#TalentMatters blog: Supporting you to recruit and retain the right talent
Welcome to the September edition of the NOE CPC Update. This month we're looking at #TalentMatters. To introduce this topic, Joanne Barton, Senior Category Manager, HR & People, speaks about how our frameworks support you to recruit and retain the right talent for your organisation.
“The NHS is one of the best healthcare providers in the world, but we know it can be better. Staffing the healthcare service properly and adequately is a huge challenge which is only increasing year on year, but my team dedicate their time to supporting you, our customers, to find staffing solutions that work.
“Three years ago, the NHS rolled out its People Plan, which included plans on how it would recruit and retain the right staff. This included initiatives aimed at making the NHS a model and modern employer, such as recruiting a diverse range of staff from across our communities and prioritising use of staff banks over agency staff.
“My team form part of the NHS Workforce Alliance, a collaboration of four NHS procurement hubs and Crown Commercial Service. Between us, we have a portfolio of frameworks which support the People Plan objectives. For example:
- Managed Staff Banks - which provides you with a cost-effective route to set up a staff bank
- Learning and Training DPS - supporting your colleagues’ ongoing professional development
- Occupational Health, Employee Assistance Programmes and Eye Care Services – ensuring you can prioritise the wellbeing of your staff
- Permanent Recruitment – supporting you to recruit the best talent on permanent and fixed term contracts
“These frameworks are complemented by a full suite of agreements designed to give you the best possible support for your staffing requirements.
“Our help and support extends beyond our framework agreements. We have a wealth of expertise in our team, which is made up of experienced procurement professionals, including those who have worked for our customer organisations. Members of our team have developed a much deeper understanding of the staffing markets we work in through effective supplier relationship management, which has helped them understand what factors are influencing those market conditions.
“Within our team we have established five temporary staffing cluster groups, which we continue to facilitate and chair. These groups encourage a collaborative approach to cost reduction targets and market management, enabling shared learning across the regions. We will be bringing members of these groups together at our upcoming Joint Cluster Workforce Workshop on 26th November.
“And across the NHS Workforce Alliance partnership, we set up regular knowledge transfer sessions to ensure all staff are well briefed on the latest frameworks and industry developments, so that they can pass that knowledge onto you.
“NOE CPC places a strong focus on professional development, and that has always been true in my team, who among them have completed qualifications through the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) and the NHS Leadership Academy’s Mary Seacole programme. As an organisation we have participated in the Pathways 2 Procurement NHS Procurement Graduate Training Scheme, with our first recruit, Olivia Humphrey, going on to join my team as a Procurement Support Officer. You can read about another of our recruits, Kristie Gill, later in the newsletter.
“My team have always sought to become involved in and support other employee groups, such as our Staff Experience Group and the HCSA Women’s Network, which represents women in healthcare procurement.
“Outside of NOE CPC, I am regional lead for the North West on the HCSA National Council, and as part of this role I attend Skills Development Network (SDN) groups such as the Procurement Focus Development Group, which designs the training programme for all procurement professionals within the North West, and the Skills Development Steering Group. At each group, I provide an HCSA update and practical support. Recently this led to me commissioning Hempsons to deliver a full day training session on the new Procurement Act and NHS Provider Selection Regime (PSR), funded by the SDN. We are also developing a PSR Network group for the North West to support and embed learning across the region and allow a forum for shared learning.”
If anyone would like to find out more about our HR & People category or our wider framework portfolio, please contact our Support Desk.