The aim of our Investors in People (IiP) journey is to enable all of us to contribute our best and be involved in making ongoing positive changes in our workplace.
Our corporate objective of ‘Better Workplace’ sets out our priorities for creating a great place to work and growing our great community.
Our Workforce Strategy sets out how we aim to achieve this, and has Investors in People (IiP) at the core, reaffirming our commitment to the National Staff Governance Standards.
Making work better together is one of the key enablers of better patient care.
Our engagement with IiP assesses us as an employer, providing external benchmarking and assurance, continuous improvement opportunities and accreditation for achieving high workplace standards and being a great place to work.
IiP is an international global benchmark which is recognised in over 66 countries and working with them will provide us with an independent assessment of areas for improvement and celebration.
IiP provides a consistent framework that helps us to align all our initiatives within a holistic approach, including iMatter, Collaborative Conversations and other values and culture work. External benchmarking from IiP then provides NHSGGC with an independent assessment of areas for improvement and celebration.
Investors in People assesses organisational standards across 3 broad areas:
Leading
How much trust is there between leaders, colleagues and teams??
Do we together live up to our values, and inspire the right kind of culture?
Supporting
Are colleagues and teams rewarded for doing well?
Improving
Are we as ready as we can be for any changes the future might bring?
Following the pilot and achievement of IiP accreditation at the Inverclyde Royal Hospital, colleagues and teams working within corporate services, including Estates and Facilities at our non-acute sites, have also successfully achieved the Investors in People standard.
Investors in People continues to make great progress across the organisation, and NHSGGC is aiming to continue our Board-wide work with Investors in People (IiP) in the next cycle of assessments.
Continuously learning about our opinions and viewpoints is essential to ensuring we can continue to grow and develop our workplace.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did we choose Investors in People?
Over the years we have done a great deal of work to support staff and ensure that as an employer, NHSGGC is doing its best for staff. iMatter is the framework to develop our culture and collective leadership. It now includes the development of our staff mental health and wellbeing plan. Since the launch of iMatter, we have been looking for a way to assess and benchmark how well these efforts actually improve NHSGGC as a place to work for our staff and how we compare with other employers.
IiP is a key element of our Workforce Strategy and reaffirms our commitment to the Staff Governance Standards.
What is the aim of IiP?
The aim of IiP is to enable our staff to be involved in making ongoing positive changes. Our long term objective is to embed good people management practice in the core of services. The IiP process supports NHSGGC to put staff at the front and centre of our organisation. The IiP approach emphasises partnership working, collaboration and team working across staff groups and also along management and directorate lines.
What are the benefits of IiP?
Improved staff motivation and morale.
Provides independent in-depth insight into organisation culture and practice.
Gives a clear road map and route for progression.
Provides a consistent framework against which we can conduct internal and external benchmarking of people processes and performance.
Enhances organisational reputation and is also a factor for being a more desirable employer to attract the people we need.
Alignment of key people issues to the organisation’s performance and goals.
All these contribute to enhanced patient experience and quality of care.
Who was involved?
IiP assessment has been rolled out across Acute and Corporate sites in five clusters, 344 Senior Managers and Medical Consultants
A randomly selected 5% sample of all colleagues were invited to take part. Of that sample 25% were senior managers, invited to in-depth discussions. 75% of the sample were staff groups invited to workshops for in-depth discussion.
This comprised of:
1310 – Members of staff taking part. That’s approximately 16 working weeks or 594 hours of dialogue with staff about what’s working well and what could be improved.
344 – Senior managers who took part in online interviews with IiP specialists.
337 – Face to face focus groups.
38 – Assessors who supported the focus groups.
What did we find?
What we do well as an organisation:
Our staff told us we were getting quite a few things right, such as:
Operating in line with our NHS values, adopting and living the values
Empowering our staff
Making decisions
Setting objectives
Our approach to recognition and reward where staff are recognised for excellence
Designing roles that were fit for purpose
Creating autonomy in roles so our staff can give their best
Enabling collaborative working with colleagues
Supporting learning and development
Creating a culture of continuous improvement
Understanding the external context
Areas where we could do better
• Creating Transparency and Trust, specifically for leaders to provide more clarity around the organisations purpose, vision and objectives.
• Deploying the right people at the right time, specifically that recruitment and selection is fair, efficient and effective and fits with the organisations objectives and that any room for improvement in process (within the national policy and process) or queries, concerns and escalations are prioritised. Staff are also looking to be kept updated of plans around staffing challenges.
• Improving through internal and external resources, that the investment we make in our people is evaluated and the results are used to improve performance.
• Focusing on the future, specifically for leaders to communicate more around future priorities (staff want to know what/how things are happening and what/how to prioritise).
• Embracing Change, specifically when change happens it is communicated in a timely and transparent way across the organisation.
What happens next?
There are 5 Investors in People clusters across our Corporate and Acute Sector sites. Each Cluster has developed their own improvement plans, tailored to respond to feedback from colleagues in the cluster.
The IiP Clusters are:
Corporate Cluster
The Corporate Cluster is chaired by Anne MacPherson, Director of Human Resources and OrganisationalDevelopment and supported by Paul Cogan, Senior OrganisationalDevelopment Advisor.
The Corporate met the standards of IiP and achieved accreditation in April 2022.
The cluster is made up of all the corporate directorate office staff and the Facilities and Estates staff who work in discreet units, such as the Decontamination Unit and the Laundry (i.e. the Corporate and Facilities staff not based on acute sites).
They included staff from the following directorates:
Chief Executives Office
Board Medical Directorate (Excludes pharmacy as is covered as are in all hospitals sites, but incudes staff at Clarkston Court )
Board Nurse Directorate
Board Administration
Corporate Communications
Finance
Human Resources & Organisational Development
Non-Acute site eHealth (non-site based, Call centre in Hillington and Paisley Smithhills Street and Westward house)
Public Health (including contact tracing, test and protect recovery and COVID Vaccinations)
Non-Acute site Estates and Facilities (Cowlairs FM, Cowlairs Estates, Inverclyde CDU, Laundry)
Clyde Cluster
The Clyde Cluster is chaired by Melanie McColgan, Director for the Clyde Sector, led by Louise Watson SChief AHP Clyde and supported by Julie Pearson, Senior Organisational Development Advisor.
The Cluster is made up of all staff at :
Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley
Vale of Leven Hospital
Inverclyde Royal Hospital
Inverclyde Royal Hospital was a single site pilot in 2021 and is now been included in the Clyde Cluster.
North Cluster
The North Cluster is chaired by Neil McCallum, Director for the North Sector, led by Alison Leiper, Chief AHP for the North Sector and supported by Claire Robertson, Senior Organisational Development Advisor.
The Cluster is made up of all staff at
Glasgow Royal Infirmary Campus
Stobhill Hospital
Lightburn Hospital
Rowanbank Clinic
Leverndale Hospital
South Cluster
Jamie Redfern, Director of Women and Children’s Services is the Chair for the South Cluster, supported by Sue Tanner, Human Resources Manager South Sector and John Scrimgeour, Senior Organisational Development Advisor.
Sites in the South Cluster is made up of staff at:
Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Campus
Queen Elizabeth University Hospital
Institute of Neurological sciences
Spinal injuries Unit
WestMARC on two sites QE and Yoker
QEUH Maternity Unit
Royal Hospital for Children
Laboratory Medicine
New Victoria Ambulatory Care Hospital
West Cluster
The West Cluster is chaired by Susan Groom, Director of Regional Services and supported by the West Cluster Senior Organisational Development Advisor and Nicola Bailey, Head of Human Resources for Regional and Diagnostics.
The Board Partnership Agreement was developed jointly by the Board and the Trade Unions/Professional Organisations representing staff. The Agreement is designed to ensure staff are effectively involved in influencing the shape and implementation of decisions that affect their work, and offer managers the means where staff views can be considered before taking the decisions for which they are accountable. We are delighted to support this Board Partnership Agreement and commend it to you. Currently under review the updated version will be linked when available.
Facilities Agreement
The Facilities Agreement was developed jointly by the Board and the Trade Unions and Professional Organisations representing staff and has been designed to establish a formal policy and procedure on trade union/professional organisation facilities. In developing the agreement, cognisance was taken of the legal requirements placed on the Board, the Staff Governance Standard and the Partnership Information Network Policy and Practice. Currently under review the updated version will be linked when available.
Area Partnership Engagement Process
In early 2022, the Area Partnership Forum agreed engagement process documents which outline the process for bringing papers to the Area Partnership Forum for both Acute and Community and the process for seeking staff side representation for meetings. Links to documents will be added in due course; if you wish further information on either process, please contact the APF Administrator by emailing Kirstin.McKenzie@ggc.scot.nhs.uk.
The Employee Director is a Non-Executive Director member of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) and Co-Chair of the Area Partnership Forum. They work in partnership with the Board and its Executive Management to provide advice on workforce issues directly affecting NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Working alongside the Employee Director are 2 Staff Partnership Leads and an APF Administrator.
Directly accountable to the Chairman of the Board and elected as the Chair of the Staff Side, the Employee Director and Employee Director’s Office is the Board’s conduit for 15 Trade Unions/Professional Organisations, and takes forward staff side views to influence Board Policies and to ensure that staff interests are properly reflected in Policy Development and encourage the ethos of Partnership Working.
Portraying positive behaviours and encouraging collaborative working, the Employee Director’s Office work with the Board to achieve its objectives and represent the views of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde staff by influencing debate and discussion.
To find out more about the Team and to access Trade Union/Professional Organisation links and other useful information, please see the tiles below.
If you require to speak with your Trade Union Lead or your local Staff Partnership Fora Staff Side Lead or Deputy Staff Side Lead, please see the contact lists below
Contact Details
Trade Union and Professional Organisation Leads
Contacts – Trade Union and Professional Organisational Leads
British and Irish Orthoptists Society (BIOS), Vacant (please refer to the BIOS website)
Local Staff Partnership Fora Staff Side Leads and Deputies
A Staff Side Lead and Deputy Staff Side Lead is elected through the Employee Director’s Office on a 4 year term to represent the Area Partnership Forum at your local Staff Partnership Forum. If you are required to contact either, please see contact details below.
This year the Chair, Prof John Brown CBE, presented two awards which recognise outstanding achievement, expertise, and dedication in patient care. In common with all the other awards, these celebrate our people’s collective efforts and the lasting impact they have had on the lives of the people of Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Andrew Thomson
One of Andrew’s patients was going through a high risk pregnancy, when her husband sadly passed away after a two week battle with cancer. On hearing the news, Andrew called to offer his condolences and also talk about how he and his team could support the patient during this heart breaking time.
Andrew has an incredible way of communicating with patients and their families, with empathy and intuitiveness in abundance.
Unscheduled and Urgent Care Services
Due to unprecedented pressures, our Urgent and Unscheduled Care services have adapted to new and ever-changing situations which have been nothing short of remarkable. From the launch of the Flow Navigation Centre and Mental Health Assessment Units, to the ongoing dedication, commitment and professionalism of our EDs, IAUs, Community Pharmacies, MIUs, in-hours and Out of Hours GP Services, who have worked tirelessly with the support of diagnostic services.
At the start of the pandemic, it became clear that those who became very ill with Covid need a place where they could be seen and assessed safely and away from non-Covid patients.
Our Community Assessment Centres were created. This significant project required input from all of the eHealth teams to ensure the centres had all the necessary telephony and IT kit. They also needed to be set up very quickly.
eHealth teams responded to the needs of the service, working above and beyond to introduce new processes to book in Covid patients outwith hospital settings. The staff showed immense flexibility and changed their hours of work and their roles. The success of the CACs was due to the commitment, flexibility and team working across eHealth to support the Board in its response to the pandemic.
The William Cullen Prize for Excellence In Teaching and the William Cullen Prize for Service Innovation are awarded in collaboration with the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh.
William Cullen Prize for Innovation
Dr David Lockington is a Consultant Ophthalmologist based in Gartnavel General Hospital.
Dr Lockington identified the opportunity to transform unused rooms within the Tennent Institute of Ophthalmology library into a state of the art teaching suite for ophthalmology training. There are now three rooms which consist of an ophthalmic simulation area, a computer room for trainees and a seminar room.
The suite allowed simulated microsurgical skills to be developed and maintained during lockdowns, and is now used regularly by trainees and the wider multidisciplinary team. This development has been extremely well received by local trainees, and has addressed previously identified surgical training gaps.
Local ophthalmology training has been enhanced significantly, and to illustrate the impact, this initiative has since been replicated in other UK centres.
William Cullen Prize for Education – Joint Winners
Doctor Scott Morris is the Clinical Director for the Renal Unit, based in the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, though which provides a full range of renal services to the West of Scotland.
This unit has for some time demonstrated a high standard of teaching and training, as evidenced by consistent and positive feedback from trainees. Trainees emerge as highly trained renal physicians, having been supported by a skilled group of established Consultants with a range of subspecialty interests.
The experience gained while attached to the unit is clearly valued by trainees, who highlight in particular the supervision they receive within the department, the supportive environment and the overall level of satisfaction working within a very strong team.
Dr Libby Ferguson and the Palliative care team based in the Marie Curie Hospice in Glasgow continue to provide an extremely high standard of clinical training which trainees recognise with positive responses to the Scottish trainee survey and National training survey.
There is a strong culture of educational governance identified within the centre. Trainees attached to the team there give very positive feedback in all areas, with Foundation trainees in particular highlighting the very supportive and educational environment provided by the team, and General Practice Specialty Trainees similarly appreciating the education and experience that is provided.
Staff Awards 2025
Every day our staff and volunteers go above and beyond to provide the best possible care and support to patients, relatives and staff. The Celebrating Success Awards held on 28th May 2025, are an opportunity for us to recognise that, and this year’s winners are fantastic examples of the hard work and incredible dedication all our staff display year round.
Every award winner and nominee should be immensely proud of themselves for the contribution they make to the delivery of healthcare in Scotland.
Find out about the winners and nominees from each award category below.
The winners were also announced live on the night on our social media channels (follow the #ggcawards hashtag).
All NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde employees can self-refer to the Occupational Health Service to access a wide range of confidential support services including counselling and psychological therapies.
The NHS Scotland Pension Scheme provides NHSGGC staff with a high-quality pension scheme that offers defined benefits at retirement and protection for your dependents based on your career average earnings.
The amount you pay towards your pension scheme depends on your ‘pensionable pay’ (which is your salary, wages, fees and any other regular payments but not any bonuses, expenses or overtime payments).
NHSGGC contributes 20.9% of your pensionable pay into the scheme on your behalf.
Key features of the NHS Scotland Pension Scheme include:
Benefits accrued on a Career Average Revalued Earnings (CARE) basis.
Normal pension age the same as the your State Pension Age.
Pension accrual rate of 1/54th of pensionable earnings each year.
Benefits for active members revalued each year using the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) plus 1.5%.
Benefits for preserved members increased using the CPI each year.
Valuable death benefits for your dependents.
Option to take part of your pension and continue working.
Enhanced pension for working longer than normal pension age.
Option to purchase additional pension.
Option to buy out the actuarial reduction if retiring from age 65 and before state pension age.
Option to take up to 25% of pension pot as a tax-free lump sum.
Staff are welcome to opt-out of the NHS Scotland Pension Scheme at any time. Staff are also welcome to contribute to an alternative pension provider if this is preferable.
