M A R C H 2 0 1 2

Inside this month … Page

Whistleblowing Policy 2

Improving your health & wellbeing 3

Fraud Awareness Roadshow 4

Easter Fundraisers 4

International Women’s Day 5

BSTP Update 6

Praise for FPS! 7

10 things you didn’t know... 7

News from HR: Pensions 8

IT Training Courses 9

Customer surveys were issued in December and the results have now been analysed and presented to SMT and the BSO Board. The aim of these surveys is to use the information obtained to drive improvements throughout 2012-13. Some of the key messages are listed below:

General

•There were 537 responses, a rise of 56% on previous years.

•All areas received more responses than previous year. (FPS responses, for example, rose by 143%. GPs were included in this survey for the first time in 2012).

•Respondents from the BSO/Belfast Trust/HSCB/Northern Trust/PHA provided 58.5% of the total responses.

•Counter Fraud, Probity and HSC Pensions participated for the first time.

Improvements from years 1-2

•10 of the 12 question areas showed an organization-wide improvement on previous year.

•When asked if the BSO Services had improved over the last 12 months, only 11.2% of respondents disagreed. (Positive responses for this question show a continuous rise over years 1-3).

•93.5% of respondents were happy with the courtesy of our staff, up from 90.4% in previous year. (5 of our work areas scored 100% on this question).

•82.1% of respondents were satisfied with the quality of our advice. (Up from 81.1% in previous year).

•80.3% of respondents were satisfied with the overall quality of our customer service (From 75.5% in previous year).

•Equality scored 100% in 5 of the 12 areas.

•ITS improved on every area from previous year.

A graphical illustration of the results can be viewed here:

Customer Survey Results 2012.pdf

Read more on page 4 ...

Page 2 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 2

The Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety has written a

letter for the attention of all HSC staff regarding your right to whistleblow

within the workplace.

Our BSO whistleblowing policy is available for viewing on the Intranet under

Directorates > Human Resources > Policies and Procedures

Below is a brief summary of the contents of the letter. The full letter can be viewed on the Intranet.

You have the right to be heard by management if you have concerns about any ethical or

safety issue, and a responsibility to speak up. Staff should be very confident that managers at all

levels will respond positively to expressions of concern, and that, should it be necessary, you will be

protected from victimisation if you make a genuine concern known under the whistleblowing

arrangements.

The first kind of action that is appropriate is to speak up within your team or to the appropriate

manager. The principles of clinical and social care governance empower all staff to speak up if they

see/become aware of practice which is unsafe. If speaking up is a problem, whistleblowing is

both your right and your duty.

If you have any concern that speaking up in good faith would lead to a problem there are statutory

procedures that protect you if you choose to blow the whistle. You are also formally protected against

victimisation under The Public Interest Disclosure (NI) Order 1998.

Confidentiality of personal information about patients, families and members of staff must be

protected.

Staff should feel confident in raising concerns and to question and act upon genuine concerns that

you may have in relation to your workplace. This is a vital element of good public service based on the

values and principles that are at the heart of Health and Social Care and all the related organisations.

To view the full letter from the Minister, click on the following link:

Letter from Health Minister re Whistleblowing.pdf

FORTHCOMING BOARD MEETING

The next meeting of the BSO Board will be held on

Thursday 26th April at 2:00pm

in the BSO Boardroom, Franklin Street.

If you would like details of the agenda or any further

information please contact Amanda Mills in the Chief

Executive’s Office:

Tel: (028) 9053 5580

Email: Amanda.Mills@hscni.net

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Healthy Minds

Healthy minds is one of a series of articles supporting the Public Health

Agency’s (PHA) health and wellbeing programme, which aims to encourage

staff to take positive steps to improving their own health and wellbeing.

Promoting and protecting your mental health is just as important as looking after

our physical health. Unfortunately research indicates that poor mental health

affects at least one in five of the adult population in Northern Ireland.

There are issues that can impact negatively on our mental health, some of

which are outside our control. However, there are many things that we know we

can do to look after our mental health including:

Keep active - regular exercise can help you feel more positive;

Get involved - join a club, meet up with friends, do a course, learn something new;

Accept yourself - we’re all different and nobody’s perfect, in fact it’s our imperfections that make us unique;

Relax - we all lead very busy lives to make time to relax and unwind. It’s also important to get a good night’s sleep;

Drink in moderation - overdoing it can make things worse;

Eat healthily - it will help you feel better and gives you more energy

Recognise the signs - being mentally healthly means being able to deal with daily pressures; if you feel you can’t

cope, or are turning to alcohol or drugs to get by, you may have a problem you need help with;

Ask for help - if you were feeling physically sick you would probably have no hesitation going to see your doctor, so

don’t be embarrassed about seeking help for a mental health problem.

For more hints and tips on ways to look after your mental health visit www.mindingyourhead.info

There are times in our lives when we might feel that we can no longer cope without additional help or support. We need to

know that there are people who can help us get through difficult times and therefore it’s really important if you are struggling

to cope, that you talk to someone - a friend, work colleague or even your GP, and tell them how you are feeling before

things develop into a crisis.

Don’t bottle things up and hope they will go away on their own, as this usually does not happen.

We know that work is good for our mental health; however there are times when work can also be a cause of stress in our

lives. As work colleagues it is really important that we look out for and support each other.

Some of the things to look out for in yourself (or others) are:

Having problems sleeping;

Changes in appetite

Feeling irritable all the time;

Having difficulty concentrating;

Forgetfulness;

Becoming withdrawn from your friends and family.

If you are like this most of the time, you should talk to your doctor and explain how you have been feeling.

If you would like to speak to someone anonymously you could call Carecall free on 0808 800 0002.

Alternatively, to speak to a member of our BSO Occupational Health Team please contact Julie Redmond on 028 9053 5421 who will arrange an appointment for you,

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Counter Fraud and Probity Services (CFPS) launched their Fraud Awareness Roadshow on 7th March

2012 at Antrim Hospital. It was the first of a number of planned Fraud Awareness days which aim to

increase staff awareness of fraud within HSCNI

and inform staff on how to report any suspicions of

fraud they may have.

The team set up their stand outside the main

restaurant in the hospital, which proved to be a

prime location. A large number of staff members

engaged with the CFPS team throughout the day

and were provided with information packs and

completed questionnaires to share their views on

their organisation’s fight against fraud. Responses

provided in the completed questionnaires have

been analysed and will help CPFS plan and develop

on-going fraud awareness work.

Overall the day proved to be a great success and the CFPS team were delighted with the reception

they received from all staff. There is no doubt that the Roadshow has increased staff awareness of

fraud and the role CFPS play. The next Roadshow is due to take place at the beginning of May and the

team are keen to build on the success of this initial event.

CFPS Fraud Awareness Team with

colleagues from Antrim Area Hospital

This year the money raised from our Easter Fundraisers will go to Mencap.

Tickets for our Easter Egg ballot are £1 and you could win one of these delicious

Hotel Chocolat Easter Eggs!!

The Social Committee have also been selling an Easter Quiz within

each of the directorates. The quiz costs £1 to enter and completed quizzes should be

returned to social committee members.

The prize draws for the ballot and the quiz will take place on Wednesday 4th April.

Mencap

Mencap is the leading voice of learning disability in Northern Ireland. We support and work with

people with a learning disability and their families and carers. Everything we do is about valuing

and supporting these people.

Mencap works in partnership with both children and adults with a learning disability to help them (and their

families) with housing, education, employment and the provision of community services. We also support many

people affected by a learning disability through our campaigning work where we fight for equal rights, change

and understanding.

Our vision is a world where people with a learning disability are valued equally, listened to and

included. Mencap wants everyone to have the opportunity to achieve the things they want in life. This means a

place to live, a chance to learn, a meaningful occupation and the opportunity to develop friendships.

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News from Equality : International Women’s Day

In 1975, during International Women's Year, the United Nations began celebrating 8th March as

International Women's Day.

It is an occasion marked by women's groups around the world

and is designated in many countries as a national holiday. When

women on all continents, often divided by national boundaries

and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political

differences, come together to celebrate their Day, they can look

back to a tradition that represents at least nine decades of

struggle for equality, justice, peace and development.

International Women's Day is the story of ordinary women as

makers of history; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an

equal footing with men. In ancient Greece, Lysistrata initiated a sexual strike against men in order to

end war; during the French Revolution, Parisian women calling for "liberty, equality, fraternity" marched

on Versailles to demand women's suffrage.

The idea of an International Women's Day first arose at the turn of the century, which in the

industrialized world was a period of expansion and turbulence, booming population growth and radical

ideologies.

The new millennium has witnessed a significant change

and attitudinal shift in both women's and society's

thoughts about women's equality and emancipation.

Many from a younger generation feel that 'all the battles

have been won for women. With more women in the

boardroom, greater equality in legislative rights, and an

increased critical mass of women's visibility as

impressive role models in every aspect of life, one could

think that women have gained true equality.

The unfortunate fact is that women are still not paid equally to that of their male

counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics, and

globally women's education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of

men.

However, great improvements have been made. We do have female astronauts and prime ministers,

school girls are welcomed into university, women can work and have a family, women have real

choices. And so the tone and nature of International Women’s Day has, for the past few years, moved

from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives. It is now celebrated by

both men and women around the world.

Our own Display on 8th March was a recognition of the many strides that have been made for woman’s

equality and recognition that this work continues .

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BSTP update The programme continues to move forward with pace.

HRPTS (HR, Payroll, Travel and Subsistence)

The design phase is still ongoing with clear progress made during March with process maps, configuration

documents and functional specifications being discussed by regional groups and Assistant Directors of HR and

Finance from across the HSC with a view to achieving sign off. Work on data migration, ICT infrastructure and

approval routes is ongoing for all organisations included in the scope of the Regional Organisations project.

FPL (Finance, Procurement and Logistics)

System testing (UAT: User Acceptance Testing) is beginning and nominations from all relevant organisations

have been requested. Briefing documentation on UAT is available from:

http://www.bstp.hscni.net/?page_id=1596

Self Service Functionality

The new systems will allow employees and managers to maintain their own personal details accurately within

the systems through Manager Self Service (MSS) and Employee Self Service (ESS). Work has begun on this

customer facing side of the system with portal design underway. All HSCNI organisations are providing input

into what the system, MSS and ESS will look like.

Monthly meetings have been set up with the client organisations and BSO functional specialists to ensure that

they are kept abreast of any emerging issues and up to date with progress.

Consultation outcome in Minister’s Hands

The Shared Services consultation closed on 29 February 2012 and a total of 2469 responses were received.

The BSTP Senior Responsible Officer Julie Thompson and BSTP Programme Director Shane Devlin along with

Diane Taylor, HR Director DHSSPS were invited to present to the Health Committee on the consultation on 14

March 2012. We await the final decision of the Health Minister Edwin Poots following the Shared Services

consultation.

BSTP Programme Activities

Change management is a major piece of work for HSCNI and this work is underway. Workshops will commence

in April 2012 to move this forward and to ensure a consistent approach is taken across HSCNI.

BSTP has launched a new look website. It includes a blog where Programme Director Shane Devlin posts

regularly on programme activities.

Visit http://www.bstp.hscni.net for further information and to keep up to date with programme developments as

they happen.

Joanne McKissick

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10 things you didn't know about …

Graeme Keenan, Payments, Financial Operations

What is your favourite …

Animal? Dog (I own 2 Cairn Terriers: Amber and Macy )

Film? Avatar

TV Series? 24

Song? Dakota (Stereophonics)

Band? Stereophonics

Actor? Denzel Washington - Best Film: Man on Fire

Hobby? Playing football & following ‘The Mighty Leeds United’

Gadget? Iphone

Food? Nandos - Can’t beat half chicken, corn on the cob and peri peri chips (Great for a

Hangover as well!)

Holiday Spot? Florida

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NEWS FROM HR: Changes to Pensions Contribution Rates

All staff and particularly members of the Pensions Scheme are asked to

note the changes to the Pension contribution rates which will apply from

01 April 2012 as set out below.

In 2012/2013 a member’s contribution rate will be based on pensionable pay in 2011/2012.

The employer’s contribution rate remains at 13.3% in 2012/13.

Further details can be found on the Pensions website:

www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/hsc-pensions.htm

Hugh McPoland,

Director of Human Resources and Corporate Services

Annual pensionable pay (full time equivalent)

Contribution rate (before tax relief) 2011/12 (gross)

Contribution rate (before tax relief) 2012/13 (gross)

Gross rise in contribution rate (percentage points)

Up to £15,000.99

5.0% 5.0% 0

£15,001.00 to £21,175.99

5.0% 5.0% 0

£21,176.00 to £26,557.99

6.5% 6.5% 0

£26,558.00 to £48,982.99

6.5% 8.0% 1.5

£48,983.00 to £69,931.99

6.5% 8.9% 2.4

£69,932.00 to £110,273.99

7.5% 9.9% 2.4

£110,274.00 and over

8.5% 10.9% 2.4

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