Case study

South Downs Health NHS Trust

Age Positive Champion

South Downs Health NHS Trust provides services to people living mainly in Brighton and Hove. We currently employ 2,061 staff ranging in age from 16 to 74. The Trust has reviewed its work experience placement schemes and improved its involvement with local schools and colleges to promote the benefits of working in the health service to young people. To attract and retain older workers, the Trust has promoted a range of options to assist working beyond normal retirement age, including introducing more flexible working hours.

We have removed the mandatory retirement age and continue to promote flexible retirement options.

Kate Paxton, Senior Personnel Manager

OUR AGE POSITIVE GOOD PRACTICE:

We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and tackling age related discrimination in the workplace.

In the past year we have:

• Reviewed the Trust’s Retirement and the Employment of Older Workers Policy<
• Removed the mandatory retirement age and continued to promote flexible retirement options
• Introduced Managers’ Guidelines for Work Experience Placements
• Increased our employer involvement with local schools and colleges
• Encouraged the development of staff through Life Long Learning

Younger workers

The age profile of the Trust has always lacked younger staff - partly due to the nature of many posts which require a professional qualification and in many cases require or attract staff with previous experience. However, as part of the nurse training programme we have linked in with the education provider to set up new placements in community settings which traditionally were not offered to students. We have also worked hard to encourage newly qualified students in all areas of nursing, often in younger age groups.

We are part of the local nurse cadet programme which has led to the employment of some younger people on completion of the programme. We also offer a modern apprenticeship for electrical engineers.

The Trusts’ Recruitment Strategy recognises the importance of engaging with the workforce of the future - young people make lasting decisions about career direction during their school years. In April 2004 the Trust launched new managers’ guidelines for student work experience placements. To date at least three school students have benefited from participating in this scheme.

As part of our link with schools, we work closely with Brighton and Hove Education Business Partnership which supports education and business activity across the city. This involves our active participation in school careers and industry days. The Trust has participated in 6 school, college and university events during 2004 providing NHS careers information to younger people and promoting the work and employment opportunities of the Trust. In addition, a qualified mental health nurse employed by the Trust will be making the key note address to over one hundred and twenty 15 to 16 year olds from Brighton and East Sussex at this years’ area Health and Social Care conference in November.

Older workers

Retirement policy

In July 2003 the Trust launched a new Retirement policy. We had always operated some flexibility towards staff wishing to work after 65. However, the new policy has given staff the right to continue working for as long they wish to rather than relying on the discretion of the managers. As a result the number of staff aged over 65 has increased from 17 on in 2003 to 26 in 2004.

The new policy also outlines a range of flexible retirement options available through the NHS pension scheme. It encourages staff and managers to have a dialogue about retirement plans. It asks both parties to agree how they would like to manage health or capability issues should they arise so that they are managed in a respectful manner.

Communicating the policy

We wrote to all staff to promote the policy and ensure staff were aware of the flexible options. Prior to this all relevant staff were sent detailed information on retirement options in 2001. Managers were also made aware of the policy. Our experience is that giving staff rights rather than relying on manager’s discretion can lead to a more rapid take up of new policies.

The subject of age discrimination and retirement is covered in our Recruitment and Retention training course which all recruiting managers are required to attend. The Retirement policy is also promoted at recruitment events to applicants and all advertisements contain our equality statement.

Flexible retirement options and the new policy are further promoted to staff attending corporate induction, our annual Staff Conference and our twice yearly pre-retirement course.

Life Long Learning

We encourage development of staff through life long learning programmes including the Return to Learn course for people who may not have had opportunities in education when they were younger and aims to help develop learning and study skills as well as confidence. At least eight participants on this course were over 45 when they joined it. Comments from these participants include: “I left school at 15 years with no qualifications. To do this course at 53 was just great. It has given me such a boost.” (now doing Open University degree); and “I am now a student nurse, my dream of a lifetime.”

In addition, we promote opportunities available to all staff during our various adult learners’ weeks.

We also work closely with Brighton and Hove Councils’ Supported Employment Team to encourage people who are not currently in work into employment. Many of the people accessing the project have a good skills base but feel discriminated in relation to their age. Where possible, we have offered work placements and provided information to people regarding career opportunities in our organisation.

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WHAT PERSUADED US TO CHANGE OUR PRACTICES

Historically, the Trust has offered some flexibility to some staff by permitting extensions to retirement age for fixed reviewable periods and promoting schemes such as “Take Your Children to Work” days. However, giving staff rights and clearly stating our long term recruitment strategy can lead to a more rapid uptake and ownership of new policies.

Also, we now have a situation in the UK labour market where a pool of people want or need to continue to work beyond 65 and are fully capable of doing so. Removing our retirement age and introducing flexible retirement options help meet the needs of older workers and improve recruitment and retention within the Trust.

There are now relatively fewer younger people joining the workforce and a greater proportion are delaying entry until after higher or further education. As part of our long-term recruitment strategy; we want to ensure that in this competitive labour market we can attract young people too.

BENEFITS OF OUR GOOD PRACTICE:

The benefits for the organisation are that we balance our workforce across all ages by not losing skilled people purely because they reach a birthday. We also develop people into our hardest to recruit posts who may not otherwise have fulfilled their full potential which benefits both the organisation and the individual. And engaging with young people forms part of our long-term recruitment strategy, presenting the Trust as a positive employer to work for.

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