Tools & Resources

Spotlight on the NHS North West Healthcare Science Network

The NHS North West (NW) Healthcare Science Network is a professional network created in 2004 and has been instrumental in promoting, supporting, developing and representing the Healthcare Science workforce of over 7000 scientists in the NW.This funded network represents Healthcare Scientists from over 45 different specialisms across the three divisions of Life Science, Physiological Science and Physical Science and Engineering.Locating Healthcare Scientists in the NW couldn’t be easier as a new NW Healthcare Science Directory for 2012 is now available for download at

Making Every Contact Count: Public Health eLearning Programme

Cheshire and Merseyside Partnerships (ChaMPs) for Health is a dynamic, award winning public health network that has commissioned the development of an e-learning programme, designed to support ‘Making Every Contact Count’ (MEEC). This is a long-term national public health strategy that aims to help create a healthier population and to reduce NHS costs through changing the behaviour of all frontline NHS staff, not just those that are medically trained or public health professionals.

Work Well: The Walton Way

The Walton Centre has been implementing a Health and Well Being (H&WB) Strategy called ‘Work Well: The Walton Way’ since March 2011. This has proved very successful due to the involvement of staff and unions, and has led to significant cost savings due to a reduction in sickness absence and agency spend. 

Getting the Most out of ESR using Establishment Control Functionality

This case study describes the introduction and some of the issues encountered when rolling out the use of the Establishment Control functionality of ESR at the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals Trust (RLBUHT) from 2009 onwards.  Workforce is the biggest single expenditure for the Trust. In order to manage this huge resource better, the Trust aimed to utilise the ESR establishment control system. This would provide the opportunity to link up to date financial information/budgets to HR information. 

Revalidation - The countdown begins

East Cheshire Trust employs 120 doctors who are required to undergo a strengthened medical appraisal from the 1st April 2012 to support the GMC’s appraisal and revalidation requirements. As a result the Trust has carried out a comprehensive review of its current appraisal systems and procedures to ensure they are fit for purpose, and has have explored innovative and cost effective solutions for gathering and storing confidential appraisal information and data.

Mindfulness and Work Preparedness Pilot

A nine-month Mindfulness pilot study was carried out by the Department of Health, in partnership with NHS North West, to help participants from Recovery (former drug/alcohol users), BME asylum seeker and carer communities, to become work prepared, through the use of Mindfulness training. Support was provided by co-attending key NHS/third sector workers. Mindfulness was shown to have a positive effect on the mental health and wellbeing of staff and clients alike and helped 50% of participants back into work. 

Vocational Training

Calderstones Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is a learning disability Trust which since 2002 has implemented several vocational training packages around learning disabilities and also literacy and numeracy, in order to help staff improve the quality of service delivery, and also to assist staff in progressing along the NHS Careers Framework. As a result 51 members of staff have been promoted by at least one band, with 29 even going on to undertake nurse training. 

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