Supporting staff that also care for someone when they are not at work, is important. It is important for line managers to understand how caring for someone can have an impact on a staff members’ health and wellbeing and to ensure appropriate support is put in place to maintain their health and wellbeing. This will also ensure staff, who are carers, can continue to work if they wish to do so.
There are many ways line managers can ensure a supportive working environment for carers and we recommend that you have a discussion with staff members to discuss the options. This does not necessarily require big changes within the workplace, it can be small adjustments which can make a big difference.
Identifying staff who are carers
To be able to identify staff, who have caring responsibilities outside of work, it is important to have a clear definition. The NHS Scotland Special Leave policy defines a Carer as ‘someone who has responsibility for a family member, partner, friend, or another individual who relies on the employee.’
Many carers do not identify themselves as a carer, they may describe themselves as ‘looking after’ or ‘supporting’ someone. Many do not think about informing their line manager that they are a carer. Although the aim is a supportive working environment where carers feel comfortable informing their line manager that they are a carer, it is important to recognise that it is the staff member’s choice whether they disclose this.
Line managers might be aware of family circumstances that might suggest that the member of staff is also looking after or supporting someone. Think about opportunities when you could have a conversation with the staff member, for example at one to one meetings. If you require support on how to approach this conversation, please contact the Human Resources Support and Advice Unit.
Supporting Carers in the workplace
There is a range of support that line managers should be aware of when discussing an employee’s caring responsibilities with them.
Supporting carers within the workplace is not always about changing working hours. There are practical and often small changes that can make a difference in the workplace. Here are some suggestions that might help:
Telephone access: providing private access to a telephone or allowing an employee to keep their mobile phone on in case they need to respond to an emergency. Staff are encouraged to provide work telephone numbers to dependents in some clinical areas where mobile phones are not permitted.
Health and Wellbeing Support: There are a lot of support services available for carers. Managers should make themselves aware of what is available for staff. Posters and flyers promoting carer support services within the workplace, are available from the Public Health Resource Directory. Additionally, health and wellbeing information for NHSGGC staff is available on HR Connect. Occupational Health can provide support to staff if their own health is impacted.
Carer Support Services
There are dedicated support services across the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area and further afield. These services provide practical and emotional support for carers, they understand what it means to be a carer. The support these services provide can also help the person they look after.
You can also drop-in, call or email the Support & Information Service on the ground floor of the New Victoria and New Stobhill Hospitals and the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
Are you looking after someone when you are not at work? If this is you, then you could be a carer.
You may not identify yourself as a carer – you may see yourself as a partner, sister, brother or friend, and this relationship will not change. However in recognising yourself as a carer, this entitles you to certain rights and access to information and support, specifically for you as a carer that may assist you in your caring role. This may also be helpful for the person you care for.
The NHS Scotland Special Leave policy defines a Carer as ‘someone who has responsibility for a family member, partner, friend, or another individual who relies on the employee.’
Many carers say they do have a good balance between caring and being able to do other things in life. However for some, trying to balance working life and caring can be stressful and can affect health and wellbeing.
“Research tells us that it is important to understand how caring can have an impact on wellbeing and to ensure that appropriate supports are put in place to maintain the health and wellbeing of the carer.”
We understand that it can be difficult at times to balance working life and being a carer. For this reason, we want to recognise and value our staff who are carers and raise awareness of the help and support that is available.
Help and Support
If you do look after someone, support is at hand. This includes supportive NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Policies and local community-based services dedicated to carers. Even if you do not need this help and support just now, it is good to know there are services out there should you need this in the future.
You can find out more information on support available, please visit our dedicated NHSGGC Carers page.
There are dedicated support services across Greater Glasgow and Clyde area and further afield. These services provide practical and emotional support for you as a carer and they understand what it means to be a carer. The support these services provide can also help the person you look after.
What do carer support services provide?
Practical information for you. They will let you know about your rights as a carer and what help and support is available for you.
Emotional support and a listening ear for you.
Access to training that will support you in your role as a carer.
Information about financial support that may be available for you or for the person you look after.
Information about how to access short breaks from providing care.
There is a dedicated Staff Health page which provides information and support for staff on a range of health topics and factors that can impact on our health, all in one site.
The Spiritual Care team can also provide confidential, compassionate, inclusive, non-judgemental, person-centred spiritual, emotional and bereavement care and support. You’ll find out more information on the Spiritual Care team webpage.
Support for Staff with Money Worries
In the current economic climate, many staff are experiencing money and debt problems, which can increase personal stress. NHSGGC has a number of resources to support staff.
Please visit the All About Money page for more information on managing your money.
A new Bank management and booking system was introduced to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde in July 2017.
The new system, called BANKSTAFF, is used to manage bookings for the following staff banks:
Medical locums
Nursing and midwifery
Administration and clerical
The provider of this system worked with NHSGGC and developed a project plan which is managed by an Operational group comprising of HR, operational service colleagues and Staff Side colleagues.
A key improvement to the BANKSTAFF system is Employee Online (EOL). This is a self-service and booking app, managed through your mobile, tablet or desktop computers which will allow bank workers to, in the first instance, view all available shifts and place their availability onto the system.
In due course, it is intended that medical staff will be able to book shifts online. Future communications will provide more details of this new facility.
More information will be distributed explaining how you will be able to access the system. Keen an eye on HR Connect, StaffNet and Core Briefs for further updates.
The Medical Staff Bank provides temporary medical staffing cover for NHSGGC, across all training and non-training grades and specialities.
What are the benefits?
Quality: Help us offer patients the best quality care using NHSGGC-approved medical staff.
Flexibility: Access rewarding, relevant Medical Bank placements across NHSGGC reflecting the type and level of work you want to do.
Experience: Gain the experience you want in the specialty of your choice.
Weekly pay: You will receive your Medical Bank payments weekly.
Priority to all available vacant shifts requiring cover.
Paid accrued annual leave.
We look forward to receiving your application and welcoming you to the Medical Staff Bank.
LOOP
On the 30th April 2025, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde launched Loop, an eRostering communications tool supplied by RLDatix. This online booking App was deployed to replace Employee Online (EOL).
Loop provides the same functionality as EOL as well as including some new extras.
Further correspondence will be distributed with additional information and user guides to provide guidance on how to start using this App.
Whilst Substantive staff can download the app, they will not be able to fully utilise the functionality until rostered on Optima (core rostering tool also provided by RLDatix in replacement for SSTS). The Optima implementation plan will be communicated to all staff in due course.
What to expect
24/7 access to the communication tool provided via URL or Mobile App
Book bank shifts on the go
Get notifications when bank shifts become available
View and manage your roster anywhere at any time
Get notifications on request approvals and new shifts becoming available
Stay in the loop with your colleagues and our latest news
Connect with colleagues and send direct messages to each other
Get auto-added to staff groups, based on your roster, to chat with your team
Get the latest workplace news and updates direct to your newsfeed
HEPMA (Hospital Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration) Update
HEPMA is Hospital Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration. This is a new digital system that will replace the paper drug chart (kardex) for inpatient areas across NHSGGC.
Doctors and other prescribers will use HEPMA to prescribe medicines for inpatients.
Nurses will use HEPMA to carry out drug rounds and record the administration of medicines to patients.
HEPMA will link with TrakCare for patient demographics and movements.
A new capability to import discharge medicines from HEPMA into Clinical Portal IDL is now available for use for existing HEPMA/Clinical Portal users. This follows a successful pilot at sites within the board.
This capability brings a number of benefits to service system users and patients including:
Reduced manual transcription time and effort for discharge of medicines
Quicker and more efficient generation of IDLs
Quicker discharge process and experience for patients.
Quick Reference Guides detailing how to use the new capability (use of which is optional) are available on HEPMA StaffNet Support Site.
HEPMA Facilitators are visiting key sites to raise awareness and provide user support for the new capability. Telephone support is also available. For urgent issues log a call via #650.
For new non urgent incidents and all account related requests, please access the eHelp icon on your desktop.
For non-urgent clinical or ward queries, you can contact the HEPMA Pharmacy Team on nhsggc.hepma@ggc.scot.nhs.uk (this email address is not monitored 24/7)
FairWarning – Appropriate Access to Clinical Records Information
NHSGGC has a moral and legal responsibility to protect the confidentiality of the data it holds and patients expect the information we retain about them will be kept secure and confidential. Your job role may give you access to patients’ clinical information and you are reminded of your responsibility to access only the information that is required to allow you to carry out your legitimate duties. This includes never accessing HEPMA records on occasions where either you or somebody you know personally is receiving treatment as an inpatient.
To protect against inappropriate access to records, the Board continues to use an audit system called FairWarning which was put in place to provide assurance that clinical information is kept safe. The system provides the Information Governance Team with daily audit reports from clinical systems which allows them to monitor and investigate any potential inappropriate access to records, including staff accessing their own records and those of family members. If, after investigation, a record is found to be accessed inappropriately, then a formal discussion between the member of staff and manager will take place and depending on the severity of the breach, there could be a number of consequences including refresher training and/or formal disciplinary action. Some good practice tips are:
1. Never share passwords with other colleagues or managers.
2. Keep your LearnPro Safe Information Handling Training up to date.
Staff are reminded that if they wish to access their own health information, they should submit a subject access request. The Board’s Subject Access Policy provides the relevant information and forms needed and can be found here Subject Access Policy.
If you have any questions on FairWarning or data protection in general, including training, please visit our Information Governance Knowledge Hub, or contact the Information Governance Team:
Joan Docherty – Medical Staff Bank Supervisor Telephone: 0141 278 2671 Email: Joan.Docherty@nhs.scot
Stephen Meechan – Medical Staff Bank Call Co-ordinator Telephone: 0141 278 2528 Email: Stephen.Meechan@nhs.scot
Arlene Connelly – Medical Staff Bank Call Co-ordinator Telephone: 0141 278 2574 Email: Arlene.Connelly3@nhs.scot
Nikki Crossan – Medical Staff Bank Call Co-ordinator Telephone: 0141 278 2679 Email: Nikki.Crossan2@nhs.scot
Medical Staff Bank Opening Hours
Monday to Friday: 8.00am to 6.00pm
Public Holidays 10.00am to 3.00pm
Closed Christmas Day and New Years Day
Urgent medical locum shift requests out with Medical Bank opening hours ie after 6.00pm to 8.00am Monday to Friday and Friday 6.00pm to 8.00am on Monday, are dealt with by Litmus Workforce Solutions, the Board’s managed service provider, and their out of hours contact details are:
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Admin and Clerical Bank are here to help when there are planned, or unplanned, shortfalls in the levels of administration or clerical staff.
We currently provide band 2, band 3 and band 4 admin staff throughout GGC, to provide a short term temporary solutions to gaps in administration staff.
Bank workers are registered with NHSGGC Admin and Clerical Bank and are available to fill short-term shortfalls in manpower resource for up to 3 months.
(Roles expected to last longer than 3 months should be referred to the budget holder of the service, as an considered solution may be a fixed term contract)
What we do
The Admin and Clerical Bank service provides a central booking, recruitment and management service for NHSGGC. The service provides a crucial link for unforeseen or unplanned gaps in administration services.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) has an Administration Bank which is accessible by all services.
The purpose of this to provide immediate administrative cover for departments; to provide resources for short term vacancies up to a maximum duration of 3 months for Band 2, 3 and 4.
Where a vacancy is expected to last beyond 3 months then the post must be processed through the Directorate/HSCP/Corporate Vacancy Control Review Group, with consideration given to alternative hiring and contract arrangements.
Any position which reaches a duration of 3 months and requires to be extended must then be progressed through the Directorate/HSCP/Corporate Vacancy Control Review Group. Engagement will take place with the Staff Bank prior to this date to allow appropriate time for consideration of the vacancy.
Administrative and Clerical Bankstaff (Booking system)
Bankstaff (Booking system)
The bank management and booking system was introduced to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde in July 2017. The new system, called Bankstaff, and is used to manage bookings for Administration and Clerical Bank
Once the bank staff office receive the completed Admin & Clerical booking request from, they will be responsible for adding the shifts to the bank system. Should you require additional shifts to be added, please contact the bank office
Following the shifts being completed, the authoriser(s) are required to access the Bankstaff system and electronically confirm the shift has been worked, and then finalise the timesheet to allow the shift to be paid.
Authorisers will be provided with log-in details for Bankstaff by the bank office.
The payroll cut off for electronic time sheets authorisation is now 12.00pm on Friday, to allow the shift(s) to be paid the following Friday.
But when these pressures or demands become excessive, and you can’t cope with them, then you can become stressed. For many people, stress is a significant problem that seriously affects their daily lives and the lives of those around them.
Stress is the most common mental health problem faced by people throughout the world. Two in five of us will experience stress at some stage in our lives and seven out of 10 of us know someone who has it.
So what is stress?
For most people, it involves anxiety or depression, or a combination of both. It becomes a problem when you can’t get rid of it, even though you try. You feel you are losing control of your life. You feel that you can’t cope with things that others can deal with.
The range of signs and symptoms of stress include:
The good news is that there’s a lot that can be done to support people struggling with stress.
NHSGGC’s stress in the workplace policy has been developed to support staff to deal with issues that contribute to stress at work and in the outside world. It encourages staff wellbeing by giving information on techniques and services which help individuals to cope with pressure and stress and equipping all staff, including managers, with tools to identify the risk of stress and intervene at an early stage.
Staff should be aware of the signs and symptoms of stress as outlined in this article, and know how to receive support if required. The organisation has put in place a range of measures to reduce the risk of staff being affected by stress in the workplace, but staff should be aware that stress can often originate from life outside of work. The organisation will do all it can to support you if you are suffering from stress.
A guide to the policy and the responsibilities it sets for the organisation, managers and individuals in supporting employees at risk of stress.
The organisation
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is committed to:
action to support employees to address issues contributing to stress at work and in their wider lives
action to support staff who have experienced mental or physical health symptoms associated with stress to return to work and ensure their skills are not lost
action to tackle stress and provide support to help staff manage stress.
Directors and senior managers
developing an organisational culture where stress is not seen as a sign of weakness or incompetence and where seeking help in managing stress is seen as a sign of strength and good practice
reducing and managing, as far as possible, factors which lead to stress in the workplace
providing advice and information to managers on their duty of care to staff
encouraging a working environment where staff who feel at risk of experiencing the effects of stress can raise an issue in confidence.
Line managers
encouraging a team culture where mental wellbeing is as important as physical health
carrying out stress risk assessments every two years or before if stress related issues are raised
resolving work-related issues at individual level and team level as appropriate, involving people outside the team if necessary
regularly reviewing excess hours worked by staff
when change is being introduced, provide the necessary support and training to staff
when issues arise, involve staff in seeking solutions.
Individuals
ll staff are responsible for:
talking to your line manager if you have a problem. If this is not possible, then you should talk to our occupational health service or human resources
supporting colleagues experiencing work-related stress and encouraging them to talk to their line manager, occupational health service, human resources or trade union
seeking support, which may include in-house counselling from the Occupational Health Service
speaking to your GP if worried about health issues
recognising that stress is not a weakness
attending stress management course if identified that this would help
discussing with your manager whether it is possible to alter your job if necessary to make it less stressful.
Human resources department
The department is responsible for:
promoting a positive culture within the workforce
assisting the process of return to work for staff
facilitating discussions within areas of conflict
making sure that polices and codes of conduct are adhered to.
Trade unions
Trades unions are responsible for:
encouraging members to speak up
investigating potential hazards and complaints from their members
liaising with managers to carry out risk assessments.
Occupational health service
The service is responsible for:
providing support for staff who may be experiencing stress
advising managers and staff on stress triggers and risk assessment process
delivering training and education programmes on stress risk assessment with the Health and Safety Service
monitoring and reviewing patterns of stress-related sickness absence.
In-house counselling service
The service is available to anyone experiencing problems which affect their ability to function.
Part of Occupational Health, the service is responsible for:
offering help to establish a tailor-made programme of stress management which extends beyond work into home life
offering help to individuals is assessing whether their coping strategies are working
offering an opportunity to talk in confidence about any problem or difficulty, whether work-related or not. The service offers face-to-face and telephone appointments. Please call 0141 201 0600 to make an appointment with one of our counselling team.
Health and safety service
The service is responsible for:
ensuring training is provided to managers to carry out stress risk assessments
advising managers on effective measures for work-related stress
helping monitor work-related stress by assisting with analysis of Datix incident data related to stress.
The mental health and wellbeing of our staff is important to us. Growing research demonstrates the importance of mental health and wellbeing in relation to satisfaction and effectiveness at work.
Stress, depression and anxiety are reported as the most common reasons for staff absence. Poor mental health is associated with an increased risk of diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes, while good mental health is a known protective factor. Poor physical health also increases the risk of people developing mental health problems.
NHSGGC have in place a range of support for staff and managers in order to prevent and assist with mental health issues in the workplace.
Read and view some of the experiences of registered professionals who have completed the Flying Start programme. For newly qualified practitioners these highlight what they feel have been the benefits of the programme and some of their experiences throughout their first year in practice. This is further reflected in the video messages from NQPs, which you will find helpful.
Facilitator testimonials are also included below and highlight the benefits of this role for both the NQP and the facilitator themselves.
“Flying Start resources have given me the opportunity to become more self-aware by way of the reflective accounts I have to do. It enables me to see what point I ‘m at as a Newly Qualified Practitioner and how far I need to go to become a better practitioner.”
“Flying Start modules should also give me a headstart when revalidating as a nurse and will populate my portfolio ready for that.”
AHPs
“I still use the 4 pillars structure to help me navigate my way around my learning.”
“Being able to manage yourself, as well as leading your patients is important, this has made me more confident in my role.”
“Through Flying Start Leadership pillar, I took most learning in self leadership and strategies to help manage myself and the impact I have on other people.”
“Through Flying Start Evidence, Research and Development pillar, I became involved in developing a formal pathway for patient feedback, making feedback accessible for all, patients felt listened to.”
“By working through Flying Start, my portfolio evidence has helped me with my TURAS Appraisal and has enough in it to get me through the HCPC process.”
Midwives
“Flying Start has helped me bridge the gap from student to newly qualified midwife, and has allowed me to become more independent.”
“Meeting learning outcomes for Flying Start has supported my transition to being a capable confident midwife.”
Mental Health Nurse
“I realised the importance of the programme early on and this was reinforced by my colleagues supporting me.”
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