On 26 October 2022, the Scottish Government published a consultation on the NHSScotland Supporting Work Life Balance policies. This consultation paper included:
Views and comments were sought on the policies and proposed supporting documents in order to identify any gaps and policy amendments required. The consultation also sought views on the potential impacts of each policy on equalities groups.
Flexible Work Pattern Policy
Retirement Policy
Career Break Policy
Special Leave Policy
Maternity Policy
New Parent Support Policy
Shared Maternity and Shared Adoption Policy
Parental Leave Policy
Breastfeeding Policy
Adoption, Fostering and Kinship Policy
Consultation responses were analysed and carefully considered for policy amendment. Key themes from the consultation and suggested amendments to the draft policies were reviewed by the ‘Once for Scotland’ Workforce Policies Programme Board.
Flexible Work Pattern Policy
Retirement Policy
Career Break Policy
Special Leave Policy
Maternity Policy
New Parent Support Policy
Shared Maternity and Shared Adoption Policy
Parental Leave Policy
Breastfeeding Policy
Adoption, Fostering and Kinship Policy
The Scottish Workforce and Staff Governance Committee (SWAG) formally approved on 29 June 2023 the full suite of NHSScotland supporting work life balance workforce policies. These policies, and associated supporting documents, set the standard for employment practice for NHS Boards and can be accessed at https://workforce.nhs.scot/
The 'Once for Scotland' Workforce Policies Programme is designed to review and transform existing workforce policies (previously known as Partnership Information Network (PIN) Policies) in line with our vision:
"Once for Scotland' workforce policies will promote NHSScotland as a modern, exemplar employer; showcasing our core values, and promoting consistent employment policy and practice that supports the implementation of the Staff Governance Standard and effective recruitment and retention."
This consultation focuses on Supporting the Work-Life Balance. It includes:
The consultation follows the regional engagement events pre-policy (January 2020) and mid-policy development (March 2020). Delegates were invited to participate in a follow up survey in the summer of 2021. This allowed delegates to reflect on what had been said at the mid-policy engagement events and provide an opportunity to add any new perpectives.
The approach, agreed by the Scottish Workforce and Staff Governance (SWAG) Committee, minimises the need for the traditional 2-3 month formal consultation process.
With this new model of engagement, and recognising that these policies have already been agreed in partnership, this consultation will look different from previous consultations.
What is included within the consultation?
The consultation focuses on the Supporting the Work-Life Balance suite of policies. Each policy includes the following sections:
The policy references supporting documents, each with a descriptor on what this entails.
Please note: supporting documents are not part of the consultation. These will be drafted following the consultation when responses have been analysed and the policy is developed in a final draft.
Standard sections that apply to all policies, for example, principles and values, employee support, roles and responsibilities are available on the NHSScotland Workforce Policies website.
The questions set out in the consultation seek to understand if the refreshed policies reflect our vision for NHSScotland workforce policies, and to identify any gaps in the policies or proposed supporting documents. The consultation also includes an equalities section to gather views on the potential impacts of each policy on protected characteristics equalities groups.
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