Session recording
Finance
Q: Will the NHS pay increase be implemented from April wage?
Response: All trusts will be following guidance from NHS England on the implementation for pay award, and we expect the pay uplift to be paid in April this year.
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Q: We know the trust has to cut back on spending, but personal care items on the wards as well as stationary and also kitchen items like butter, tin foil, snacks for patients is being reduced and rationed, but the employment of MD's are happening all the time. The use of agency staff has on the wards have increased quite a lot.
Response: The discretionary spend panels are multi-disciplinary including operational and clinical colleagues. The aim is to reduce discretionary spend so we have more to spend on service provision. However if there are any instances where unintended consequences occur, please do let your line managers know so the local panels can address. Thank you, Rob Forster
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Q: In light of the trusts drive to save money, what can be done about the constant printing of clinical information that is available electronically?
Response: There has been a drive to reduce printing and colour printing in particular, and our corporate objective is to digitize where possible - however there remain instances where for current clinical processes printing is required. If you could detail the specific area, I’m sure we will look at the art of the possible to get a digital solution as quick as possible. Thanks, Rob Forster
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Q: How much money has been spent/wasted getting us to this point?
Response: Over the period of the last couple of years, we have had to do a number of things. We have spent a lot of time in meetings trying to get to the point of that group model. Now I wouldn’t say a lot of it is wasted because it’s resulted in things like the clinical reference group and those are all going to continue. So will the clinical changes. The whole point of trying to change the clinical pathways between the organisations will remain which is fantastic. I also don’t think we would have ended up with the sign up to a single EPR for five organisations if we hadn’t done this either. So, there are a lot of benefits to what we’ve got out of this and the work that’s been done however there have been frustrations with the process.
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Corporate Service Review/TUPE
Q: How many roles are at risk of redundancy, if any, after the 1st wave of TOMs being completed by HR, L&D etc and the formal consultation underway.
Response: The consultation period on the proposed People & OD Model has now closed and the Senior Team will be reviewing all the feedback before presenting the final model and next steps in the process.
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Q: Can you explain in simple basic terms, what it means for corporate. I.e. finance, will finance at each site continue to work as they are now. If not please explain as basic as possible what is going to change how we work. thanks.
Response: We are developing group corporate services and the aim is to provide consistent services across the group - where we can do things once we will , and we are bringing systems together to help this. However there will remain direct support for sites/statutory bodies, such as business partner support, as this is key to providing localised support. Where there are any changes in roles, as we evolve these will go through consultation as required, however overall the Target Operating Models aim to provide central services where sensible to do so, but continue to provide localized support so we can support sites/divisions with the resources we have and local to the sites as now. Hope that helps. Rob Forster
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Q: In terms of TUPE - how long will our terms be protected? There is a defined time limit for the protection. What is ours?
Response: TUPE protection does not have a fixed end date; contractual terms remain protected if a change is because of the transfer. However, any workforce changes that are made will be managed through the UHLG Workforce Change Policy, which provides a maximum of 2 years protection.
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Q: What level of engagement has there been with UNISON regarding the decision to continue with the TUPE, and with the development of TOM's? LHCH members and representatives from the branch are unclear on who has been consulted with and what opportunity for consultation there is.
Response: Myself and Rachael are meeting Unison Reps today to understand questions and concerns. Jonathan Mathews
Response: From a Corporate Nursing/Quality Governance perspective, I have met with staff side leads from LUHFT, LHCH and LWH . Thanks, David Melia
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Q: Apologies if I have missed this but where does the Dental Hospital sit within the 3 new HMBs?
Response: Dental still remains with the Royal Hospital HMB.
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Q: Can you confirm if you expect our TOMs to focus on a specific % figure for headcount reduction in order for it to be approved?
Response: The Corporate Services TOMs are expected to standardise and improve corporate services across the Group and where possible generate financial savings towards our Financial Recovery Plan. Benchmarks have been used to generate target savings % however a robust process is in place to review each TOM individually, for there are local factors that would mean target savings could not be met.
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Q: Have the TOMs been completed yet if so when will they be circulated?
Response: TOMs continue to be quality assured with senior oversight. Following this robust process, they will be shared with Trade Union leads first to ensure that early engagement prior to launching with colleagues.
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Q: When will the Job Descriptions be released for the roles as part of the new TOM's Structure?
Response: Please share this with TOM leads who will be able to share job descriptions respective to the team.
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Q: It really feels like you are dangling a carrot by continually talking about how job freezes will somehow be 'sorted' from April onwards, when you haven't mentioned once whether there will be additional funding. If there isn't additional funding, how will these posts be filled as they should be or will the 'restructure' not include these posts?
Response: For corporate teams, the restructure should right size the teams, therefore once the financial modelling is signed off, vacancies within the new model will be recruited to. This might be existing roles or new roles in the new structure. You are correct, there is no additional funding, therefore we need to ensure our restructures are affordable and fit within agreed funding.
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Q: If people’s roles do not fit into the new structures, will there be further redundancies?
Response: Please raise with the TOM lead - where / if this applies individuals would be consulted on what this means for them.
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Q: In the example of a Corporate Nurse, who does not require to be TUPE'd but is expected to work in other trusts under the group model, how will this work with regards to indemnity, professional safety and governance?
Response: Without knowing the specific context, the general principle is that if you are working across NHS trusts as part of your contract of employment with your NHS Employing organisation, you are fully indemnified to carry out the duties of your role. This principle was clearly established during covid when people were working across trusts.
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Q: The Corporate restructure appears to have seen an increase in the number of posts at 8a, 8c and 8d level. How is this justified in this financial climate / where more junior bands are being cut when we are struggling to function with staff on the ground.
Response: Thanks - this is difficult to answer without knowing which function is being referred to, however the quality assurance process TOM SROs are required to complete includes financial review and assure efficiencies can be realised by us coming together and working across Group.
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Q: Once TUPE is completed - how can research staff @ LHCH complete their workload? Do they need Honorary contracts so we can look at the research patients? How long will this take to put in place? They will officially not be able to access LHCH EPR systems, as this would be a breach of NMC code of practice?
Response: I will pick this up with our Governance and Research lead to make sure we have things in place. Jonathan Mathews
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Q: What was the reason to not include divisional assistants in the corp admin TOM?
Response: Divisional PAs were not included at this time due to the changes to Divisional Arrangements across sites and HLTs, and that this activity was required to be completed first before any further potential discussions.
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Q: In response to further information, within the department I work it was muted that the team leader role was going but keeping the banding, this has caused untold uncertainty.
Response: If you could email to your corresponding HLT member, we can pick this up directly. Jonathan Mathews
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Q: Interesting to read someone has actually seen the Corp Admin TOM, why haven't LWH staff? we're clearly being treated differently
Response: The Corporate Admin TOM was approved last Friday and is still subject to discussion with Staff Side colleagues which we hope will take place shortly. This will enable formal workforce consultation which will provide opportunities for staff to input into the final model. We have a meeting with Corporate Affairs staff, including Corporate Admin this Friday morning to discuss the timetable and next steps. If you have not had an invite - please let me know. Daniel Scheffer
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Q: Could I query if the team leader role within admin is being phased out
Response: Certainly not aware of that happening. Could you please provide me with some further detail of this so that it can be looked into.
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Q: If each responsible officer for TOMs could indicate timescales of when teams will receive these that would help teams. A lot of asks to managers who don't have the answers. Timescales don't have to be precise but knowing if this will be in 1 week, 1 month or a couple of months away would be very helpful.
Response: Appreciate this, we have gone through the TOMs again and again trying to make sure we’re on the right track. We have shared some resources last week with all of the SROs to provide them with extra help and support from HR and others who are stretched at the moment to try and be able to provide answers more quickly. Obviously, it’s a complex mater however I do take the point around further indication. I will take that away and pick it up in this afternoon’s meeting.
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Q: Where will central corporate teams be based?
Response: This will depend on the individual service so please get in touch with your SRO to specifically ask what could happen for you.
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Q: Seems to be that depending on what service you work for, that impacts how much info you have about your TOM. Could we have another oversight briefing?
Response: Yes, we will do another briefing on this. I think because of the staggered nature of it some people are much further ahead and have their TOM and are starting to consult with staff about it. Others, it’s not signed off at the first page yet. I did provide an update on that in the previous team brief meeting but we haven’t covered it today. I think we probably do need to do that separately. It may be useful to do a corporate briefing on that basis for just corporate teams opposed to the whole organisation.
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Q: From reading some of these comments, it appears that as a whole - corporate services will continue to have mushroomed Management structures at 8 banding upwards, comparative to the band 7's that sit beneath them who do a lot of the trench work. Seems unfair and disproportionate.
Response: All TOM changes and structures will be shared appropriately through consultation exercises undertaken for each TOM.
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Divisional changes
Q: With the divisional changes, will there still be development opportunities for Band 8a operational managers, and will Band 8b roles remain across the group or be significantly reduced? If 8b posts are limited, will 8a managers need to look externally for 8b progression, or will progression jump directly from 8a to 8c within the group?
Response: No formal decisions have been made on 8a and 8b management tiers. However, we will work with HR and Unison on any changes to make sure we have a consultation process. Jonathan Mathews
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Q: Please could we have an updated divisional structure clearly showing all Head of Operations? Inclusion of contact details (emails, telephone numbers, PA contacts if appropriate) would be really helpful also.
Response: Once the Divisional Leadership Structures have been confirmed we will circulate updated contact details. Jonathan Mathews
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Q: There is an advert out for 'Divisional Medical Directory - Liverpool Women's Hospital'. So the name of the hospital won't change, but we are now just a division of UHLG/LUHFT? Exactly what we were promised would not happen.
Response: The Divisional Medical Director post keeps LWH in a management structure of its own. What we promised we wouldn’t do it split LWH up across multiple different sites.
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Q: Please can we have an idea around timelines when we will know what the operational management structure will look like within each division/care group it is very unsettling at the moment. Thanks
Response: HMBs will be confirming the Care Group Structures once the Divisional Leadership teams are in place. They will be important in planning that these have the right structures and capability. Jonathan Mathews
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Q: When will the TOMs for Medicine at LHCH be published?
Response: Corporate TOMs are currently under assessment via a QAR process and will be shared once completed. Divisional Structures will be planned with the Divisional Leadership teams once appointed with an aim for Q1 completion. Jonathan
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Big Conversation
Q: Is there a timescale for reviewing and acting on the ideas and suggestions raised in The Big Conversation?
Response: We have extended the deadline until Friday and once it has closed, we will review and analyse the contributions and come back to colleagues as quickly as possible, within 4 weeks with initial feedback. We will do this regularly and consistently to colleagues on the outcomes and actions from the issues raised, as we plan to make this an ongoing conversation across the group. Thanks, Comms.
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Q: Why no free text on Big Conversation. The questions are very restrictive and avoid some serious issues and concerns especially in terms of equality, bullying, harassment etc
Response: Hi - once the multiple choice is answered you are put through to the discussion board where free text is welcomed based on the themes being discussed, but you need to answer the multiple choice first. Hope this helps.
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Voluntary Redundancy
Q: With voluntary redundancy process and corporate services being prioritised, staff are still unaware whether posts will be redundant or not. Will managers be engaged in decision and able to support staff, or will decision be made by SRO and staff advised directly?
Response: Thank you, we are in the process of giving careful consideration to voluntary redundancy applications received within Corporate Services. The senior management team within those corporate functions are engaged in this process and this will continue in the coming days to share next steps and agree how messages are shared with those applicants. Thanks.
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Q: Hello, just a question on VR. We’ve had a long running recruitment freeze now in the Trust and our department has been affected by this massively as staff have moved on to new roles and we have not been able to replace them. Staff then become frustrated at covering extra responsibilities and therefore put in for VR. Surely putting a VR offer in place alongside a recruitment freeze is counterproductive? The likelihood of the VR being approved for staff in our recruitment frozen short-staffed department is surely nearly 0% which will result in more disenchanted staff, unless the plan it to merge departments such as booking teams?
Response: VR will only be approved where the work can be absorbed within existing teams, or there is a restructure or realignment of work that would enable release of the post(s). Where we have held posts for some time and expect to release these vacancies in the future, it is unlikely that VR would be approved in those circumstances.
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Q: Is the organisation going to look at why we had so many applications for VR?
Response: We are looking at feedback from the staff survey results and the Big Conversation data which is providing us with a real temperature check of how people are feeling. We recognise that we are not where we need to be in terms of staff morale and engagement and plan to take action on this over the coming weeks / months. Heather
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Q: I’ve seen the recent corporate communications regarding Voluntary Redundancy and the requirement for payments to be made within this financial year. Is there any scope at all for these payments to be actioned on or after 6th April instead? For higher‑rate taxpayers, receiving the payment before year‑end has significant tax implications, and it would be helpful to understand whether any flexibility exists around the payment date.
Response: Thank you. Voluntary redundancy is a mutual process, and each case will require individual engagement with the applicants approved by the scheme this will include leaving dates. Approved VR applications will require engagement with the individual on their personal circumstances, therefore if there are tax and personal implications this can be discussed once outcomes are shared.
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Q: If VR is to be done in the financial year i.e. 3 weeks, how does that affect notice periods? Would they be paid?
Response: Thanks, please review the VR guidance that will help guide on this point. This is available via the Stronger Together platform.
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Q: If VR reduces cost saving pressure on TOMs, will the final TOM decisions be put back till we know how many staff are still going to be employed within each TOM?
Response: Thank you. Once VR approvals are shared, TOM SROs will clearly need to consider how this impacts on their TOM design and should this impact on team design this can be shared.
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Q: 650 applications had been received for Voluntary Redundancy. Is this number above or below your expectations? Are you in a position yet to speculate how many of the 650 applicants are likely to be successful?
Response: Thanks, all applications are being carefully considered and need to be considered on a case by case basis therefore we wouldn't want to speculate as any decisions will be based on risk, equality, financial and quality of services.
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Q: It was acknowledged that there has been a shortage of staff and how hard staff have been working over the past few years. This was going to be addressed once financial restrictions were lifted. Potential older, more experienced staff may benefit from VR. if allowed to leave, would that not leave a vacuum of valuable knowledgeable staff. Impacting on staffing levels even further?
Response: You are correct, these decisions need to be balanced against the service and staff needs. The panels and process will align to make sure we don't lose continuity in our delivery and ambitions. Jonathan
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Q: Original comms said VR decisions would be made in April. This rush to do it in 3 weeks seems wildly unfair as there are tax implications, personal implications, and team implications that suddenly have an exodus in just 3 weeks. Can a further round post April be agreed?
Response: So, with VR there is a signification cost to it. We have been given a significant opportunity to have some of it funded but it needs to be in March and April. So, there is a clearly a drive to some of this because it’s something the Trust wouldn’t have to fund in this sense.
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Q: Does the volume of VR requests not raise concerns or was it what was expected. The numbers seem very large to me in this current economy so many people opting for this is a worrying sign that suggests many staff just wanting an out now.
Response: Motivations for applying for VR will vary by individual but clearly it can indicate issues with morale and engagement with the organisation. We need to continue to listen to all feedback from staff, through staff survey, Pulse survey, informal and formal means and this will influence our approach to people and culture in the UHL strategy moving forward. Job design, learning and development, leadership, wellbeing and will continue be areas for focus and improvement as we move into the next phase of our journey as UHL Group.
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Estates and car parking
Q: Broadgreen based. Please can we have a cash machine back on site?
Response: Hi, the cash machine was withdrawn as the provider was trying to charge users for the for the service. We are exploring options but currently unable to find one that offers free service. Craig
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Q: I would like to ask why the cafe at the Linda McCartney Centre has been closed for the past 4 weeks.
Response: Hi, there are internal refurbishments being undertaken in the area as per recent communications. It is anticipated that the service will reopen on Monday.
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Q: Why does the staff bus run differently between RLUH & BGH to BGH & AUH? Due to the bus starting at different times (later 9:30) between BGH – AUH, staff traveling between sites for shifts are being discriminated against. They are not offered the same opportunities to access the freedom of travel between sites or the reduction in travel costs. In the current climate of increased money issues affecting all staff, this seems like staff requiring the use of this bus service (BHG-AUH) are being discriminated against, while those needing to travel between RLUH & BGH are not. This is extremely unfair to staff who are required to work across site at earlier or later times during the day, especially with changes being implemented upon them without an affordable option being offered and the choice of not having to travel due to changes in their roles implemented by the trust without consultation.
Response: Hi, I appreciate the feedback regarding the importance of the shuttle bus service. When it was launched, use of the service was limited between BGH and AUH so we tailored the service accordingly. If you can email me with specific service requirements, I can ask the team to review. Craig: craig.
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Q: Why are domestic staff being told not to hug colleagues, staff are already feeling undervalued and demoralised by the current climate, surely this is a bit controlling! Also why are they also being told not to clean toilets etc.?
Response: Hi - I don't think that there's an organisation stance on hugging (obviously reliant on it being consensual and within an appropriate situation). I would ask you to contact the domestic supervisors for your local areas to address specific cleaning schedules. Thanks, David Melia
Response: Regarding cleaning toilets, domestic staff have clear duties, and this still includes WCs. However, we have changed the frequency of some cleaning in some low risk largely administration areas.
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Q: Any update on when Fresh will reopen at the Royal?
Response: Hi, if Fresh is closed at RLUH then it would only be a temporary measure to facilitate cleaning etc. There is no plan to close the facility. Apologies for the inconvenience. Craig
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Q: With no direct bus route from South Liverpool (L19) to the Royal or Aintree, and ongoing parking difficulties at the Royal, what is the Trust doing to improve patient access? Are you working with Steve Rotheram on new bus routes, and are there plans to build a patient car park on the old Royal site instead of a 'park'?
Response: UHL Group Sustainability Team have recently undertaken a Group wide travel survey, gathering feedback from staff and users. The results of which help understand the requirements of staff and service users. This helps the Sustainability Team develop the transport plan which in turn informs regional transport strategy. Craig
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Q: Will there be a staff bus to Woman's any time soon.
Response: We are reviewing the use of the existing Trust 'Taxi' and an additional service to Paddington MSCP. We are also reviewing all the services over the coming months to achieve greater connectivity between all the principal sites this will help staff and avoid vehicle movements reducing our Carbon footprint.
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Q: When will the lift be fixed in the multi storey at Aintree? It has been out of service for weeks now. Very difficult for elderly people who don’t manage to get a disabled space. The other lift is operational, but this isn’t very clearly stated and is a long walk for some people who have limited mobility.
Response: We will follow up on returning this lift to use ASAP.
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Q: Can the staff bus from Royal to Aintree be a larger bus, please? There are always people waiting because it only has 8 seats. Also, could the bus start running from 7:30am instead of 8:00am? The current timing doesn’t help staff who start earlier.
Response: Thanks for your feedback, unfortunately larger buses require other driver qualifications and licences that are difficult to sustain.
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Q: The parking review at Aintree, has been so poorly timed. This is an example of organisation not acknowledging culture / staff wellbeing at such a delicate time. Everything is difficult enough right now with TUPE / financial restraints / world events etc, resulting in work being a place that many of us already feel unhappy/unsettled and yet, the organisation makes it harder with poorly timed initiatives with no suggestion of a solution for people who will have their parking taken away? It's sad that the cultural impact on staff seems not to be considered.
Response: Unfortunately, there is never a good time to do these exercises, however there are several changes going through at the moment with LWH and LHCH arrangements being standardised, also the loss of parking at LWH and the overcrowding at AUH all needing more data to inform group wide decisions. This is aimed at ensuring those users with the greatest need being prioritised and the hope that we can offer all staff spaces as long as possible.
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Q: Did the issue in relation to disability and car park applications get sorted? I have not had a request to re-fill in my application form. I would have imagined if this was sorted then forms would need to be re-sent.
Response: If you have a disability that would impact your need for car parking in a specific place, but are not registered disabled, we will consider your request for specific parking should you not be allocated your chosen car park in the first instance.
Any queries around this we would encourage you to speak to your hospital leadership team who will be able to confirm the process that has been agreed, HR representative or the car parking team: carparking
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Q: It is frustrating when you ask a question to the CEO. A question that was raised with him in this meeting previously. When he said he would look into. It has not been reviewed as far as I can see. Now I am being redirected to Aintree's HLT. Please stop dismissing concerns in relation to disabled people and parking.
Response: Hi, apologies that you feel your concern has not yet been addressed, please can you forward it to carparking
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Q: When will the LWH car park appeals be reviewed please? There are quite a few free spaces every day and this is disheartening for the staff that are commuting to and from Paddington.
Response: Hi, we are currently working through high numbers of queries relating to car parking at LWH. The intention is to clear the backlog and communicate with service users in the next two weeks. We do need to ensure we retain spare capacity at the site for our patients to park. Craig
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Q: Could the drivers please ask everyone to show their staff ID before getting on the bus? Staff should have priority over students, but at the moment it’s mostly students getting on first, and staff are left waiting for the next bus.
Response: I will look take this away and look into it.
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HR / OD / Staff Support
Q: Unrelated to the LAASP business case, but could the Trust please provide an update on support for colleagues currently caught up in the Middle East crisis and unable to return home? The additional 5 days of special leave have been genuinely appreciated, but for some staff the situation remains incredibly distressing and completely beyond their control. Is there any possibility of extending this support further? It feels deeply unfair to expect people to move onto unpaid leave when they are already dealing with so much, through no fault of their own.
Response: The situation is very unsettling to those impacted, I agree. Therefore, in addition to the 5 days extended special leave, we are asking managers to consider the use of owing hours, using annual leave from next year's allocation brought forward, or taking unpaid leave. We are also offering health and wellbeing support to anyone who needs support at this time. Heather
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Q: Appreciate the signposting to local HR. Managers have closer connections with who in HR that would be but other staff needing help less so. We see lots of posts on Facebook asking for contact details. Appreciate that HR are also trying to manage high workloads which makes sharing details difficult, but could HR at each site consider having a sort of 'advisor of the day' option so that enquiries can go through there and be quickly provided with correct contacts or support?
Response: Thank you for this suggestion. I will ensure that Directors of People at sites consider this. We're also planning that we will have a one point of entry to our function within our new operating model which will help to ensure you always get to the person / team / department that you are trying to connect with. Heather
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Q: I just wanted to thank that HR teams for all their support during these difficult times. They rarely get the recognition they deserve.
Response: Thank you, the team are working very hard at the moment supporting others, whilst also going through a change process themselves, so I too would like to thank them for their hard work. Heather
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Q: Sorry if this has been answered but are LWH staff meant to book leave via ESR from April??
Response: This decision hasn't been made but may be considered as part of aligning systems and processes.
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Q: Very nice to hear about the anti-racism work due to obvious importance. Are there further plans to embed anti-racism work into all strategic plans across the group rather than just LWH specifically?
Response: Yes, we have an ambition to roll out the anti-racism strategy across the Group. Heather
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Q: With so much uncertainty, are there plans to further invest in staff wellbeing services? Psychology access for both patients and staff is very limited.
Response: We are considering this yes. In the new People TOM, we have a newly formed staff experience function, which will include the wellbeing of people. I am also speaking with Occ Health to ensure that we have the level of resource to support psychological support where needed. Heather
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Q: Some staff need staff support, but it seems hard to access this service because so many people require it.
Response: We recognise that staff require support during change. There are helpful resources available on the Stronger Together website. And please don’t hesitate to reach out to your People Directors or HR colleagues if you need guidance, we’re here to support you.
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Q: Line managers need to be equipped to have conversations confidently and consistently with their teams around all of these changes. Is there anything that can be put in place to address this and provide some support and direction for managers?
Response: We have been hearing this feedback from line managers and understand that with so much change taking place, managers may not feel they have all the information needed to support staff. Support for managers looks different across different sites including leadership briefings etc. There is also advice and information on the Stronger Together Webpage. If you would like to reach out with any suggestions, please email me rachel.
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Clinical/Medical
Q: Is there any plan to adopt the national NHS uniform? Will help patients attending LHCH, WNC, CCC and us?
Response: Hi - we're putting a briefing paper together for execs around moving to the national uniform as LWH are moving into it and LHCH are already in it. We'll let you know when we get to a point of a decision. Thanks David M
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Q: It has been announced that all Band 5 Nurse Job roles will be reviewed. Do we know when this is being planned for?
Response: Hi - thanks for this question. We're just waiting for further guidance on this from NHSE to make sure that we're following national guidance (all that we've had so far is the press briefing). What we may do, it takes a Cheshire and Merseyside approach so that we have consistency across our region. We've also looked at the approach taken in Scotland to see what learning there has been. I would anticipate that we will have some more news in April on the next steps. Many thanks - David M
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Q: Why isn’t HCA bank adverts not gone out externally, surely this would help the workforce?
Response: Hi - I don't know but will ask the question. Many thanks. David M
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Q: We appreciate you taking the time to conduct these informative monthly team meetings. We have observed inconsistencies in the implementation of the sickness policy across various wards, particularly regarding the ability to undertake bank shifts upon returning to work. Some wards permit staff to resume bank shifts immediately, while others impose a two-week restriction, which can be perceived as penalizing staff for legitimate sick leave. We believe a standardized approach across the trust would ensure fairness and consistency for all employees.
Response: Many thanks for this - can you email me separately and give me some more details please? david.
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Q: The sprint initiative has had a staff morale impact on admin teams - how can you justify freezing recruitment and asking staff to do more. I appreciate some are done via WLI, but not all. Admin had to pick up this additional work at very short notice. We have done it because patients matter but yet again decisions are made without consideration for the teams who work really hard to support clinical teams.
Response: I think, in terms of the sprint initiative, we’ve all taken a decision that if this gets a lot of patients treated, we can be reimbursed for doing it and it’s a national ask then that’s great. In terms of the WLI matter you have raised, I will find out what is going on with that as you would think there would be more clarity on how that’s done.
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Misc
Q: Arriving at the Royal this week I was handed a flyer stating that the LWH is going to be put into floor 9 Office space - how is a whole hospital going to fit? Ridiculous! why do the 'powers that be' always think they know better? It shouldn’t surprise anyone why there have been huge number so VR requests
Response: This is incorrect. Following the ICB's support for Liverpool Women's to be co-located on an acute site, there will be an extended period of planning. The first step is the production of a business case for short-medium term safety investments on the Liverpool Women's site to be developed in Q1. We regularly challenge the circulation of these materials which contain incorrect information, particularly when it occurs at our hospital entrances or on our premises, and would encourage colleagues to keep up to date with any information regarding maternity and gynaecology services through official trust channels.
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Q: Will RLH have a staff brief this month? Would be disappointing if it dwindles down without Natalie.
Response: Hi, yes the next Exec MD briefing for RLH is taking place online, 26 March 2pm-3pm. You can join here: https://
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Q: Would be nice if we could have an overview of the current Exec Board and their 26/27 priorities broken down into how that affects staff down the chain.
Response: We are doing that on Monday, breaking down the strategy for the next few years, what that means in 2026/27 and how those objectives and priorities land across the organisation, in corporate teams as well as the hospital services themselves. So that will be coming out shortly.
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Q: Exciting to have Leanne join us and reassuring that she had worked with Nat Hudson in the past.
Response: A number of us have met Leanne through the interview process and we think she’s going to be a great fit for the organisation and will take over where Nat left off and be really good for RLH and LWH.
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Q: Do execs still conduct safety walk arounds? would be nice to see more of them in non-clinical areas
Response: Yes, they are still doing this.
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Q: In relation to the admin bank, I previously asked HR internally (LWH) why our bank shifts couldn’t be opened up more widely when our own bank wasn’t sufficiently staffed. Is there any possibility of combining our bank with the group to increase flexibility and cover?
Response: Thank you - we are currently looking at a range of options for admin bank. You are correct that we need to work in a co-ordinated way in respect of management of temporary staffing. We will be making decisions on this soon.
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Q: Who is the staff side rep for RCN please supporting Corporate Nursing
Response: I've spoken with Staff Side leaders from the 3 statutory organisations covering. The 3 colleagues are in RCN, RCM and Unison. If you contact your site staff side lead, they will give you information on who to liaise with. David M
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Q: As a suggestion, grouping the previously answered questions on the QR code by topic might make it easier for people to see what’s already been covered, rather than scrolling through the full list while trying to listen to the briefing.
Response: Thank you for the suggestion - the normal staff brief questions we do group in the Q&A but on the special one for time we wanted to publish as many as possible as quickly as possible. We will go back and group as it is a good suggestion and appreciate it helps staff see answers more easily. Thanks
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Q: What’s the whistleblowing process within the trust?
Response: The whistleblowing policy provides full information, but if you have a concern, you do not feel able to discuss with your line manager, or another senior manager, the Freedom to Speak up Guardians can provide confidential signposting and support. Speak to your F2SU guardian, you can find all champions here: https://