Are you a medical staffing manager swamped by the pressures you are currently facing?
Are you wondering what you can do to help your team with regard to implementation of the Long-Term Plan?
NHS medical staffing teams are currently grappling with an unprecedented number of challenges. The impact of strike action, workforce shortages, recruitment difficulties, increasing demand, and staff well-being are just a few of the hurdles that are adding to an already highly pressurised workload. With the publication of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan there will be a wide range of changes rapidly facing NHS teams. Some of these changes may be positive. Some may well have unexpected negative impacts. But in the midst of all of this, now may be a good moment to take a quick breath and reflect upon what might help you and your team navigate this next period of NHS change.
In this blog post we look at the impact of appropriate assessment processes, and the occasionally hidden role it can play in supporting NHS medical staffing and recruitment teams, both in the short and longer-term.
Hidden Opportunities to Support NHS Medical Staffing Teams
With an overflowing workload and rapidly changing agenda, you may not have had the opportunity to take a look at your own recruitment process. You might not have had time to look at the potential positive impact of different assessment processes. So in this blog we outline 3 occasionally hidden ways in which appropriate assessment processes can have a dramatic positive impact.
1 Effective Recruitment:
Recruitment comes at a cost. A significant cost. Both for those involved in the recruitment process and for the services carrying the vacancy. Making the right decision, not just in terms of the skills and experience required for the role, but also in terms of the cultural /team fit, is vital.
The cost of dealing with an incorrect decision on the team and productivity are all critical considerations. An unstructured interview process is widely recognised as one of the least accurate predictors of future performance. This also gives little information about a candidate’s personality preferences or how they might work best in a team. Although it may feel like additional work in the short term- thinking about the key features of the Person Specification and ensuring that the assessment process accurately covers all of them, could have a dramatic impact in the longer term.
2 Cultural Fit and Values Alignment:
Cultural fit and values alignment is vital to the successful functioning of any team. We design assessments to evaluate candidates’ cultural fit with the team / organisation and alignment with its values and goals. This can promote a sense of shared purpose and commitment to patient care, teamwork, and professionalism. By selecting candidates who embrace the organisation’s values, NHS teams can foster a positive work environment and enhance morale and cohesion. Not only does this improve the ultimate outcome, patient care, but it also has a massive impact on staff turnover.
3 Identifying Developmental Needs:
Using appropriate assessment tools and techniques, managers and individuals can make informed decisions about appropriate roles, secondments, promotions and other development opportunities. By helping individuals increase their own self-awareness, organisations can provide targeted development support, both at the individual and team level. This contributes to the overall improvement of patient care and the ability to meet evolving healthcare demands.
Supporting Medical Staffing Teams
Enhancing assessment processes is an often overlooked area that can play a critical part in supporting robust long-term recruitment and retention plans. By implementing robust assessment methods, organisations can improve the effectiveness of the recruitment process, promote cultural fit, and identify developmental needs. This in turn will reduce the longer-term pressures placed on the organisation as a whole. Complemented by other strategies (many of which the Long-Term Workforce plan seeks to address), improved assessment processes can support the development of a resilient, skilled, and motivated healthcare workforce. Ultimately, this will ensure that the NHS continues to provide high-quality care to patients and meets the evolving healthcare needs of the population.
If you would like more information on how we support organisations to improve their assessment processes, please contact me on:
sarah.banton@deardenassessment.co.uk
or 07966 330310.