NHS Informatics Merseyside employs over 300 digital professionals, as well as clinical informaticians, who have many years of experience and knowledge across a range of digital specialties and share our strive for exceptional service.

We understand that success and the achievement of our vision is only possible through our people – the talent and professionalism of our workforce. Therefore, great emphasis has and continues to be placed on personal and professional development to create an environment that fosters innovation, is supportive and conducive to learning, and helps to maintain high standards of customer care.

To support this, we are committed to training and development, health and wellbeing and equality and diversity, and provide ongoing support through a range of workplace policies and initiatives. Through this approach, we seek to maintain a pipeline of talented people who are fully engaged with our vision and values, and are well placed to lead our organisation as we grow together. Our success in achieving this has been recognised with low staff turnover rates and year-on-year improvements in our NHS staff survey results, with NHS Informatics Merseyside consistently achieving high engagement scores above the national average. 

Just some of the initiatives we have in place to support our people are outlined below. These continue to be developed as part of an established workstream focused on workforce and organisational development. 

To support our plans surrounding digital transformation, we have also been expanding the number of clinical informaticians we have within our team to support co-production alongside our technicians. This supports Health Education England’s digital workforce modelling report which outlined the importance of this approach in order to sustain the pace of digital transformation in the NHS. 

Training and development

Allocated training budget

Within NHS Informatics Merseyside we have an allocated budget for training which is used to support the personal and professional development of our informatics colleagues as identified as part of the annual Personal Development Review (PDR) process. 

Alignment with the Health Informatics Career Framework

Job roles across NHS Informatics Merseyside have been aligned with the Health Informatics Career Framework in order to proactively manage staff development and provide colleagues with a skills and qualifications pathway to work towards. 

Access to Percipio learning platform 

All NHS Informatics Merseyside colleagues have been provided with access to a comprehensive learning platform called Percipio, providing access to a wide-range of online courses, books and audio recordings.

On-going mentoring

NHS Informatics Merseyside’s host organisation delivers a leadership and management development programme called Thrive, which provides a comprehensive combination of training in leadership, management development, action learning, coaching and reflective practice. This training is encouraged with managers across the organisation to suitably equip colleagues as effective mentors, leaders and advocates of NHS Informatics Merseyside’s vision, values and strategic aims. 

On-the-job coaching

Experienced colleagues across NHS Informatics Merseyside provide support and development to those less experienced by passing on their knowledge and skills as part of a shadowing arrangement. An individual might spend several days working alongside a skilled colleague learning more about their role or how to undertake a specific task or process.

Apprenticeships and work placements

NHS Informatics Merseyside is committed to supporting the learning and development of young recruits and operates apprenticeship programmes to strengthen the existing workforce and support students in developing their skills and gaining valuable workplace experience. Each apprentice is managed by a team lead who monitors their development and provides any necessary support. In addition to this, NHS Informatics Merseyside is also supporting the UK Government Kickstart Scheme.

Health and wellbeing 

Developing a just and learning culture 

NHS Informatics Merseyside’s is committed to creating an environment where colleagues feel supported and empowered to learn when things do not go as expected, rather than feeling blamed. This is a culture that instinctively asks in the case of an adverse event: “what” was responsible, not “who”.

Virtual Elevenses

Virtual Elevenses have been launched in response to COVID-19 and to support colleagues now working remotely. The aim of these sessions are to support colleague health and wellbeing by providing an opportunity for colleagues organisation-wide to virtually catch up and talk socially. 

Coaching sessions for building resilience

In response to COVID-19, NHS Informatics Merseyside has organised coaching sessions for colleagues to attend to help build personal and team resilience. These sessions are held virtually and aim to equip colleagues with the tools needed to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Promoting health and wellbeing 

Maintaining and improving the health and wellbeing of our colleagues remains a key priority for NHS Informatics Merseyside and is fundamental to our vision, values and long-term development. As an organisation, we appreciate that the responsibility for the health and wellbeing of our staff extends far beyond a core responsibility to provide a safe working environment and we seek to be an ‘excellent employer’, ‘an employer of choice’ within the NHS, who recognises the concept of ‘good work’ – work which is healthy and safe and offers an increasing sense of self-worth. 

As part of our Business Plan, we have developed a number of strategic objectives to help us achieve our vision and support our values, which are linked to the PDR process. This framework acknowledges the pivotal role of our colleagues and the importance of having a skilled, motivated and engaged workforce who continually strive to give their very best and deliver high quality services.  

To support the health and wellbeing of our colleagues a wealth of information, resources and support is available for colleagues to access. A quarterly staff magazine is also produced, which balances team and organisational updates with light-hearted news as well as a section dedicated to health and wellbeing. 

Our virtual ‘Say Thank You’ system has now been further developed and incorporated within the PDR process. This means that colleagues are now able to view how many thank you messages they have received and sent, helping to support a culture where we openly acknowledge the support and contributions of others and celebrate success.