures and e-Learning videos is available on the eESS National Team website.

Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition (OBIEE)

OBIEE is the integrated Reporting Tool that allows organisations to build and develop a range of reports and dashboards that meets statutory and local reporting requirements. It will support workforce planning and align to requirements for Staff Governance reporting and analysis.

Screenshot 1
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The eESS Self-Service module will be a fundamental change to working practices for employees.

eESS Employee Self Service

Employees will now have access to view and update the following information:

  • Equality and diversity information – age, gender, religion etc (Please check/update)
  • Name, address, date of birth etc
  • Always use “Type” Primary Home Country address
  • Emergency Contact details/Next of Kin details
  • Certificates, Highers, Degrees etc
  • Line Manager will approve once evidence is presented
  • Includes self employed, ad hoc work and contracted work
  • Adoption Leave 
  • Matching certificate must be retained by line manager 
  • Maternity Leave 
  • Copy of MATB1 must be retained by line manager

Useful Information

 Full access to all Employee Self Service Standard Operating Procedures and eLearning video’s is available via the eESS National website

eESS Team

The best way to contact the eESS Team is via the new HR Connect Self-Service Portal which launched on 6th June 2022 – Please ensure that you add the link to your Favourites for easy access.

If your enquiry is urgent or you would prefer to talk to a member of the eESS Team please contact us by telephone 0141 278 2700 option 5 – Press 1 for the eESS Support Team, Press 2 for the eESS Technical Team . The phone lines are open between 9.00am and 3.00pm, Monday to Friday

Please note when calling the eESS Team for the first time you may be required to provide some key details about who you are and where you work.

Your details will be stored in our system which means when you contact the eESS Team again these details will not need to be taken and a simple check will be done to ensure the details are still correct.

The Armed Forces Covenant

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has reaffirmed its ongoing commitment to those individuals who currently serve, our Reservists and those veterans who are key members of our society by signing the Armed Forces Covenant.

The strong relationship between NHSGGC and the UK Armed Forces is greatly valued, with the Health Board already working to support employees who also are Reservists.

By signing the Covenant, NHSGGC pledged its commitment to supporting armed forces veterans, recognising the value they contribute and acknowledging that serving personnel and military families should be treated with fairness and respect.

The Defence Employer Recognition Scheme

The Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) encourages employers to support members of our workforce who are part of the Armed Forces Community.

NHSGGC’s dedication to ensuring that all members of its workforce feel valued is evident, with a particular emphasis on supporting those who are part of the Armed Forces Community. The organisation’s communications and activities are carefully designed to celebrate and encourage this community, and we were delighted to be recognised for this work through achieving the Gold level in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.

Are you a member of the Volunteer Reserve Forces or a Regular Reservist working in NHSGGC?

The regular training that the Reserve Forces undertake brings essential skills into the workplace such as leadership, communication, team working and organisational ability, which ultimately lead to improved performance in the workplace.

The Reserve Forces Training Policy is an established National NHS Scotland policy within our suite of workforce policies and we hope that we can be confident that all NHS Scotland employers are treating their staff who are members of the Reserve Forces equally.

If you want to find out more about what our reservists do, please watch the RAF Medical Reserves Employer Engagement Video.

To help us to ensure you are aware of the support that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde can offer, we would ask you to register with the Board Contact: Diana Hudson, Staff Experience Adviser, Diana.Hudson@ggc.scot.nhs.uk.

When registering, we ask that you complete the Reservists Registration Form and submit this to the Board Contact. By completing these details, we’re able to securely hold your contact details to update you on any changes to policy, process or any other information in relation to NHS Reserve Forces staff. Please get in touch with the Board Contact for a registration form.

Staff Governance is a term which describes the framework for managing employees inside NHS Scotland. The commitments surrounding the framework, are in place to ensure all staff have a positive experience at work, where they feel motivated and engaged with their role, team and the Board.

If you have any queries please contact the Staff Experience team: ggc.staffexperience@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

What does it mean?

Staff Governance is defined as: “a system of corporate accountability for the fair and effective management of all staff”.

It can be measured through assurance that the Standard commitments are being met, and this is assessed locally via the Staff Governance Committee of each Board.

Staff Governance Standard

The Staff Governance Standard sets out what each NHSScotland employer must achieve in order to continuously improve in relation to the fair and effective management of staff. Click on the links for more information.

There are 5 Staff Governance Standard commitments set out what staff can expect from their NHS Scotland Board, and they are that staff should be:

  • Well informed
  • Appropriately trained and developed
  • Involved in decisions
  • Treated fairly and consistently, with dignity and respect, in an environment where diversity is valued
  • Provided with a continuously improving and safe working environment, promoting the health and wellbeing of staff, patients and the wider community.

However, the Standard also sets out corresponding responsibilities for staff (at any level within the organisation). Staff should:

  • Keep themselves up to date with developments relevant to their job within the organisation
  • Commit to continuous personal and professional development
  • Adhere to the standards set by their regulatory bodies
  • Actively participate in discussions on issues that affect them either directly or via their trade union/professional organisation
  • Treat all staff, patients and service users with dignity and respect while valuing diversity
  • Ensure that their actions maintain and promote the health, safety and wellbeing of all staff, patients, service users and carers.

These dual commitments are in place to ensure all staff have a positive experience at work, where they feel motivated and engaged with their role, team and the Board.

NHSGGC Staff Governance Committee assesses how well the Board is complying with these Standards.

Fair Work Framework

The Vision and Framework for Fair Work in Scotland, state that, by 2025, people in Scotland will have a world-leading working life where fair work drives success, wellbeing and prosperity for individuals, businesses, organisations and for society.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) is committed to the Fair Work principles in order to deliver Scottish Government ambitions of a Fair Work Nation.

As a large public sector organisation, we work in partnership to align the Fair Work principles through commitment to the Staff Governance Standard, as well as a range of other activities and plans across the organisation including, the Procurement Strategy, Workforce Equality plans, Learning and Education activity, the Staff Health Strategy, Safety and Wellbeing plans, flexible and family friendly HR policies, and our Workforce Plan. Additionally, NHSGGC are proud to be a Living Wage Accredited employer.

Staff Governance Committee

The Staff Governance Committee (SGC) is a standing committee of each NHS Board which, together with the Clinical Governance Committee and Audit Committee, forms the full governance framework for NHS Boards. 

The purpose of the Staff Governance Committee is to provide assurance to the Board that NHSGGC meets its obligations in relation to Staff Governance under the National Health Service Reform (Scotland) Act 2004 and the Staff Governance Standard. The Staff Governance Committee is a Standing Committee of the Board.

The Committee ensures that structures and policies are in place to provide assurance that all staff are:

  • Well informed
  • Appropriately trained and developed
  • Involved in decisions
  • Treated fairly and consistently, with dignity and respect, in an environment where diversity is valued
  • Provided with a continuously improving and safe working environment, promoting the health and wellbeing of staff, patients and the wider community.

Each Health and Social Care Partnership, Acute Services and Corporate Directorate have their own Staff Governance arrangements and structure.

The Staff Governance Committee meets four times per year to review and as part of each Committee meeting, speakers provide assurance that structures, actions and processes are in place to meet the Standard.

The NHSGGC Staff Governance Committee is co-chaired by Ketki Miles (Non-Executive Director) and Ann Cameron-Burns (Employee Director).

Approved minutes of Staff Governance Committee meetings can be accessed via the NHSGGC Board papers page or by emailing ggc.staffexperience@ggc.scot.nhs.uk.

Further Information