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HSC Graduate

Intern Programme

2019 Information Pack

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Have you graduated from university since 2017, or are due to graduate this summer, with a 2:2 or higher in any discipline?

Would you like to gain experience in a challenging, diverse and exciting work environment?

Are you proactive and keen to take initiative? Do you have a desire to contribute to Health and

Social Care in Northern Ireland? Then we want to hear from you! The HSC Graduate Internship Programme has been designed to give recent graduates the chance to gain experience in working within the dynamic and exciting environment of Health and Social Care (HSC). We have opportunities available province-wide, both in the Trusts and participating HSC organisations. The programme lasts for 50 weeks, from September 2019—August 2020. It starts with a one day induction to introduce you to HSC and give you an overview of the programme, as well as introducing you to all of your fellow Graduate Interns!

Could You be a Class of 2019 Intern?

What Does a HSC Intern do?

The role of a Graduate Intern is unique. You will be placed within a specific directorate within a participating organisation, and you will be working at the core of the team, assisting them in the day to day running of the department. Whilst every Internship is different, your tasks may consist of:

Researching relevant topics

Drawing up reports for senior managers

Project management

Admin support

Responding to service needs

Supporting senior staff

It is important to note that an Intern’s role is fast paced

and challenging. You need to be someone who relishes

a challenge, enjoys interacting with lots of different

people in different roles, and can spot a good opportunity

to learn.

Intern Profile

Name: Lauren Sutherland

Placement: HSC Leadership

Centre, BSOMy work on the

Intern Scheme has included

Collective Leadership, which

has been really interesting as

it has allowed me to get

involved with a variety of

projects; I have travelled to

different trusts to participate

in road shows, I coordinated

a series of videos

demonstrating different

aspects of Collective

Leadership and also have

been involved in the

Regional Succession

Planning residential

programme with Assistant

Directors. I have assisted

with Associates recruitment

here in the Leadership

Centre by arranging

interviews, sending letters to

successful candidates and

dealing with general

enquiries.

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Intern Profile

Name: Terri-Ann Ogle

Placement: Older people &

Primary Care— Promoting

Wellbeing

SHSCT

A project I have been working on is to develop a strategy for SHSCT on ’Social Prescribing’, which pulls together the strengths of GPs, Primary Care teams and the community/voluntary sector to help look after an individuals social wellbeing as well as medical outcomes. With this project, I have had the opportunity to attend conferences and networking events in the area. I have also taken ownership of the month Promoting Wellbeing staff newsletter. For me, the best part of the Graduate Intern scheme is being part of a group of interns. The structured training program with mentoring, network of colleagues will support me in

progressing within HSC.

What’s in it for You?

As well as offering you a unique opportunity to get hands-on experience within HSC, this programme has been designed to help you cultivate a multitude of transferable skills, that will serve you as an Intern and well beyond.

Tailored Development Every six weeks, you will come to our HSC Leadership Centre for a full day training and development session. This year’s cohort have participated in programmes such as Putting People First, Practical Project Management and Recruitment and Selection training. This is also a great chance to catch up with your fellow Interns and share learning insights.

Support

As well as local support from your placement manager and Programme Link in the Business Services Organisation, your placement will assign you a designated mentor. Your mentor is there to guide and help you to make the most of your time on the programme. Interns are also encouraged to support and interact with one another throughout the Programme.

The Fine Print

Hours of work: 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday

Honorarium: £16,598 Pro-Rata split over the 50 weeks

Holiday entitlement: 20 days and 9 public holidays

We also reserve one place respectively for a former Looked After Child and someone with a lived experience

of a mental health condition, with experience of using mental health services.

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Success Stories

Intern Profile

Name: Michelle Mulholland

Placement: Prison

Healthcare, SEHSCT

Within my placement I have

been fortunate to get

involved with a range of

projects. I work in and

outside of the prisons,

which is exciting in itself. I

have been involved with

meetings for the GovTech

project, which introduces

IT systems into prisons,

organising management

plans and my most

prominent role is working

with the dental lead on the

Pharmacy Independent

Prescriber project. My

placement has opened my

eyes to a whole new

environment whilst

learning the importance of

managing my time well,

communicating effectively

with colleagues and

operating with real

transparency within a team.

Many of our interns have gone on to secure fantastic jobs both inside and outside HSCNI – read on for more!

Katherine Coyle: BSO Equality “I joined the HSC Intern Scheme immediately after graduating with no office experience whatsoever. The skills I learned on the scheme were and are invaluable and the more experience I gained the more my CV grew and new job options were available to me. I was given every opportunity to develop professionally and am happy to say that 3 years later I now work in a team where I feel like I make a real difference in Health and Social Care.”

Nicola Scott: PHA “I entered the Intern Programme with a science background and very little office experience. Three years after starting the programme, I’m still within the same Directorate! I gained a lot of valuable experience from the Intern Programme, which I would not have achieved elsewhere. It enabled me to make contacts within other organisations who work closely with our staff. I believe if I had not been accepted onto the Intern Programme I would not be where I am today.”

Rachael McKibbin: Customer Care and Performance—BSO “After graduating I was made aware of the HSC Intern Scheme, five years later I am still working within HSCNI! The Intern Scheme provided me with invaluable skills which have allowed me to develop professionally, secure career progression and the opportunity to create networks with HSC employees from all backgrounds. I would recommend the scheme to anyone with a keen interest in Health and Social Care who has a drive to be challenged and learn new skills while developing their professional skills.”

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Dates for the Diary

Friday 17th May at 12pm -

deadline for all applications to

be received.

Week beginning Monday 10th

June—Interviews

Monday 2rd September 2019-

Induction and commencement of

the Internship Programme

How Do I Apply?

Please note, we accept online applications only. You can find the application for Graduate Intern Programme and all other HSC vacancies at

https://www.hscrecruit.com/

You will need to provide:

Biographical and contact information

Education history and achievements—you will need to very clearly explain how you have achieved a 2:2 degree since 2017, or will achieve this in summer 2019.

Details of your motivations for applying for the Programme and extra curricular experiences.

What to Expect at Interview

If you are invited to interview, you will receive a booklet with the details of options available for placements. You will be asked to select a preferred location and area of work, though we cannot guarantee a placement.

The interview will focus primarily on your past experiences, values, accomplishments and future goals. In addition, we will want to assess your general suitability for, commitment to and interest in the HSC Sector.

The BSO values respect for staff and customers; accountability in how we deliver our services; transparency, openness and trust; partnership and collaboration; professionalism and expertise.

Contact Details

Human Resources

7th Floor, Human Resources

BusinessServices Organisation

2 Franklin Street

Belfast

BT2 8DQ

Tel: 028 95363001– option 4

Email:

intern.scheme@hscni.net

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Intern Profile

Name: Catherine Daly

Placement: Customer Care

and Performance, BSO.

The Intern Scheme is a

fantastic opportunity to

gain experience in a fast-

paced, challenging

workplace environment. It is

great for anyone interested

in a career within Health

and Social Care as it

enables you to gain a

greater understanding of

the organisations and the

different roles involved. I

have really enjoyed my time

with Customer Care and

Performance where I am

responsible for the

Corporate Scorecard and

Monthly Customer Reports

How to Prepare

Do your homework

Spend time doing some research on Health and Social Care. Have you seen any news stories recently? Do you know what is happening in Health and Social Care?

Reflect on how you would answer these questions

What do I want to do if I join the Programme? Why do I want to do it? How can I convince an interview panel that my past experiences will prepare me for success in the Programme?

Expand your focus beyond the lecture room

While we are interested in academic achievement, we also look for well-rounded people who have been active in the communities in which they live. Extra-curricular activities, community involvement, and volunteering in a health and social care environment are excellent indicators that you have the commitment we are seeking.

Be yourself

This is probably the single most important way to prepare for any interview. We want people who value honesty, integrity, creativity and innovation as much as we do.

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Offer

Intern Profile

Name: Morgan Cooke

Placement: Laboratory

Services

NI Blood Transfusion Service

My main project at NIBTS in-

volves working with teams

with the aim of improving

employee engagement within

the donor services team.

Through this I have been

leading focus groups, collat-

ing and evaluating infor-

mation to look for potential

improvements. I have also

had the opportunity to work

on a Personal and Public In-

volvement project by plan-

ning donor information

events for services users,

and creating a video promot-

ing NIBTS.

If you are successful at interview and we feel you can make a positive contribution to the Programme, we will extend an offer to you. During the interview process we will explain the particular timelines and deadlines.

Previous Participating

Organisations

Belfast Health and Social Care Trust (BHSCT)

Southern Trust (SHSCT)

South Eastern Trust (SEHSCT)

Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT)

Northern Health & Social Care Trust (NHSCT)

Business Services Organisation (BSO)

Northern Ireland Practice and Education Council for Nursing and Midwifery (NIPEC)

Patient Client Council (PCC)

Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA)

Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC)

Royal College of Nursing (RCN)

Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS)

Northern Ireland Guardian Ad Litem Association (NIGALA)

Placements for the 2019 Intake are still to be confirmed.

Thank You

Thank you for taking the

time to read this applicant

pack. We look forward to

receiving your application,

and best of luck!

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Supplementary Information

Health and Social Care is the title of the integrated group of services in Northern Ireland covering all aspects of the promotion and improvement of health and well being and the full range of health and personal social services.

As regards funding of the health and social care service, Northern Ireland receives a block grant, which the Executive then distributes among the various government programmes. The Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety then makes allocations to Health and Social Services Boards primarily based on the regional capitation formula. The Department of Health, Personal Social Services and Public Safety receive an allocation of over £3.8 billion each year which accounts for almost 45% of total public expenditure.

Over 73,000 people are employed in commissioning and delivering an enormous range of services within the statutory and non-statutory sector, many of which need to be in place 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Everyone makes use of the health and social care (HSC) service at different times in their lives which can range from highly complex, sophisticated surgery to basic social care in people’s own homes. The extent of the work of the HSC includes some 1.5 million outpatient’s attendances per annum, some 519,000 inpatient or day case admissions, and over 709, 000 treatments at Accident and Emergency Departments. Within Northern Ireland on a typical day:

28,000 people see a family doctor or practice nurse;

20,000 people visit a community pharmacy where around 84,186 prescription items are dispensed;

2,800 new courses of dental treatment are started;

2,400 children are looked after in some form of care;

12,000 people are receiving a nursing home or residential care package;

7,000 people received a meals service care package;

24,000 people received a Home Help care package; and

8,500 people are provided with intensive support in their own homes.

These services are provided to the entire population on the same basic principles of equal access and generally without regard to ability to pay. Currently the major difference in the organisation of the health and social care system within Northern Ireland compared to the rest of the United Kingdom is that health and personal social services are integrated. Further information about Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland can be found at:

www.dhsspsni.gov.uk

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Health and Social Care Organisations

Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland are provided as an integrated service. There are a number of organisations who work together to plan, deliver and monitor Health and Social

Care across Northern Ireland. www.hscni.net

Health and Social Care Board (HSCB)

The Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) is responsible for commissioning services, resource management and performance management and service improvement. It works to identify and meet the needs of the Northern Ireland population through it’s five Local

Commissioning Groups which cover the same geographical areas as the HSC Trusts.

www.hscboard.hscni.net

Public Health Agency (PHA)

The Public Health Agency (PHA) has the key functions of improving health and wellbeing and health protection. It also provides professional input to the commissioning process. The PHA is jointly responsible (with the HSCB) for the development of a fully integrated commissioning plan for health and social care in Northern Ireland.

The PHA works in partnership with local government, key organisations and other sectors to improve health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities.

www.publichealth.hscni.net

Health and Social Care Trusts

There are a total of 6 Health and Social Care (HSC) Trusts in Northern Ireland.

5 HSC Trusts provide integrated health and social care services across Northern Ireland: Belfast HSC Trust, South Eastern HSC Trust, Western HSC Trust, Southern HSC Trust and Northern HSC Trust. HSC Trusts manage and administer hospitals, health centres, residential homes, day centres and other health and social care facilities and they provide a wide range of health and social care services to the community.

The sixth Trust is the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, which operates a single Northern Ireland wide service to people in need and aims to improve the health and well-being of the community through the delivery of high quality ambulance services.

www.belfasttrust.hscni.net

www.southerntrust.hscni.net

www.setrust.hscni.net

www.westerntrust.hscni.net

www.northerntrust.hscni.net

www.niamb.co.uk

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Business Services Organisation (BSO)

The Business Services Organisation (BSO) is responsible for the provision of a range of business support and specialist professional services to the whole of the Health and Social Care sector including, HR, finance, legal services, procurement, ICT and other services.

www.hscbusiness.hscni.net

Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA)

The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) is the independent health and social care regulatory body for Northern Ireland. In it’s work, RQIA encourages continuous improvement in the quality of these services through a programme of inspections and reviews.

www.rqia.org.uk

Northern Ireland Guardian Ad Litem Agency (NIGALA)

The functions of the Northern Ireland Guardian Ad Litem Agency (NIGALA) are:

To safeguard and promote the interests of children by providing independent social work investigation and advice in specified proceedings under the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 and in Adoption (Northern Ireland) Order 1987

To provide effective representation of children's views and interests.

www.nigala.hscni.net

Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service (NIBTS)

The Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service (NIBTS) exists to supply the needs of all hospitals and clinical units in the province with safe and effective blood and blood products and other related services. The discharge of this function includes a commitment to the care and welfare of voluntary donors.

www.nibts.org

Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC)

The Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC) is the regulatory body for the social care

workforce in Northern Ireland. It’s aim is to increase the protection of those using social care

services, their carers and the public.

www.niscc.info

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Northern Ireland Practice and Education Council for Nursing and

Midwifery (NIPEC)

The Northern Ireland Practice and Education Council (NIPEC) aims to improve the quality of health and social care by supporting the practice, education and professional development of nurses and midwives.

www.nipec.hscni.net

Patient Client Council (PCC)

The Patient and Client Council (PCC) is a regional body with local offices covering the geographical areas of the five integrated Health and Care Trusts. The overarching objective of the PCC is to provide a powerful, independent voice for patients, clients, carers, and communities on health and social care issues.

www.patientclientcouncil.hscni.net

Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency

The Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency (NIMDTA) is responsible for funding, managing and supporting postgraduate medical and dental education within Northern Ireland Deanery. It provides a range of services for those engaged in the delivery of postgraduate Medical and Dental Training.

www.nimdta.gov.uk