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.
The Staff Experience Team runs a programme of Collaborative Conversations Staff Engagement Sessions to hear more from staff about their staff experience.
In 2023, and early 2024, we ran a programme of conversations with staff to test how we were using feedback from iMatter and Investors in People. At those Staff Engagement Sessions we asked staff for their input on what difference they’ve seen over the last year and what they think would make the biggest difference to their experience at work and the experience of colleagues.
The staff feedback was provided to the Investors in People (IiP) Cluster groups to inform their improvement plans and help create a better workplace in all our areas.
The team then worked with local services and teams to identify key themes from the 2024 iMatter survey and to help plan the programme of Collaborative Conversations. Feedback from these sessions informed both Cluster IiP actions, local Directorate and Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) activity, and the NHSGGC Board action plan.
For our New Starts, we are always looking for ways to improve the onboarding experience – for this to happen, feedback from colleagues who have newly joined NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is invaluable. Therefore we regularly run Collaborative Conversations which provide an opportunity for us to hear what went well during recruitment, onboarding and first few months in post. We are always keen to understand what went well and use feedback to identify any areas we can improve. The next round of conversations is scheduled for October, aimed at colleagues who started with the organisation between February and July 2025.
In addition, we run a series of Conversations to engage with staff about the Workforce Strategy, both to provide an overview of progress from the most recent Strategy, and to help inform the Strategy from 2025. This helped the team understand what staff feel is important to see included in the Strategy and helped deliver a strategy that moves culture and leadership to where we want it to be.
If you have any queries please speak with your manager and you can also email ggc.staffexperience@nhs.scot.
Staff experience takes account of a staff members full employment journey, from being a prospective candidate right up the point they leave an organisation.
As an employer, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) wants to ensure all staff have a positive experience at work, through:
- Ensuring visibility of, and access to, the right people and the right information at the right times
- Developing capability, inspire ownership, accountability and trust at all levels, and empowering the workforce
- Ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion to continuously establish a fairer workplace for all
- Creating and embedding two-way, feedback rich conversations throughout the organisation
- Encouraging a culture of excellence, celebrate success, benchmark against world class standards.
The Staff Experience team work in a number of areas, to ensure NHSGGC staff to have the most positive experience. The key areas of work and contact details for the team are outlined below.
The Staff Experience Team
Our Staff Experience team is committed to growing an inclusive organisation, where every employee is treated fairly and consistently, with dignity and respect. To get in touch, please email us at ggc.staffexperience@nhs.scot
The team consists of the following members and you can contact them via the buttons below:
NHSGGC Alcohol and Drug Prevention Framework
Introduction
Following a review of the alcohol and drug prevention international evidence base between 2012 and 2018, an updated version of the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Prevention and Education Model which will now be known as the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) Alcohol and Drug Prevention Framework was developed.
An NHSGGC Prevention Network was established in conjunction with the Framework, which brings together partners who have an interest in Alcohol and Drugs Prevention and Harm Reduction across GGC. This includes local partners, national commissioned services and Alcohol and Drugs Partnership representation.
The NHSGGC Alcohol and Drug Evidence Briefings, Implementation Plan and Monitoring Tool take a whole population focus with a life-course perspective being integral to the work. They encourage innovative partnership working and encompass changes to alcohol, drugs and related topic policy and evidence based practice and changes to the landscape since 2012. A key focus of the Prevention Framework is addressing health inequalities and their impact on the most at risk groups across the life stages.
Prevention is defined as encouraging and developing ways to support and empower individuals, families and communities in gaining knowledge and skills to prevent or reduce alcohol and drug related harms.
For further details on the NHSGGC Prevention Framework please email Trevor Lakey, Health Improvement and Inequalities Service Manager via ggc.mhead@nhs.scot*.
*Please note that this is a generic admin inbox and not monitored immediately. If you, or someone you know are in distress and need an immediate response call the emergency services on 999 or NHS24 on 111.
Context
What is alcohol and drug prevention?
There are various definitions of prevention that typically include some or all of the following elements:
- Discouraging any use of alcohol and drugs
- Delaying the use of alcohol and drugs
- Avoiding the development of harmful alcohol or drug use or dependence amongst those who are using substances
- Preventing individuals from additional alcohol or drug use
- Reducing the harm associated with alcohol or drug use
- Tackling risk factors and increasing individuals’ resilience to prevent problem alcohol or drug use
In the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Alcohol and Drug Prevention Framework, the definition for prevention is as follows:
In the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Prevention Network, prevention is defined as encouraging and developing ways to support and empower individuals, families and communities in gaining knowledge and skills to prevent or reduce alcohol and drug related harms.
- Environmental prevention addresses reducing the availability and accessibility of alcohol and drugs in the community.
Effective prevention and education in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde involves a wide range of stakeholders including (but not limited to) those working in:
- Alcohol and drug recovery services
- Recovery communities
- Community and voluntary organisations
- Homelessness and housing services
- Community Safety
- Government departments and Local Authorities
- Primary care
- Mental health services
- NHS Scotland
- Employers
- Fire and Rescue Services
- Licensing Boards
- Police Scotland
- Scottish Prisons Services
- Youth groups
- Education Services
- Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs)
- Licence owners
The Ten Key Themes that underpin Alcohol and Drug Prevention
This briefing provides detail on the ten key themes which underpin the successful delivery of alcohol and drug preventative approaches outlined in subsequent evidence briefings in the NHSGGC Alcohol and Drug Prevention Framework. These themes can be considered when developing, implementing and monitoring all alcohol and drug prevention initiatives and services.
Pre birth, Infancy and Early Years
Need to know
- Parental alcohol and drug use can have a negative effect on children. If this is the case, it is considered to be an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) alongside other harmful experiences such as physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect. An accumulation of ACEs can increase the risk of a child being affected by problem alcohol and drug use in later life
- Parental alcohol and drug use can have a negative effect on children. If this is the case, it is considered to be an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) alongside other harmful experiences such as physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect. An accumulation of ACEs can increase the risk of a child being affected by problem alcohol and drug use in later life
- Children who grow up in homes with problem alcohol or drug use are more likely to develop alcohol and drug issues themselves and face significantly higher risks of medical, psychosocial and behavioural issues
- Children who are exposed to alcohol prenatally can have specific and lifelong neurodevelopmental problems collectively referred to as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
Key Findings
- Improving parenting skills and bonding between children and their parents is an effective preventative approach
- A focus on developing protective skills, values and attitudes in early years education is effective
- For children whose mother has issues with alcohol or drug use, effective prevention begins before the child is born to lower their risk of problem alcohol or drug use later in life and positively influence their development
- The individuals delivering an approach – teachers, psychologists, mentors, peers – need on-going, high quality training and support. This includes training to ensure their practice is trauma-informed
- One approach might not fit all. The age, developmental stage, circumstances and needs of each child and family within a targeted group need to be considered when designing and delivering a prevention programme
Good Practice
- Strengthening Families parenting programme
- Children Harmed by Alcohol Toolkit C.H.A.T.
- Oh Lila resource pack for pre-school
Potential Stakeholders
- Early years education (including childcare services)
- Prenatal and postnatal care (including health visitors)
- Families and children
- Third sector
- Police Scotland
- Social workers
Children and Young People
Need to know
- Adolescence represents a period of vulnerability to alcohol and drug use issues and related harm
- The earlier a young person begins alcohol or drug use, the more likely they are to develop alcohol and drug issues later in life
- Those with greater exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) may have a higher risk of developing certain problems later in life including issues around alcohol or drug use
- Care-experienced children and children whose parents have issues with alcohol and drug use are particularly vulnerable groups
Key Findings
- Successful preventative interventions engage children and young people in their design and development Sessions for children and young people need to be interactive. Lectures that primarily provide information are ineffective
- A focus on developing protective skills, values and attitudes is effective
Fear arousal does not prevent alcohol and drug use in children and young people
- The individuals delivering an approach – teachers, psychologists, mentors, peers – need on-going, high quality training and support and where possible have clear alcohol and drug policies in place to deal with any alcohol and drug incidents
- One intervention approach might not fit all. The age, developmental stage, circumstances and needs of each child or young person within a targeted group need to be considered when designing and delivering a prevention programme
Good Practice
Potential Stakeholders
- Families and children
- Education services
- Colleges and universities
- Social workers, youth workers
- Police Scotland
- Young people
- Employers
- Allied health professionals
- Primary care, acute care and youth health services
- Housing services
- Third sector services
Adults
Need to know
- For the purposes of this briefing, adults have been defined as anyone aged 25-50 years old
- 24% of adults in Scotland exceeded the low-risk weekly drinking guidelines in 2017
- In 2014/15, 6% of people in Scotland had used one or more illicit drugs in the last year
- Problem alcohol and drug use amongst adults are more prevalent in Greater Glasgow and Clyde than on average for Scotland
- The rate of problem drug use amongst adults was highest in the 25 to 34 years age group in Scotland
- On average, men consume alcohol on more days of the week than women in Scotland, and consume more units of alcohol
Key Findings
- There is strong evidence for the effectiveness of Alcohol Brief Interventions (ABIs) in primary care settings in reducing the weekly consumption of alcohol in adults
- There is strong evidence for the effectiveness of well-planned psychosocial and developmental prevention interventions involving multiple services in reducing alcohol and drug related harms
- There is some evidence for the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy, behavioural couples’ therapy and pharmacotherapy in reducing alcohol and drug related harms, as well as clear alcohol and drug policies in the workplace
- There is an evidence gap relating to whether diversionary activities can be effective in preventing alcohol and drug use in adults
Good Practice
- NHS Health Scotland resources on delivery of ABIs
- Oldham Borough Council pilots
- Brighton and Hove City Council ‘named workers’
- Newcastle City Council roll-out of Naloxone
- Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council Naloxone pilot
- The SOLVE training package
Potential Stakeholders
- Adult alcohol and drug services
- Allied health professionals
- Employers
- Scottish Prisons Service
- Recovery groups
- Local authority staff
- Social care staff
- Mental health professionals
- Community learning and development staff
- Police Scotland
Older Adults
Need to know
- In this evidence briefing, older adults have been defined as anyone aged 50 and over. At present, the proportion of older people with substance misuse continues to rise more rapidly than can be explained by the rise in the proportion of older people in the UK.
- While overall alcohol and drug consumption is falling, in older generations there is evidence that it is increasing, yet there is currently no alcohol strategy in Scotland that specifically considers the needs of older adults
- Older adults with problem alcohol use are the least likely to receive treatment, but the most likely to have positive outcomes
- Isolation and loneliness are more prevalent amongst older adults. The evidence supports “a strong social role” for drinking alcohol in older adults, thus interventions need to avoid “paradoxical harm”
- Age-related factors increase the risk of problem alcohol and drug use, including retirement, bereavement, dementia and chronic ill-health.
Key Findings
- Older adults should be included as a distinct group within alcohol strategies, and their lived experience should be used to help design effective services
- Older adults’ alcohol and drug use is commonly misdiagnosed or missed entirely. Training primary care staff to spot problem alcohol and drug use, specifically in over 50s, will improve access to treatment, particularly when an older age identification test and cognitive impairment test are used
- Venue choice is critical to making services accessible and acceptable for older adults, with a focus on access for those with limited mobility
- Intervention involving employers is important in being able to manage the transition to retirement
- Age-related alcohol guidelines need to be developed to combat a very low level of awareness of what these are amongst older adults
- Reduced hepatic function and the issue of poly pharmacy in older adults mean that pharmacological interventions may be less appropriate for this group
Good Practice
- Mast-G and MoCA assessment tests
- Older adults’ Cognitive Behavioural Theory manual (SAMHSA)
- Healthy working lives initiative
Potential Stakeholders
- Alcohol and drug services
- Geriatric services
- Community services
- Allied health professionals
- Employers
- Pain management services
- Policy teams
At Risk / Vulnerabilities
Need to know
- Socioeconomically deprived groups often report lower levels of average alcohol use but experience greater or similar levels of alcohol-related harm.
- Alcohol and drug-related deaths are much higher in the most deprived areas, compared to the least
- Alcohol and drug use issues are more common amongst homeless people than the general population
- All LGBT+ populations experience some form of health inequality, including an increased risk of alcohol and drug use issues
- Alcohol and drug use issues are more common for those with pre-existing mental health issues or behavioural disorders, but equally alcohol and drug use can increase the risk of developing certain mental health issues
- The prevalence of alcohol and drug use issues is much greater in the prison population than in the general population
- At-risk groups are not mutually exclusive, and often an individual will face multiple risks, and thus multiple barriers to services
Key Findings
- Integrated services and care pathways are important for all at-risk groups to tackle multiple and complex needs effectively. This includes multi-agency working, continuity of care and considerable wraparound support eg housing, finance and employment services
- At-risk groups face barriers to accessing services. For LGBT+ groups, health staff training and awareness can be effective in mitigating this, as well as capturing data on sexual orientation and gender identity to inform service design and delivery
- Specific services, workers and spaces can be effective for supporting protected characteristic groups.
- Those with coexisting mental health and alcohol or drug use issues (dual diagnosis) can benefit from tailored interventions which are non-confrontational, simultaneously address mental health and alcohol or drug use, and are delivered by trained staff
- For homeless populations, assertive, long-term outreach services and Housing First approaches have demonstrated effectiveness in increasing engagement and reducing alcohol and drug related harms
- Rapid, easy and timely access to services is particularly important for homeless populations, and those involved with Criminal Justice services
Good Practice
- Pride in Practice
- Leeds Dual Diagnosis Project
- Housing First Glasgow
- Turning Point Scotland218 Centre
- The High Impact and Complex Drinkers project
- Tomorrow’s Women
Potential Stakeholders
- Homelessness services and housing providers
- LGBT+ services
- All health professionals
- Scottish Prison Service
- Third sector
- Alcohol and drug services
- Mental health services
- Police Scotland
- Service users/peer involvement
- Social work
Society Wide Approaches
Need to know
- The availability, affordability and acceptability of alcohol are the primary drivers of consumption and harm
- Advertising is heavily invested in by the alcohol industry and exposure to advertising increases alcohol related harm
- Over the last 30 years, alcohol in the UK has become more affordable. Greater affordability in the off-trade has led to different patterns in alcohol consumption, with more people drinking at home, as opposed to in pubs and other leisure settings
- Opioids have been implicated or potentially contributed to 86% of drug related deaths in Scotland
Key Findings
- Reducing alcohol availability through reduced hours/days of sale and clear licensing practices has been shown to be effective in minimising alcohol related harms. Low drink-driving limits and appropriate minimum age levels are also effective, in combination with strict enforcement
- There is evidence that reducing affordability through a combination of minimum unit pricing and taxation is effective in minimising alcohol related harms
- As exposure to alcohol advertising has been linked to greater alcohol related harms, regulation is needed to minimise this
- Supervised drug consumption facilities can reach marginalised groups, facilitate safer drug use and enable access to health and social services
- Drug checking at events/festivals and safer use social media campaigns can help minimise harms associated with use of drugs such as ecstasy and MDMA
- Access to Naloxone can help to prevent opioid related deaths, particularly for those released from prison
Good Practice
- Scotland’s National Naloxone programme
- RSPH labelling examples
- What’s in the pill? campaign
- Minimum Unit Pricing in Canada
- Consumption rooms in Denmark
Potential Stakeholders
Alcohol and drug services
Police Scotland
Scottish Prison Service
Education Services
Licence holders
Advertising regulators
Licensing Boards
Allied health professionals
Social Work
Appendices
Drugs Harms Framework
The purpose of the Drugs Harms Framework is to enable a comprehensive and coherent approach to addressing the health harms associated with drug use in their entirety across all of GGC, in light of national and local policies and strategies.
The Framework defines the overarching aim of NHSGGC as being “to reduce the health harms that may arise from drug use and their impact upon individuals, families and communities in Greater Glasgow and Clyde” and describes a number of general principles and the broad scope of interventions that are needed to achieve that.
It also describes the strategic planning, delivery and monitoring arrangements for addressing drug harms that are in place in GGC, and which the Framework is intended to support.
Alcohol Framework
Scotland’s alcohol framework focuses our work across GGC on reducing consumption, promoting positive choices, and supporting families and communities. The strategy and approach taken by NHSGGC aligns with Scotland’s public health priorities and aims to minimize alcohol-related harm through evidence-based approaches.
In NHSGGC, working in collaboration with various stakeholders, including health and social care partnerships, Alcohol and Drug Partnerships, and the third sector, we are taking a balanced approach to preventing and reducing alcohol-related harm by working in collaboration. This includes a whole population approach to reduce overall consumption and targeted interventions for those at most risk.
The NHSGGC Alcohol and Drugs Health Improvement Team are a Greater Glasgow and Clyde wide team who support our colleagues and partners across the six Alcohol and Drug Partnerships to promote alcohol and drug public health and equalities across the 6 Integrated Health and Social Care partnerships in Greater Glasgow and Clyde – East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow City, Inverclyde, Renfrewshire, and West Dunbartonshire.
We share updates about the work we are undertaking with partners across key priority areas, share useful resources, research and policy information to help you deliver on the alcohol and drug harms agenda.
Please note that this website links to external providers and NHSGGC isn’t responsible for external website content.
This is not a website for people looking for immediate help with alcohol or drug related issues. If you are in distress and need immediate help, please contact: Emergency: 999 | Crisis: 111
ALERTS
National and local alerts will appear here for the period of time that they are live.
iMatter is the NHS Scotland Staff Experience continuous improvement tool, developed nationally, and used within all NHSScotland Boards.
iMatter is designed to help individuals, teams, Directorates, Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs) and Boards, understand and improve staff experience. This is a term used to describe the extent to which employees feel motivated, supported and cared for at work. It is reflected in levels of engagement, motivation and productivity.
The process is based on a staff engagement questionnaire which all staff are asked to respond to, which generates a Team Report. The team discusses the report and agrees the team strength(s) along with up to 3 improvement actions. This improvement plan is captured on a team ‘Storyboard’ which the team then uses to monitor progress. The process is then completed annually.
National Staff Experience Reports
1. Line Manager Support Guides and Templates
2. YouTube Support Videos
For any questions, support or guidance regarding iMatter, or if you would like to share any iMatter success stories, please contact the iMatter mailbox at ggc.nhsggc.imatter@nhs.scot
The security of our staff is paramount within NHSGGC. To enable our line managers to support their staff, the Human Resources teams monitor the international threat level for the UK. The UK threat levels are set by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC)
JTAC analyses and assesses all intelligence relating to international terrorism, at home and overseas. It sets threat levels and issues warnings of threats and other terrorist-related subjects for customers from a wide range of government departments and agencies, as well as producing more in-depth reports on trends, terrorist networks and capabilities.
JTAC brings together counter-terrorist expertise from various organisations. This information is analysed and then shared across UK Government organisations.
JTAC works closely with MI5, which manages investigations into terrorist activity in the UK. This enables it to assess the nature and extent of the threat in this country.
Current national threat level
The five UK threat levels are categorised as follows:
- Low means an attack is highly unlikely
- Moderate means an attack is possible, but not likely
- Substantial means an attack is likely
- Severe means an attack is highly likely
- Critical means an attack is highly likely in the near future
The UK threat level was lowered from Severe to Substantial on 09 February 2022.
If you are concerned about security within your workplace, you should discuss your concerns with your line manager in the first instance. Alternatively, you can contact the Human Resources Support and Advice Unit for further guidance.
This webpage will summarise the key amendments, policy changes or workforce initiatives updated on HR Connect.
2022
18 July – Staff Bank Newsletter (Summer 2022)
The Summer 2022 Staff Bank Newsletter, focuses on:
- Our brilliant Bank teams
- the DNA procedure
- Staff wellbeing
- Moving to other wards
11 February – Dying to Work Charter
The Dying to Work Charter was adopted by NHS Scotland in March 2021, and endorsed by NHSGGC Chief Executive and Employee Director. It sets out an agreed way in which our staff will be supported, protected and guided throughout their employment, following a terminal diagnosis. Please select the header above to be taken to the agreement and management guide.
2021
01 April – Whistleblowing Policy review
From today, the new National Whistleblowing Standards are in place forming the Once for Scotland Whistleblowing Policy.
For further information on training and contact information, view the Whistleblowing Policy.
29 March – Gender Reassignment Policy review
The Gender Reassignment Policy sets out NHSGGC’s roles and responsibilities as a service provider to patients who have the protected characteristic of Gender Reassignment.
01 March – Scottish Government Bonus Payment
Please refer to the frequently asked questions regarding the NHS Scotland’s agreed qualifying criteria for the £500 one-off payment announced by the First Minister.
2020
09 November – Living Wage Employer
We are delighted to announce NHSGGC are now a Living Wage Employer.
What is a Living Wage employer?
A living wage employer ensures that all employees aged 18 and over, including certain classes of contracted staff, are paid at least the living wage.The employer also agrees to increase the amount which it pays to employees by the same amount as any increase in the living wage within six months of the date of the official announcement.
What is living wage accreditation?
Living wage employer accreditation is managed by citizens UK and provides employers with a licence to the living wage employer mark. The accreditation process is simple and is open to employers already paying the living wage, or those committed to an agreed timetable of implementation.
12 August – Medical Appraisal and Revalidation
Dr Gregor Smith (Interim Chief Medical Officer to all Responsible Officers in Scotland) has written to all NHS Scotland Health Boards regarding the national arrangement for restarting Medical Appraisals.
Please review the updated information on the NHSGGC medical appraisals website and email medical.revalidation@ggc.scot.nhs.uk if you have any further questions regarding the letter.
23 July – Jobtrain version 7 upgrade
The NHSGGC recruitment system will shortly be upgraded to version 7. This briefing outlines what this will mean as one of NHSGGC’s hiring managers.
16 March – COVID-19 update
Please keep up to date with the latest guidance and frequently asked questions on the designated NHSGGC Coronavirus website. This information is updated daily and if you have any questions not covered, please contact email your specific query at staff.covid19@ggc.scot.nhs.uk and we will arrange to update the FAQs to respond to your questions.
02 March – NHS Scotland ‘Once for Scotland’ Workforce policies
Individuals currently within an NHSGGC process should complete the process under that policy, unless they are at the very start of the Attendance or Capability policies in which case they should move across to the NHSScotland Workforce policy on the completion of Stage 1, provided both sides are in agreement. If both sides are not in agreement, the individual will remain on the NHSGGC policy.
Where a process is underway within an NHSGGC policy, the policy and supporting documents, including template letters can be accessed through HR Connect – Policies & Associated Guidance.
05 February – NHS Scotland Staff Pension Policy
Further to the Core Brief on the 29 November 2019 and following the recent Pension Information sessions delivered across GGC, a copy of the presentation and frequently asked questions can be found at REC Information.
To support employees who may be affected by the impacts of international events, we want to ensure staff are aware of the resources available to them. We take the wellbeing of our employees very seriously and pride ourselves on being a diverse and inclusive workforce.
It is understandable that international events might make you may feel anxious, upset or overwhelmed. In recognition of this, we ask that anyone who is experiencing difficulties, whatever they may be, to raise this with their line manager in the first instance or through the Human Resources Support and Advice Unit. By advising us of any concerns you have will enable us to take a person-centred approach to assist you in your role, during these uncertain times.
If you have loved ones currently in an area directly impacted by an event, we appreciate you may wish to keep in more regular contact with them. As such, should you wish to discuss temporary adjustments to your working hours, rest breaks or duties, we will do our upmost to accommodate this through our Flexible Working Policies.
We would also like to remind you that you have access to a range of confidential support. This includes: self-help, money advice, mental health and wellbeing and the NHSGGC Counselling Service.
We understand people may have differing views of international events; however, the organisation does not condone any form of bullying, harassment, or discriminatory behaviour. We would like to remind all staff members to use respectful and appropriate language and be kind to colleagues.
Similarly, staff are reminded to only use appropriate channels to communicate in line with our Email Usage policy, Internet Acceptable Use policy; and our Personal Use of Social Media policy, and to, at all times, be sensitive to the individual circumstances of others.
Questions or Concerns
Should you have any questions or concerns regarding these matters, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Human Resources Support and Advice Unit. If you are a member of a Trade Union/Professional Organisation they may also provide you with advice and support.
HR Connect was launched in 2016 Since then it has grown and developed based on staff feedback.
Your views and suggestions are valuable to us in helping us to know what works and what can be improved and may help shape future developments.
Staff are encouraged to provide feedback relating to HR Connect using the survey below.
Feedback can be provided anonymously if preferred.
