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NHS 24 2 NOVEMBER 2016 BOARD MEETING FOR APPROVAL ITEM NO. 11.2

HUMAN RESOURCE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES APPROVAL PROCESS

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to seek approval from Board members of a revised process by which Human Resource Policies and Procedures are ratified. Executive Sponsor: Director of Nursing & Care and Interim Director of

HR Lead Officer: Previously Submitted:

Head of HR Business Services Meeting Date Outcome Executive Team 27/9/16 Approved

APF 13/10/16 Approved Staff Governance 18/10/16 Approved Committee

1. RECOMMENDATION 1.1 The Board is asked to approve the revised process by which HR Policies and

Procedures are ratified. The Executive Team will be consulted with revised and new HR Policies and Procedures including any financial or staffing resourcing implications, prior to final approval by the Area Partnership Forum. The Staff Governance Committee will be presented with revised and new HR Policies and Procedures for information purposes only. This is in line with the majority of other Board's approval processes as set out in Appendix A.

2. TIMING 2.1 This paper has been previously submitted to the Executive Team, Area

Partnership Forum and the Staff Governance Committee.

3. BACKGROUND

Human Resources Policies and Procedures must be jointly developed between management and staff side and agreed in partnership. This Paper seeks to clarify the roles of the various committees in relation to Human Resources Policies and Procedures approval process. This will help ensure a robust and transparent process is in place before Human Resource Policies and Procedures are finally signed off and staff awareness can commence. At the previous Staff Governance Committee, members were presented with HR Policies and Procedures to approve. A review was requested as to the process by which Policies were approved. The main changes to the approval procedure relate to the process for approval through the Area Partnership Forum and the role of the Executive Team and the Staff Governance Committee. A summary of other Boards processes is

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listed at Appendix A together with advice from the Staff Governance Unit at the Scottish Government.

4. PROPOSAL

The Human Resources Policy and Procedure approval process will continue to commence with Policies being developed in Partnership with staff side and management at the ring-fenced group, known as the Partnership Policy Review Group (PPRG). See Appendix B for revised PPRG Terms of Reference. This group will represent the Area Partnership Forum by reviewing and consulting on the Policy before submission to the rest of the Area Partnership Forum for final approval. This revised process will ensure that adequate time is set aside to widely consult with the Executive Team and staff side, normally 4 weeks. The co-chairs of the PPRG will be responsible for collating comments from these respective groups.

The Staff Governance Committee is responsible for overseeing the

effective implementation and monitoring of Policies across the organisation. The Staff Governance Committee will no longer be responsible for approving HR Policies and Procedures however will be responsible for assuring the Board that HR Policies and Procedures are being reviewed on a 2 year cycle and are compliant with PIN Policies.

5. ENGAGEMENT 5.1 Contact has been made with other NHS Boards through the Deputy Directors

of Human Resources to ascertain their approval processes together with advice from the Staff Governance Unit. In addition, engagement has been made with NHS 24's Employee Director and the co-chair of PPRG regarding proposed changes who have both given their support.

6. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

6.1 There are no financial implications to these changes.

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Appendix A

Board Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5

Lothian HR Policy Group (staff side & management)

6 week consultation with local Partnership Forum

HR Policy Group consider comments

Final draft to Area Partnership for approval on behalf of board

Grampian Policy Group Partnership Forum for approval

NES Policy developed Exec Team approval Intranet for all staff consultation

Approval sought from Partnership Forum

Staff Governance Committee for ratification on behalf of Board

Golden Jubilee Hospital

Staff Governance sub-group

Person Centred Committee (staff governance group)

Senior Management Team Partnership Forum approval

Board

Western Isles HR Forum (staff side & management)

Area Partnership Forum approved

Highland HR sub-group Partnership Forum (ratification)

Dumfries & Galloway Board Management Team, Trade Unions & General Managers for consultation

Area Partnership Forum approved

Lanarkshire Joint Policy Forum (JPF) Consultation to Staff side/ management

Joint Policy Forum (JPF) HR Forum for ratification HR Forum reports to Staff Governance Committee

Scottish Ambulance Service

PRG (Staff side & management)

Consultation to HR Team, Senior Management Team & Staff Governance Committee

PRG considers comments NPF & Staff Governance Committee for sign off

Ayrshire & Arran Policy Group Area Partnership Forum approved

Scottish Government: Each PIN Policy has a section headed up "Monitoring, Review & Evaluation" which usually states that the relevant policy should undergo this process every 2 years or so by the Area Partnership Forum. Any policy development within NHS Boards should be signed off by the Area Partnership Forum regardless of whether they fall under the auspices of on PIN or not.

NHS 24 PPRG Terms of Reference V 2.1

NHS 24 PPRG Terms of Reference of 22Date Live From: September 2016

Appendix B NHS 24 PARTNERSHIP POLICY REVIEW GROUP (PPRG) TERMS OF REFERENCE 1.0 Role of the Partnership Policy Review Group 1.1 The Partnership Policy Review Group (PPRG) has been established

as a subgroup of NHS 24’s Area Partnership Forum with delegated responsibility to develop new employment policies and procedures and to review and amend existing employment policies and procedures, in line with PIN policies. This group is made up of both management and staff side representatives.

1.2 This Term of Reference sets out the framework for the group’s

structure and activities. It will be reviewed on a 2 yearly basis in the interests of efficiency and effectiveness, or earlier if deemed necessary.

2.0 Composition of the Group 2.1 Membership: 2.1.1 Head of HR Business Services - Human Resources (Co-Chair) Staff side Representative – (Co-Chair) Human Resource Advisor – Human Resources Associate Director of Operations and Nursing /General Manager –

Service Delivery Service Delivery Representative (x3) UNISON – 2 Staff Representatives RCN – 2 Staff Representatives GMB – 1 Staff Representative 2.2 Attendance (as required): 2.2.2 Business Process Manager – Service Delivery Equality & Diversity Co-ordinator – Human Resources Senior HR Business Services Advisor (Minutes) 2.3 Additional Group Attendance 2.3.1 On occasions, it may be deemed appropriate to request the

attendance of other colleagues, for example, to provide expertise on a particular area, or where a non-member of the group has been involved in the development of a particular policy or procedure.

2.3.2 In addition, members of the group can elect to nominate colleagues to

attend the meeting in their absence to ensure sufficient



representatives are present. Wherever possible, the replacement representative should be in the same or similar role as the substantive member of the group to ensure consistency. Group members may also request to bring colleagues to the meeting in an observing capacity, for example, for development.

2.3.3 In both cases prior notification to the co-chairs of the group must be

submitted before the commencement of the meeting, usually via the Senior HR Business Services Advisor.

2.3.4 There may be occasions in which the group identifies that significant

changes are required within a set policy, or where a new policy is required. In such cases, the group may establish a short-life working group, normally lasting no longer than 3 months, to carry out a piece of work, which may involve representatives both from within and out with the group. Where members or attendees are requested to join a short-life working group, consideration should be given to the time commitment required to complete the work within the 3 month period. Members of a short life-working group should be in a position to prioritise the work of the group to ensure completion within the 3 month period.

2.3.5 The Chief Executive or any other Director may choose to attend the group at their discretion.

3.0 Meeting of the Group 3.1 Frequency of Meetings 3.1.1 Meetings will normally be held on the second Tuesday of each month,

unless otherwise agreed between the co-chairs.

3.2 Agendas and Papers 3.2.1 Agendas and papers will be circulated to all members by the Senior

HR Business Services Advisor usually no later than 1 week before the date of the meeting. These timescales may be subject to change and members will be kept up to date of any amendments.

3.2.2 Following the PPRG meeting, all members will be required to consult

and review all documents and provide comments and feedback to the Senior HR Business Services Advisor for the following PPRG for discussion. Each of the co-chairs will be expected to widely consult with relevant stakeholders; the management co-chair will be expected to consult with the Executive Management Team and other relevant management colleagues and the staff side co-chair will be expected to consult with other staff side colleagues and relevant full time officers, if required. Feedback should be received by the Thursday



prior to the following PPRG meeting, however this may be subject to change.

3.2.3 All comments received will be made available for review within the S

Drive. These comments will normally be available by the Thursday prior to the meeting, however this may be subject to change.

3.3 Quorum 3.3.1 A minimum of 4 members must be present at all times during the

meeting, including 2 management representatives and 2 staff side representatives, excluding the Chair. For the purposes of determining whether a meeting is quorate, members attending by either video or teleconferencing link will be deemed to be present.

3.3.2 Both management and staff side representatives can delegate

authority to sit on the group however prior notification to the respective co-chair must be received in advance of the group convening. Group members are responsible for ensuring that their delegates are in receipt of the necessary paperwork and any comments which require to be fedback on their behalf. Where a member's attendance is withdrawn on the day of the meeting, the respective co-chair will arrange for papers to be provided to a delegate.

3.4 Minutes 3.4.1 The Senior HR Business Services Advisor will take a formal minute of

each meeting and circulate a draft of these minutes to all members within one week of the meeting.

3.4.2 The draft minutes shall then be presented at the next PPRG meeting

for approval. 4.0 Duties of the Partnership Policy Review Group The duties of the Partnership Policy Review Group are as follows: 4.1 Working in Partnership to develop new Human Resources policies, or

other policies which have a significant impact on staff, to meet the needs of staff and the organisation, in line with developments in legislation, PIN policy, Best Practice and organisational needs.

4.2 Working in Partnership, respond collectively to draft PIN consultations

to the Scottish Government.



4.3 Working in Partnership to redesign and update existing Human Resource policies, or other policies which have a significant impact on staff, in line with developments in legislation, PIN policy, Best Practice, and organisational needs.

4.4 Consult with wider stakeholders on draft policies and collate for review.

4.5 Fully consider feedback received from group members including the

Executive Team, and the outcome of any local consultations amongst member's peer groups, in reviewing or developing policies.

4.6 As required, delegate work to short-life working groups to review

particular policies in depth. The PPRG will also monitor the progress of such groups to ensure objectives are being met.

4.7 Submit final draft of revised or newly developed policies to the Area

Partnership Forum for approval, along with details of any financial or operational implications.

4.8 Raise awareness of policy developments or amendments via

appropriate channels, e.g. discussion with colleagues, updates via the internet, In the Know Bulletin, liaison with the Learning and Development team regarding any training requirements, or any other method of promotion as deemed appropriate.

4.9 Assessing the overall impact and effectiveness of Human Resources

policies using feedback forms and feedback from members. 5.0 Authority The Partnership Policy Review Group has delegated responsibility

from the Area Partnership Forum to review and create Human Resources policies or other policies which significantly impact on staff to ensure they are compliant with best practice, legislation, PIN policies and operational needs.

The Group submit any revised or new policies to the Area Partnership

Forum for approval. 6.0 Equality and Diversity Impact Assessment NHS 24 undertakes Equality and Diversity Impact Assessments of

new and redesigned policies to ensure compliance with the Equality Act 2010 and the Human Rights Act 1998.

The Senior HR Business Services Advisor will provide the Equality

and Diversity Team with the PPRG schedule. Wherever possible, the Equality and Diversity Impact Assessment will be carried out in advance of the policy being reviewed by the Partnership Policy



Review Group. Recommendations arising from the Equality and Diversity Impact Assessment will be provided to the PPRG members for inclusion within the revised policy.

7.0 Reporting to the Area Partnership Forum and Staff Governance

Committee Following discussion, review and consultation by the Group, policies

and any associated documentation are forwarded to the Area Partnership Forum for approval. This submission will also include details of any changes, relevant discussions, financial or other organisational implications.

Following approval by the Area Partnership Forum, the policies will be

submitted to Staff Governance Committee for information only. The Staff Governance Committee will provide the Board with assurance that all HR Policies and Procedures are reviewed over a 2 year cycle and are compliant with PIN Policy.

Appendix A 1.0 Responsibilities of Membership 1.1 Membership of the PPRG carries certain responsibilities which are

dependant upon the role of the member. The following lists detail the responsibilities of each member.

1.1.1 Co-Chair Responsibilities:

Attend the meeting on a monthly basis.

Alternate the responsibility of chairing the meeting. In cases where one Co-Chair is not available, the other Co-Chair will normally assume responsibility for chairing the meeting. In exceptional circumstances, a Co-Chair may nominate another member of the group to chair the meeting. This must be agreed in advance with the other Co-Chair.

Co-ordinate the consultation process with colleagues, either management or staff side, to establish any key areas for discussion, including concerns or recommendations for the group. This will assist in ensuring a structured approach to the meeting. The Co-Chairs may choose, if they wish, to discuss such issues at a pre-meeting.

Raise awareness of policy changes following final approval by the Area Partnership Forum to appropriate colleagues, including the Learning and Development team where appropriate.

Liaise with the Senior HR Business Services Advisor on the structure of the meeting, advising on necessary items for the agenda, and providing feedback on any work undertaken outside of the meeting.

1.1.2 All member responsibilities:



Attend meetings on a monthly basis or nominate a colleague to attend on their behalf.

Ensure all papers circulated are brought to the meeting. Members may wish to refer to these papers on-line and bring only notes, or may wish to liaise with other group members to share copies. Where delegates are attending in place of a member, the member must ensure the delegate is in receipt of the necessary papers and is fully briefed on the member's comments.

Consult relevant colleagues and feedback comments on behalf of peer groups, including full-time officials where appropriate and local centres and the Executive Team Meeting.

Demonstrate commitment and willingness to contribute to the work of the group and adopt a Partnership working approach.

Demonstrate commitment to reach decisions by consensus.

Complete delegated actions from the meeting within agreed timescales.

Raise awareness of policy changes amongst appropriate colleagues following final approval by the Area Partnership Forum.

Accepting that, on occasions when total consensus cannot be reached, the policy will be submitted to the Area Partnership Forum on the recommendations of the majority of the group. In exceptional circumstances, the policy may be referred to the Board for a final decision.

1.1.3 Attendees Responsibilities:


Provide advice and comments in relation to their area of expertise.


1.1.4 Senior HR Business Service Advisor Responsibilities: • Collate consultation comments for the following PPRG meeting.

Take minutes of each meeting and circulate to all members within one week of the meeting.


Update policies in line with agreed amendments and forward to the Area Partnership Forum for final approval.

Maintain full records of the meeting, both electronically and in paper copy.

Update and maintain the Policy and Procedure Review Schedule.



2.0 PPRG Procedures 2.1 Policies Identified for Review via the Policy and Procedure

Review Schedule 2.1.1 Co-chairs meet one week following a PPRG meeting to discuss and

agree the agenda for the following meeting. This will involve identifying the main drivers and objectives in reviewing a policy; the existing position; key issues for NHS 24; potential resource implications; impact on other policies and areas of possible controversy.

2.1.2 The requirement for an Equality and Diversity Impact Assessment will

also be discussed by the co-chairs at this meeting and where deemed necessary, the Equality and Diversity team will be requested to conduct an EDIA. (please see section 6 for further details).

2.1.3 All human resource policies and non-human resource policies which

have a significant impact on employees will be reviewed in line with the Policy and Procedure Review Schedule, as standard. This schedule requires policies to be reviewed on a 2 yearly basis.

2.1.4 Policies which are due for review will be made available to all group

members in advance of the PPRG meeting by the Senior HR Business Services Advisor.

2.1.5 In cases where the policies due for review are owned by a non-

member of the group, the owner will be notified that the policy is due for review, and will be invited to provide comments and/or attend the meeting if deemed necessary.

2.1.6 Any updates in PIN Policies or changes in legislation will be advised

to the group via the co-chairs. 2.1.7 Following a PPRG meeting, group members will consult with peers

and Executive Team, normally over a period of 4 weeks. . Comments arising from such consultations must be clearly marked as such. Where group members do not have any comments on the policies, following consultation, they will submit a comment to this effect.

2.1.8 The group discusses the consultation comments received, any

additional issues raised, and determines whether the policy should be submitted for approval to the Area Partnership Forum , or referred to a sub-group for further work.

2.1.9 It may be appropriate for work to be carried out by the Senior HR

Business Services Advisor and a redraft prepared for a subsequent meeting. In such circumstances, the Senior HR Business Services



Advisor will ensure that the policy schedule is updated accordingly and the policy is placed on the agenda for the following meeting, prior to submission to the Area Partnership Forum

2.1.10 The group considers potential implementation issues of the revised

policy and liaise with the Communications Department or the Learning and Development Department to prepare a communications plan or to request an updated training course.

2.1.11 Where it is agreed that a policy is recommended for onward

submission to the Area Partnership Forum, the Senior HR Business Services Advisor will update the policy with any agreed actions and prepare the Area Partnership Forumcover paper for the next available Area Partnership Forum.

2.1.12 Following approval by the Area Partnership Forum, the Senior HR

Business Services Advisor will arrange for the policy to be uploaded onto the intranet and for the policy to be promoted via the intranet, Knowledge Bulletin and via payslips (where available). Any other recommendations regarding a communications plan or relevant training will be explored at this stage also.

2.1.13 The Senior HR Business Services Advisor will notify all PPRG group

members and attendees and all relevant employee groups, including Team Leaders, ADON's, and staffside colleagues of approved policies via email.

2.1.14 Policies approved by the Area Partnership Forum will be forwarded to

theStaff Governance Committee for information only. See Appendix A 2.2 Policies Identified for Review Due to a Change in Legislation,

Change in PIN Policy or any other reason out with the schedule. 2.2.1 These policies will follow the process outlined within section 2

however will be reviewed out with the timescales of the agreed schedule. This may result in other policies being delayed from their original schedule. In all circumstances, the Senior HR Business Services Advisor will ensure that the Policy and Procedure Review Schedule is updated accordingly.

2.3 New Policy Requirement Identified 2.3.1 The group may identify that a new policy is required to meet the

needs of legislation, PIN Policy, or operational requirements. In such cases, the need for this policy will be discussed and agreed by the co-chairs at their monthly meeting.

2.3.2 The group will determine the most appropriate method of drafting the

new policy, which may involve the expertise of non-members and/or the requirement for a short-life working group.



2.3.3 Once a draft policy has been developed, the policy approval

procedure outlined in section 2 will be followed. 2.4 Exceptional Circumstances 2.4.1 At the discretion of the Director of Human Resources, certain policies

may be identified for “fast-tracking” through the process, e.g. where the impetus is a specific change in legislation there may be no need for local consultations, and the final draft may go straight to the Area Partnership Forumfor approval. In addition, in exceptional circumstances it may be appropriate for policies to go to the Board for approval where there are significant financial or other organisational implications or potential conflicts of interest.



Appendix B NHS 24 PARTNERSHIP POLICY REVIEW GROUP (PPRG) TERMS OF REFERENCE 1.0 Role of the Partnership Policy Review Group 1.1 The Partnership Policy Review Group (PPRG) has been established

as a subgroup of NHS 24’s Area Partnership Forum with delegated responsibility to develop new employment policies and procedures and to review and amend existing employment policies and procedures, in line with PIN policies. This group is made up of both management and staffside representatives.

1.2 This Term of Reference sets out the framework for the group’s

structure and activities. It will be reviewed on a 3 yearly basis in the interests of efficiency and effectiveness, or earlier if deemed necessary.

2.0 Composition of the Group 2.2 Membership: 2.1.1 Head of HR Business Services - Human Resources (Co-Chair) Staffside Representative – (Co-Chair) Human Resource Advisor – Human Resources Associate Director of Operations and Nursing /General Manager –

Service Delivery Service Delivery Representative (x3) UNISON – 2 Staff Representatives RCN – 2 Staff Representatives GMB – 1 Staff Representative 2.2 Attendance (as required): 2.2.2 Business Process Manager – Service Delivery Equality & Diversity Co-ordinator – Human Resources Senior HR Business Services Advisor (Minutes) 2.4 Additional Group Attendance 2.3.1 On occasions, it may be deemed appropriate to request the

attendance of other colleagues, for example, to provide expertise on a particular area, or where a non-member of the group has been involved in the development of a particular policy or procedure.



2.3.2 In addition, members of the group can elect to nominate colleagues to attend the meeting in their absence to ensure sufficient representatives are present. Wherever possible, the replacement representative should be in the same or similar role as the substantive member of the group to ensure consistency. Group members may also request to bring colleagues to the meeting in an observing capacity, for example, for development.

2.3.3 In both cases prior notification to the co-chairs of the group must be

submitted before the commencement of the meeting, usually via the Senior HR Business Services Advisor.

2.3.4 There may be occasions in which the group identifies that significant

changes are required within a set policy, or where a new policy is required. In such cases, the group may establish a short-life working group, normally lasting no longer than 3 months, to carry out a piece of work which may involve representatives both from within and out with the group. Where members or attendees are requested to join a short-life working group, consideration should be given to the time commitment required to complete the work within the 3 month period. Members of a short life working group should be in a position to prioritise the work of the group to ensure completion within the 3 month period.

2.3.5 The Chief Executive or any other Director may choose to attend the group at their discretion.

3.0 Meeting of the Group 3.1 Frequency of Meetings 3.1.1 Meetings will normally be held on the second Tuesday of each month,

unless otherwise agreed between the co-chairs.

3.2 Agendas and Papers 3.2.1 Agendas and papers will be circulated to all members by the Senior

HR Business Services Advisor usually no later than 1 week before the date of the meeting. These timescales may be subject to change and members will be kept up to date of any amendments.

3.2.2 Following the PPRG meeting, all members will be required to consult

and review all documents and provide comments and feedback to the Senior HR Business Services Advisor for the following PPRG for discussion. Each of the co-chairs will be expected to widely consult with relevant stakeholders; the management co-chair will be expected to consult with the Executive Management Team and other relevant management colleagues and the staff side co-chair will be expected to consult with other staff side colleagues and relevant full time



officers, if required. Feedback should be received by the Thursday prior to the following PPRG meeting, however this may be subject to change.

3.2.3 All comments received will be made available for review within the S Drive. These comments will normally be available by the Thursday prior to the meeting, however this may be subject to change.

3.3 Quorum 3.3.1 A minimum of 4 members must be present at all times during the

meeting, including 2 management representatives and 2 staff side representatives, excluding the Chair. For the purposes of determining whether a meeting is quorate, members attending by either video or teleconferencing link will be deemed to be present.

3.3.2 Both management and staffside representatives can delegate

authority to sit on the group however prior notification to the respective co-chair must be received in advance of the group convening. Group members are responsible for ensuring that their delegates are in receipt of the necessary paperwork and any comments which require to be fedback on their behalf. Where a member's attendance is withdrawn on the day of the meeting, the respective co-chair will arrange for papers to be provided to a delegate.

3.4 Minutes 3.4.1 The Senior HR Business Services Advisor will take a formal minute of

each meeting and circulate a draft of these minutes to all members within one week of the meeting.

3.4.2 The draft minutes shall then be presented at the next PPRG meeting

for approval. 4.0 Duties of the Partnership Policy Review Group The duties of the Partnership Policy Review Group are as follows: 4.1 Working in Partnership to develop new Human Resources policies, or

other policies which have a significant impact on staff, to meet the needs of staff and the organisation, in line with developments in legislation, PIN policy, Best Practice and organisational needs.

4.2 Working in Partnership, respond collectively to draft PIN consultations

to the Scottish Government.



4.3 Working in Partnership to redesign and update existing Human Resource policies, or other policies which have a significant impact on staff, in line with developments in legislation, PIN policy, Best Practice, and organisational needs.

4.4 Consult with wider stakeholders on draft policies and collate for review.

4.5 Fully consider feedback received from group members including the

Executive Team, and the outcome of any local consultations amongst member's peer groups, in reviewing or developing policies.

4.6 As required, delegate work to short-life working groups to review

particular policies in depth. The PPRG will also monitor the progress of such groups to ensure objectives are being met.

4.7 Submit final draft of revised or newly developed policies to the Area

Partnership Forum for approval, along with details of any financial or operational implications.

4.8 Raise awareness of policy developments or amendments via

appropriate channels, e.g. discussion with colleagues, updates via the internet, In the Know Bulletin, liaison with the Learning and Development team regarding any training requirements, or any other method of promotion as deemed appropriate.

4.9 Assessing the overall impact and effectiveness of Human Resources

policies using feedback forms and feedback from members. 5.0 Authority The Partnership Policy Review Group has delegated responsibility

from the Area Partnership Forum to review and create Human Resources policies or other policies which significantly impact on staff to ensure they are compliant with best practice, legislation, PIN policies and operational needs.

The Group submit any revised or new policies to the Area Partnership

Forum for approval. 6.0 Equality and Diversity Impact Assessment NHS 24 undertakes Equality and Diversity Impact Assessments of

new and redesigned policies to ensure compliance with the Equality Act 2010 and the Human Rights Act 1998.

The Senior HR Business Services Advisor will provide the Equality

and Diversity Team with the PPRG schedule. Wherever possible, the Equality and Diversity Impact Assessment will be carried out in advance of the policy being reviewed by the Partnership Policy



Review Group. Recommendations arising from the Equality and Diversity Impact Assessment will be provided to the PPRG members for inclusion within the revised policy.

7.0 Reporting to the Area Partnership Forum and Staff Governance

Committee Following discussion, review and consultation by the Group, policies

and any associated documentation are forwarded to the Area Partnership Forum for approval.This submission will also include details of any changes, relevant discussions, financial or other organisational implications.

Following approval by the Area Partnership Forum, the policies will be

submitted to Staff Governance Committee for information only. The Staff Governance Committee will provide the Board with assurance that all HR Policies and Procedures are reviewed over a 2 year cycle and are compliant with PIN Policy.

Appendix A 1.0 Responsibilities of Membership 1.1 Membership of the PPRG carries certain responsibilities which are

dependant upon the role of the member. The following lists detail the responsibilities of each member.

1.1.1 Co-Chair Responsibilities:

Attend the meeting on a monthly basis.

Alternate the responsibility of chairing the meeting. In cases where one Co-Chair is not available, the other Co-Chair will normally assume responsibility for chairing the meeting. In exceptional circumstances, a Co-Chair may nominate another member of the group to chair the meeting. This must be agreed in advance with the other Co-Chair.

Co-ordinate the consultation process with colleagues, either management or staffside,to establish any key areas for discussion, including concerns or recommendations for the group. This will assist in ensuring a structured approach to the meeting. The Co-Chairs may choose, if they wish, to discuss such issues at a pre-meeting.

Raise awareness of policy changes following final approval by the Area Partnership Forum to appropriate colleagues, including the Learning and Development team where appropriate.

Liaise with the Senior HR Business Services Advisor on the structure of the meeting, advising on necessary items for the agenda, and providing feedback on any work undertaken outside of the meeting.

1.1.2 All member responsibilities:




Ensure all papers circulated are brought to the meeting. Members may wish to refer to these papers on-line and bring only notes, or may wish to liaise with other group members to share copies. Where delegates are attending in place of a member, the member must ensure the delegate is in receipt of the necessary papers and is fully briefed on the member's comments.

Consult relevant colleagues and feedback comments on behalf of peer groups, including full-time officials where appropriate and local centres and the Executive Team Meeting.

Demonstrate commitment and willingness to contribute to the work of the group and adopt a Partnership working approach.

Demonstrate commitment to reach decisions by consensus.


Raise awareness of policy changes amongst appropriate colleagues following final approval by the Area Partnership Forum.

Accepting that, on occasions when total consensus cannot be reached, the policy will be submitted to the Area Partnership Forum on the recommendations of the majority of the group. In exceptional circumstances, the policy may be referred to the Board for a final decision.

1.1.3 Attendees Responsibilities:


Provide advice and comments in relation to their area of expertise.


1.1.4 Senior HR Business Service Advisor Responsibilities: • Collate consultation comments for the following PPRG meeting.

Take minutes of each meeting and circulate to all members within one week of the meeting.


Update policies in line with agreed amendments and forward to the Area Partnership Forumfor final approval.

Maintain full records of the meeting, both electronically and in paper copy.

Update and maintain the Policy and Procedure Review Schedule.



2.0 PPRG Procedures 2.1 Policies Identified for Review via the Policy and Procedure

Review Schedule 2.1.1 Co-chairs meet one week following a PPRG meeting to discuss and

agree the agenda for the following meeting. This will involve identifying the main drivers and objectives in reviewing a policy; the existing position; key issues for NHS 24; potential resource implications; impact on other policies and areas of possible controversy.

2.1.2 The requirement for an Equality and Diversity Impact Assessment will

also be discussed by the co-chairs at this meeting and where deemed necessary, the Equality and Diversity team will be requested to conduct an EDIA. (please see section 6 for further details).

2.1.3 All human resource policies and non-human resource policies which

have a significant impact on employees will be reviewed in line with the Policy and Procedure Review Schedule, as standard. This schedule requires policies to be reviewed on a 2 yearly basis.

2.1.4 Policies which are due for review will be made available to all group

members in advance of the PPRG meeting by the Senior HR Business Services Advisor.

2.1.5 In cases where the policies due for review are owned by a non-

member of the group, the owner will be notified that the policy is due for review, and will be invited to provide comments and/or attend the meeting if deemed necessary.

2.1.6 Any updates in PIN Policies or changes in legislation will be advised

to the group via the co-chairs. 2.1.7 Following a PPRG meeting, group members will consult with peers

and Executive Team, normally over a period of 4 weeks. Comments arising from such consultations must be clearly marked as such. Where group members do not have any comments on the policies, following consultation, they will submit a comment to this effect.

2.1.8 The group discusses the consultation comments received, any

additional issues raised, and determines whether the policy should be submitted for approval to the Area Partnership Forum , or referred to a sub-group for further work.

2.1.9 It may be appropriate for work to be carried out by the Senior HR

Business Services Advisor and a redraft prepared for a subsequent meeting. In such circumstances, the Senior HR Business Services



Advisor will ensure that the policy schedule is updated accordingly and the policy is placed on the agenda for the following meeting, prior to submission to the Area Partnership Forum

2.1.10 The group considers potential implementation issues of the revised

policy and liaise with the Communications Department or the Learning and Development Department to prepare a communications plan or to request an updated training course.

2.1.11 Where it is agreed that a policy is recommended for onward

submission to the Area Partnership Forum, the Senior HR Business Services Advisor will update the policy with any agreed actions and prepare the Area Partnership Forum cover paper for the next available Area Partnership Forum.

2.1.12 Following approval by the Area Partnership Forum, the Senior HR

Business Services Advisor will arrange for the policy to be uploaded onto the intranet and for the policy to be promoted via the intranet, Knowledge Bulletin and via payslips (where available). Any other recommendations regarding a communications plan or relevant training will be explored at this stage also.

2.1.13 The Senior HR Business Services Advisor will notify all PPRG group

members and attendees and all relevant employee groups, including Team Leaders, ADON's, and staff side colleagues of approved policies via email.

2.1.14 Policies approved by the Area Partnership Forum will be forwarded to

the Staff Governance Committee for information only. See Appendix A 2.2 Policies Identified for Review Due to a Change in Legislation,

Change in PIN Policy or any other reason out with the schedule. 2.2.1 These policies will follow the process outlined within section 2

however will be reviewed out with the timescales of the agreed schedule. This may result in other policies being delayed from their original schedule. In all circumstances, the Senior HR Business Services Advisor will ensure that the Policy and Procedure Review Schedule is updated accordingly.

2.3 New Policy Requirement Identified 2.3.1 The group may identify that a new policy is required to meet the

needs of legislation, PIN Policy, or operational requirements. In such cases, the need for this policy will be discussed and agreed by the co-chairs at their monthly meeting.



2.3.2 The group will determine the most appropriate method of drafting the new policy, which may involve the expertise of non-members and/or the requirement for a short-life working group.

2.3.3 Once a draft policy has been developed, the policy approval

procedure outlined in section 2 will be followed. 2.4 Exceptional Circumstances 2.4.1 At the discretion of the Director of Human Resources, certain policies

may be identified for “fast-tracking” through the process, e.g. where the impetus is a specific change in legislation there may be no need for local consultations, and the final draft may go straight to the Area Partnership Forum for approval. In addition, in exceptional circumstances it may be appropriate for policies to go to the Board for approval where there are significant financial or other organisational implications or potential conflicts of interest.



Appendix A

HR Policies & Procedures Approval Process

HR Policy Developed in partnership at

Partnership Policy Review Group

STAGE 1

Comments collated and fed back to Partnership

Policy Review Group for consideration

STAGE 3

Consultation Process – 4 weeks to Executive

Management Team and Trade Unions

STAGE 2

Final draft prepared for Area Partnership Forum

STAGE 4

HR Policy & Procedure presented to Staff

Governance Committee for information

STAGE 6

Area Partnership Forum approve HR Policy &

Procedure

STAGE 5

Revised HR Policy & Procedure communicated

STAGE 7

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