Redundancies loom over major restructure at NHS Digital
- 16 August 2018
Hundreds of staff at NHS Digital will be forced to re-train or face the axe as the organisation moves to upskill its workforce via a major restructure.
A round of redundancies will be made at NHS Digital as part of a restructuring process that aims to bring more cyber-literate staff into the fold.
The redesign has been labelled ‘Org2’ and aims to address a shortage of expertise in new and emerging technologies, such as cyber security, machine learning and artificial intelligence.
The organisation also faces budget pressures and hopes to reduce its headcount while creating a more flexible workforce.
Sean Walsh, director Org2, regions and professions said: āThis restructure is about skilling up our workforce and rethinking our structure. This will ensure that we have the deep skills and technical expertise to deliver the best service for our customers and also that our structure allows us to flex according to the needs of the health and care sector.
āWe will partly do this through training and development for our staff, but we also know that we need to bring in new technical skills and to invest in new talent in terms of graduates and early career staff.ā
According to reports, key partners of NHS Digital have indicated they are not confident in the organisationās ability to deliver on new, data-driven initiatives.
A highly critical review of NHS Digital the organisation in 2017 found that itĀ relied on outdated technology and suffered skills shortages in multiple areas, impacting its delivery performance.
It also identified shortcomings in the national body’s data services, which were found to be performing below the expectations of customers.
Digital Health News understands NHS Digital held a meeting in July to inform staff about the changes.
However, when approached at the time, the organisation denied that redundancies had been discussed.
Over 600 members of staff are said to have been told on Monday that they would need to re-apply for their jobs.
Exit dates for the first round of cuts are expected to have been decided by January 2019, according to a document seen by Computer Weekly.
Staff who cannot retrain to learn new skills or demonstrate value to the organisation are likely to face redundancy.
It is not yet clear how many staff will be let go as a result of the restructure,Ā which will be delivered in three waves over the next two years.
NHS Digital is expected to share a proposal with staff later this month that will set out timescales and outline redundancy options for staff.
āWe have committed to staff that we will manage the process transparently and fairly and we are consulting with them throughout,ā said Walsh.
31 Comments
They ran a voluntary redundancy scheme last year – only to cancel it at the last minute in December. They are talking redundancies again so will they offer it to those turned down last time?
The staff events, where it was decided not to broadcast or record the content due to privacy, were a masterclass in saying lots but telling nothing. It basically boiled down to Sarah Wilkinson saying that we need to go in a different direction in order to be relevant and win future business, Sean saying there would be changes to how many staff we had and Carl Vincent saying our budget is being cut and we aren’t sustainable. Carl’s been saying this for 12 months, Sarah has always said we are a tech organisation with very little regard for the statistical sections, so it was always going to be a case of waiting for the announcement about the non-tech roles.
The email to staff was a bit more illuminating and said the first wave of staff to go through the reorganisation are:
1. Organisation-wide for grades 8d and Band 9. All professions.
2. Locations (Washington and Redditch).
3. Platforms and Infrastructure ā the hosting and infrastructure sub-directorate (IT Service Operations, Infrastructure and Technology Specialists and Systems Engineers)
4. Technical Architecture profession.
5. Information Analysis and Statistics & Data Management Professions – grades 8c, 7 and 6.
6. Implementation and Business Change (TBC following outcomes of existing reviews).
We don’t know who will be in Wave 2 (whoever is left!) and very little other information is cascading down. Some of the above have heard nothing from their upper management, and there are people who are away from the organisation, on sick or maternity leave, who are getting this information via the media. It doesn’t help that when the staff emails go out about people having to compete for their jobs, that there will be redundancies and everything else that went with it, our CEO followed it up with the news that we have new executive directors and talking about how the SROs are reflecting on their programmes, maybe with a glass of wine by the pool.
The main concern is has this been approved by DHSC, as when NHSD ran a mutually agreed redundancy scheme last year and everything was arranged at NHSD but DHSC halted the majority of the process at the final stage. The only ones approved for release were at Bands 8d and above.
So they appoint a CEO who has absolutely zero visibility, recruit a large number of external ābankingā background executives who have never worked in hospitals or providers. But donāt worry cause they have decided they need to restructure to re-skill which is code for battle of personalities between NHSe and their ALB. Thereās a saying about deckchairs somewhere – joke.
I love assembling useful information , this post has got me even more info! .
I’m surprised so many people seem to be lacking the necessary information.
There were multiple conferences held explaining what is happening, multiple emails and follow up talks and the aim is for the process to be as transparent as possible.
This would be funny if it wasn’t so tragic, W1A was supposed to be a fictional parody.
Director of Better = Director of Org2? Do they have a Director of People too? I bet they do!
My guess is that the 600 people facing redundancy are those in Regional Offices being “centralised” to Leeds or London?
The NHS IA, NPfIT, CfH, HSCIC and now NHS D always suffered from too many Chiefs and not enough Indians, NHS D also suffers from existential angst – no-one there knows what its real function is supposed to be. Data controller, regulator, curator of standards or a Quasi-Autonomous Tech Company?
Wee Jimmie, those methods are OK for an unknown audience but no substitute for an honest manager to employee talk plus advice on what the employee should do if faced with the brown envelope. It’s a cowardly management cop-out here.
To those facing the heave-ho. There is a massive skills shortage in UK and worldwide with millions of cybersecurity posts being predicted as being available over the next few years. Since most will have real life IT experience, employers should snap them up, probably in preference to computer science graduates who face a double whammy; employers won’t employ them without experience and they can’t get experience without being employed! Its a common problem. Stop moaning and get into cyber security; you’ll get an interview if you can spell it and get the job if you mention the Bell LaPadula model in passing!
I don’t work in the IT field but have worked in the NHS for 32 years. I agree with some of the posts here. The nepotism and mutual back scratching that goes on leads to inept and under qualified ‘yes’ people landing senior roles. Just one of the reasons the NHS is in the state it is.
Technology is a tool, outdated or not. There are 2 things glaringly obvious about NHS IT. 1. Communications in all aspects is a shambles – ask any ‘customer; treatment is fine. There is a crying need for processes to be defined in ALL areas and right technology fitted where appropriate. The Ā£ 480m assigned to NHS technology recently will be wasted if all spent on technology as an end in itself. If your processes are broken, no amount of technology will mitigate it. I know, ‘cos I’ve been in and around IT for nearly 50 years.
2.The security is a shambles, The Wannacry debacle showed (at least to me) that there was no DR plan, at least one what worked. In terms of sacking here there and everywhere, there is a panel of NHS IT advisors (about 12 of them). What do they do for their daily bread? Get rid of some or all of them, ‘pour encourager les autres’.
Who are the 600 staff who have been told they need to reapply for their jobs? Did I miss this announcement?? The communications around this have been shambolic at best.
It was all in the email sent to staff.
Which email? I cannot find anything that says people will have to reapply for jobs. Iāve been to the unplugged event, a union meeting and several meetings specific to my team and have not heard of this. Being reassigned to different roles, yes. Reapplying got jobs, no.
Ah, I thinks itās a more headline friendly way of referring to the updating of JDs and assessing of staff against the new criteria.
My apologies for the confusion.
Well your question was āwho are the 600ā¦.ā, and I pointed out that the information about this (professions and bands) was listed in the recent email.
At the unplugged event it was mentioned that redundancies for those not matching a role would be happening and also they talked extensively about budget cuts and the fact that the organisational structure is too heavy in the middle.
I imagine asking people to reapply for jobs is a good way to get the best candidates and get rid of the dead wood.
I thought people would be happier at the opportunity to learn new skills and adapt.
With respect, at the unplugged event I was at, the word āredundancyā was specifically avoided. Most of the attendees I spoke to commented on it, because the way they danced around it was laughable. It appears this was not the case at the other events, and was mentioned in the slides that were sent out out afterwards, as though it had been discussed. Hence my comment about shambolic comms – people are being told different bits of information.
I would actually love to learn new skills, however, given that I wonāt have an office to work from after March, Iām concerned that I wonāt even get that opportunity.
even more depressing given that complete proven solutions exist already, which could be deployed cheaply, rapidly and effectively and obviate the need for redundancies and the obvious risks of in house development. See Medelinked.com
Ditto,
I had an interview for OPT-ePRO and BRIT project manger this week. I did mention exactly the same thing, John, and even named SNOMED CT and Cerner Millennium as off the shelf software and importance of compatibility of add-on programmes, issues and risks that could rise if we are not careful with selection of information technologies, issues that could rise around project management, importance of learning from previous project management and implementation success and failures stories, highlighted the importance of training staff ahead of launch and implementation and even during integration, as required.
Only one out of four interviewing panel members understood what I was talking about and was nodding all the time. Another one of them repeated Snomed three-four times (perhaps not to forget and look it up later) didnāt bother with Cerner Millenium (perhaps that was a bit too difficult word to remember). An that person was the Head of Operation pay grade-9!
Which email? I cannot find anything that says people will have to reapply for jobs. Iāve been to the unplugged event, a union meeting and several meetings specific to my team and have not heard of this. Being reassigned to different roles, yes. Reapplying got jobs, no.
Well your question was “who are the 600….”, and I pointed out that the information about this (professions and bands) was listed in the recent email.
At the unplugged event it was mentioned that redundancies for those not matching a role would be happening and also they talked extensively about budget cuts and the fact that the organisational structure is too heavy in the middle.
I imagine asking people to reapply for jobs is a good way to get the best candidates and get rid of the dead wood.
I thought people would be happier at the opportunity to learn new skills and adapt.
Disappointing. Joined the organisation in a wave of recruitment 18 months ago (recruitment process itself took more than 6 months – perhaps a sign?). Many others from this shambolic exercise have already moved on but for the rest of us it looks like we’re not what’s needed. I left another quasi public sector organisation after 8 years due to lack of opportunities, underhand promotion processes etc., much as others are describing. Why do we have such few strong, effective, scrupulous leaders in this country who are able to operate with integrity? To Ella – I empathise, sincerely.
Thanks Nearly NewStart; hope it all works for you (and me) in the end.
Yes, integrity, patriotism, and social responsibility should be the drive. God bless
I agree there is indeed a skills shortage and heavy use of outdated technology.
For a supposed technical organisation there are hundreds of overpaid completely non technical project managers, delivery managers, support staff and paper shufflers.
This had to happen and people should grasp the huge opportunity presented to them and retrain or upskill.
I do agree that there seem to be a huge number of directors but broadening the upper management is apparently part of the plan.
Staff morale at an all time low, notice of redundancies also posted same time as more new directors (FOI number of directors employed during the past few years, salaries and pensions, not to mention performance and ultimate payoff etc would be an interesting snippet for the media/press).
An organisation, similar to Northern Fail, that has completely lost its way, led by an ever growing cabal of donkeys and their mates. Sad times
Why not re-trained some money-grabbing directors who have been in post for years sucking the NHS dry on colossal salaries or get rid of them?!
It is “who you know” in this organisation.
No need to look for qualifications, you know ‘X’, you have worked for CFH/NHSD for a few years, you become the ‘Head of A Programme’.
You left NHSD for another organisation, you thought the grass was always greener on the other side, you found out it’s not the case, you decide to return to NHSD, no problem, you get your job back or even at a higher grade – no interviews, no questions asked!
Now NHSD want to get rid of their staff – majority of those who are on the Band 8.
Why should Directors and CEO be paid on such gigantic salaries when a Band 8 could do similar jobs! – try them!
I have experienced the same thing, working in an organisation for 9years that is heavily political. What you said is exactly true āit is about who you knowā that counts not what you know and how much you made a difference in previous responsibilities.
This issue prevents us from promoting healthcare, education and in this specific case from achieving success in digitisation of NHS. An initiative that was failed to succeed in 2005 and then 2015, whereas, Scotland have it all sorted & in place now.
A complete restructuring isnāt a bad idea as you suggested, but who is dare to make that bold move…
There is no skills shortage – NHS Digital are deploying a dew data platform. The directors have not yet decided which software will be used. Hence staff have not been trained on it!
Agreed,
I am someone who actually tries her hardest to catch up with this fast evolving field. I managed to educate myself professionally (part-time distance learning at Sheffield Uni 2016-18) towards a postgrad degree in health informatics as I was working full time as a precision medicine institute manager. Now that I am looking to promote myself and going to job interviews, I face all sorts of insults and get the looks and feedback from the panel on why I studied health informatics(?) why this(?) why change(?). Note that they call learning new and relevant things in population health ‘change’!
The criticisms are received from people who studied one major and engaged themselves with one thing all their lives. My answers during interviews are always beyond their comprehension, I have had to explain what PEST , PESTLE and/or PERT is and what are the risks we are facing during implementation of information system that is all far from their understanding. Their growth in their job has just happened through years of work experience not updating their knowledge in the relevant (let alone new and emerging) fields.
The society is not ready to ‘change’ and even if you and I are, there is no place for someone like me to be accepted, find a job, a team to fit in, a work place that values positive ‘change’ (instead of mocking it).
I fear that it has become a blessing and a curse to be proactive. God bless
Well considering the areas talked about were agile practices, cloud computing, data sciences, big data, a.i, machine learning and cyber security I don’t even see what your point is Joe.
I know first hand there are skills shortages within NHS digital in those areas.
If that’s the case why do they need to restructure?
Too little too late after the damage some of the people there have done. Let’s hope the talk about being more digitally literate isn’t just lip service and they can actually clear out some of the extremely overpaid project side deadwood that’s been rotting in the organisation since CFH.
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