People Committee Assurance Report
Meeting: Public Meeting
Date: 8 May 2024
Report Title: People Committee Assurance Report
Agenda Item: PUB24/05/5.4
Committee Date: 12 March 2024
Meeting Chair: Wendy Thomas, Non-Executive Director and Committee Chair
Meeting Quorate: YES
Purpose: Assurance
Recommendation: The Board is asked to receive assurance from the business discussed at the meeting and to review the matters for escalation and referral.
Link to Strategic Objective:
- Be an exceptional place to work, volunteer and learn
- Provide outstanding quality of care and performance
Summary of Items Considered at the Meeting
Calibre Awards
Consideration: Dean Nock, a Calibre award winner, living with dyslexia and mental health issues, told the Committee of the barriers some people face when applying for roles at EEAST. The Trust has increased the number of employees with disabilities from 5.7 to 12.9% of the staff population. Dean argues reasonable adjustments are not enough; managers must give neuro-diversity support when appointing to roles. With this support, we have seen an increase in appointments, we have achieved the bronze BDA award and are on track for silver and gold. Dean has been promoted and is also starting a healthcare management degree in April 2024.
Resolution/Outcome: People Committee was delighted to hear of Dean’s success and is keen to ensure we use innovative ways described to appoint more people with neuro-diversity in the future.
Assurance: Moderate
BME Network Update
Consideration: Tanoh Asamoah-Danso updated on the BME network progress. There are two burning issues:
- The Trust agreed 15-hours protected time for network leads and this is difficult to share between the team. 42-hours were needed to be effective.
- What action can we take to ensure our staff population reflects the diversity of the population they serve?
Resolution/Outcome:
- Hein Scheffer agreed to investigate the possibility of additional hours for the networks.
- This information is available and will be incorporated into the people IPR going forward.
Assurance: Moderate
Gender Pay Gap
Consideration: The Board had asked the Committee to interrogate the data further and following this, the gender pay gap submission and action plan were approved for publication. The gender pay gap has reduced from 11.5 to 7.5%
Resolution/Outcome: Submission was approved
Assurance: Moderate
Equality Delivery System 2022 and action plan 2023-26
Consideration: The Committee reviewed the submission as requested by the Board.
Resolution/Outcome: Submission was approved
Assurance: Moderate
Integrated Strategy, Culture and Education report
Consideration: The Committee received an update on the Time to Lead programme, the leadership development education programme, the BME pulse and staff survey results. The dials are now being turned to change the culture at EEAST. However, the Committee agreed that there is no room for complacency and this area will continue to be monitored in the coming year.
Resolution/Outcome: The Committee noted that there is continued progress across a majority of the Strategy, Education and Culture focused metrics.
Still work to do in relation to appraisal rates but the Time to Lead programme, addressing spans of control and the proposal for an electronic system will address going forward.
Assurance: Moderate
Performance and Appraisal compliance
Consideration: The Committee received an update on the progress of the improvements to be made to the appraisal process. This is key for the Trust as evidence shows that good appraisal compliance = staff feel valued and consequently turnover rates reduce. Currently, the appraisal rate standard is set at 85%.
Compliance rates dropped by a further 1.6% in January to an overall compliance rate of 57.4%. The reasons for this are attributed to the huge change programmes currently underway. Time to Lead will result in a more reasonable span of control (1:12-15 people) Currently some areas still have a 1:20 ratio and this is because there are 35 LoM vacancies.
The revised process will link to the business planning cycle and there is a plan to move the whole organisation to the same timetable by early 2026/27. Paper appraisals will no longer exist with a planned digital solution to be delivered by April 2024.
Resolution/Outcome: A moderate level of assurance can be given as whilst there is a robust plan in place to improve the appraisal rating, the metric is currently showing a downward trajectory.
Assurance: Moderate
Leadership training needs analysis
Consideration: The Committee commended the approach adopted to develop this education programme. Using feedback from staff, staff experience and identified training needs at the assessment centers for Time to Lead, a comprehensive approach to leadership development has commenced. The first of the operational team leaders commenced in January 2024 and so for there has been a 92% satisfaction rate from staff.
Resolution/Outcome: This is the development work that will enable the organization to move forward and challenge those behaviours that are unacceptable to our people and the Board.
Assurance: Substantial
Sexual Safety Charter – gap analysis and action plan
Consideration: In September 2023 NHSE launched the Sexual Safety Charter. EEAST has undertaken a gap analysis, and this has highlighted that much of the good practice identified has already taken place. The gap analysis has highlighted more work is required with the cultural change needed and the training implementation, mostly around demonstrating impact and so the team have self assessed as an amber rating by July 2024.
Resolution/Outcome: The Committee noted the gap analysis, agreed the amber rating, and asked for an update on progress in due course.
Assurance: Moderate
NHS Staff Survey results 2023
Consideration: The Committee received the results – a 52% response rate. 27% for bank staff. 97 comparable questions with 71 questions scoring better than in 2022. This made EEAST the top ambulance Trust for year-on-year improvement for the 2nd year in a row. 10% more staff would recommend EEAST as a place to work
There are, however, still too many of our people experiencing bullying behaviour.
Resolution/Outcome: The Committee was delighted with the headline results from the survey. We were reminded, however, that the cultural improvements we need to make are a long journey and we are not as far as we need to be yet.
Assurance: Moderate
Workplace Behaviour Survey
Consideration: This survey was undertaken in September 2023. The results that staff-on-staff behaviours give most cause for concern with the least number of complaints made from the LGBT community.
35% of our people had experienced bullying behavior and 38% of those had not reported it. This, along with 7% of people saying they had experienced sexual harassment with 43% not reporting it is of concern and HR will be undertaking analysis of the results. There has been an increase in concerns raised (46 in January and 40 in February 24). This may be attributed to the Trust moving from NOF4, with people feeling braver to speak up and speak out, changes in leadership as a result of Time to Lead and the MARS scheme.
This survey will run annually.
Resolution/Outcome: There were some disappointing results within this survey, but the Committee were pleased that staff are coming forward to report their concerns. The Committee will receive the results on an annual basis.
Assurance: Moderate
Health and Safety update
Consideration: The Committee noted the partially complaint progress with the risk assessments as previously reported. The Trust has now appointed a Health and Safety advisor and progress is being made to ensure full compliance with the outstanding risk assessments within 3-years.
Resolution/Outcome: The Committee noted the progress made towards full compliance.
Assurance: Moderate
Integrated People Services Report
Consideration: Continued excellent progress with the people metrics. Turnover and sickness continues to reduce. Tighter control over “duty sick” needs to be addressed and we have almost achieved our recruitment goal (target is 775 by end March and we have achieved 709 with a strong pipeline by early March).
Resolution/Outcome: The Committee noted the continued excellent progress across all the people focused metrics, noted that turnover and sickness continues to fall.
Assurance: Substantial
Suicide prevention planning
Consideration: At the request of the Chair and CEO, the Committee received an update on the Trust’s suicide prevention and management plans. Sadly, we lost two members of staff to suicide in late 2023 and these cases were examined along with our already developed processes following three previous deaths in 2019. The two recent cases, other than happening in the same locality, had no related themes identified. The Committee heard of significant research and the WHO, LHA and AACE guidance available. The People Director sits on the suicide advisory Board along with public health colleagues and this is helpful to fully understand and adopt the research findings. The Trust has now established a Postvention process. A team of senior people to wrap around the service and its people for an organised and controlled response.
Prevention is always better, and the People Director explained the wellbeing offers provided by EEAST.
Resolution/Outcome: The Committee noted the outcome of the investigation into the two tragic recent deaths, and were assured with the new approach, which is based upon evidenced best practice.
Assurance: Substantial
People Committee IPR report
Consideration: The assurance report was used to triangulate the main areas of performance improvement and outstanding areas of concern as described in the papers presented to the Committee.
Resolution/Outcome: This was the first full assurance report, and the Committee noted the correlation between the information provided and the Committee IPR metrics.
Assurance: Substantial
Transformation Programme Board - Highlight Report
Consideration: The Committee noted highlights from:
- Time to Lead
- Culture Programme
- People Strategy and People Services Development
- Planning and Resourcing Programme
The Planning and Resourcing Programme was reported on in depth. There is some concern that in order to fully realise the benefits of the programme, a software solution, Anaplan, is critical to progress Phase 3 implementation. The service was required to make savings, and this was not affordable at £300k. Discussions are starting with NHSE to ascertain the possibility of central funding.
Resolution/Outcome: The Committee asked that the Programme Lead escalated via the Deputy Director’s report if funding cannot be found for Anaplan.
Assurance: Moderate
Board Assurance Framework
Consideration: The Committee received the BAF and noted the mitigation. The risks remain high for SR1a and SR1b. The controls are effective.
Resolution/Outcome: The Committee agreed to keep the current strategic risk rating at 16 for SR1a and 20 for SR1b.
Assurance: Moderate
Group Assurance Report
Consideration: Only two groups have met since the last meeting:
- Health, Safety and Wellbeing
- Strategy, Culture and Education Programme Board
No risks were recommended for escalation from the Compliance and Risk Group (CRG).
Resolution/Outcome: The Committee noted the report.
Assurance: Moderate
