HR processes

A series of introductory and engagement events are scheduled prior to 1 June 2021.  These sessions ranges from meeting the Executive Leadership Team at Mersey Care to sessions held with your departmental colleagues at Mersey Care.  Find details of how to join these sessions here.

Mersey Care is keen to ensure staff and services have a safe landing on 1 June so there will be no organisational changes made at the point of transaction.  North West Boroughs Healthcare clinical staff and clinical services will become a Mid-Mersey division within Mersey Care’s structures, alongside their Locality division, Secure and Specialist Learning Disability division, Community division and Corporate division. 

Mersey Care has identified a small number of services which will align directly to new reporting lines within existing Mersey Care divisions from day one.   These are:

View further details on where services will sit in Mersey Care here.

It is envisaged that all staff who deliver support services will transfer along with operational colleagues.

In the first instance staff should discuss with their line manager what specific support they feel they require during the transition period so that their individual needs can be met. We have just launched our disability staff network and have talked about the importance of supporting staff with disabilities ahead of the transaction.  We have also discussed staff who may have reasonable adjustments in place to have these acknowledged and supported when they transfer to either organisation. All of the usual support that the Trust offer for example through Health and Wellbeing, People Services etc. will continue to be available.

The future on-call arrangements have not yet been determined, but this is an issue that will be addressed prior to the transfer date by the Corporate Services Workstream and Clinical, Governance & Quality Workstream.   Mersey Care recognises that the significantly bigger geography and services provision needs to be considered.

You would not be required to join the new organisations on-call at the point of transfer, however if they wish to make changes in the future this would be done through an organisational change consultation.

On day one of the acquisition, all management staff working in the Mid Mersey boroughs will transfer across to Mersey Care largely retaining their existing role. Mersey Care doesn’t intend to make any immediate changes until they have had an opportunity to fully assess the management arrangements in place across the boroughs. Mersey Care also intends to take the opportunity to take a look at their operating model following the acquisition. The aim will be to arrive at the best way of working to meet the needs of the patients and clients. Mersey Care has always strived to minimise compulsory redundancies in previous transactions, and they have been largely successful in doing this.  Mersey Care will endeavour to minimise any redundancies going forward within the enlarged Trust. 

TUPE does not specify a protection period however if a new employer wishes to make changes to staff’s terms and conditions there must be an economic, technical or organisational (ETO) reason to do so. The new employer would then be required to undertake its own organisational change consultation. Pay protection would be as per the current North West Boroughs Policy unless the new employer’s policy is more beneficial and through consultation we are able to agree that staff will transfer to the new employer’s policy.

TUPE is a legal process that transfers your employment from one organisation to another. There is no legal requirement for the new employers to provide this information however we recognise that it is helpful for staff to know where they fit within the new organisation and if we are able to obtain this information we will share this. NB: Structures have since been shared.

Paid volunteers will be treated the same as Trust staff and will be sent a letter asking if they wish to be involved in the new organisation and new security badges will be issued. Any unpaid volunteers will be asked if they wish for their data to be shared with the new organisations so they can be written to about volunteering opportunities.

This depends on the type of secondment arrangement in place. If a NWBH employee is on a secondment whether internal or external they will be included in the consultation arrangements and will transfer to the new organisation. At the end of their secondment based on their substantive post.

All staff has received letters advising them which organisation they are in scope to transfer to.

Mersey Care is currently encouraging staff to work from home where their role allows it due to the Covid-19 pandemic and will continue to adhere to any government advice in relation to this. The Covid-19 pandemic has allowed us the opportunity to review our working arrangements and we are currently working on an agile working policy which we anticipate will contain a mixture of home and base working subject to the nature of the role.

If Mersey Care do make any changes to the structure post transfer they would be required to go through an organisational change consultation process and follow the appropriate policy which would contain the detail on roles and ring fencing.

Each work stream that forms part of the transaction programme group are keen for this work to take place however as we are in consultation the detail on staff and posts that will transfer has not yet been shared. Some high level discussions may start to take place between counterparts at NWBH and Mersey Care so that relationships can start to form and as soon as we have a timeframe for organisational structures to be shared we will communicate this. NB: Structures have since been shared.

The organisational structures within Mersey Care are outside of our control. If they determine that a team / department will transfer into a directorate within their organisation then this is not something we are able to influence.

Bank staff have been considered. Mersey Care do operate an internal bank similar to ourselves . Initially NWBH bank will remain just for the mid Mersey division (what was previously NWBH) of Mersey Care meaning staff can still bank in the same way that they currently do for the same services. If staff wish to work across other Mersey Care footprints there will be a process required (still to be determined). Further information of future bank arrangements will be communicated.

There is information on StaffZone on the consultation page. Assistant Directors and Corporate leads have been sent information to support them in running their own local consultation meetings. There is the central inbox for queries to be sent to and there is your People and Organisational Development Business Partner who can be contacted for advice and support.

There are no redundancies prior to the transfer. Redundancy is not a choice.  It means that your role is removed from the structure and is therefore redundant. All staff will be transferring to either GMMH or Mersey Care.

If your line manager approves any carry over of annual leave in accordance with the guidance that was issued then this will be honoured by the new organisation.

If your line manager approves any carry over of annual leave in accordance with the guidance that was issued then this will be honoured by the new organisation.

All terms and conditions will transfer fully to Mersey Care and if you do have Mental Health Officer status that will transfer with you.  The conditions of your pension remain as they would be if you were still a North West Boroughs employee.

We expect occupational health to continue operating out of Hollins Park until the review of headquarter requirements has taken place. There may be the opportunity to offer staff occupational health appointments across both locations but that detail is still being worked on.

Enhancements are in line with Agenda for Change Terms and Conditions so will remain the same.

Your P11D will be produced by STHK Employment Services on behalf of North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. The P11D form will be sent to your home address that is recorded in ESR by the 6 July 2021.

Your P60 will be produced by STHK Employment Services on behalf of North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. The P60 will be sent to your home address that is recorded in ESR by the 31 May 2021.

Any overpayments you have via your salary will continue from your salary post transfer until the agreed repayment period has ceased.

You will be able to use your PDR colour, but this isn’t a contractual agreement so may not apply going forward after the 1 June 2021.

If shielding is still required on 1 June 2021 Merseycare will support staff who has received a shielding letter. They have a robust process in place that is guided by medical advice and a risk assessment. Where staff can work from home this is supported but if your substantive role cannot be  at home there is a process in place to support deployment onto other duties.

We will have North West Boroughs ESR on transfer, so there will be no change. Once we merge the two ESRs, the access levels will remain the same.

Mersey Care will have two child care providers going forward – Busy Bees and Fideliti so staff in Fideliti prior to transfer can remain in this scheme.

Long Service Award is not a contractual policy. Mersey Care recognise service at 25 Years and 40 years:                                                                                

25 years’ service                                                                                                            

• £100 vouchers

• Personalised letter from Divisional Chief Operating Officer/Corporate Service Manager/Medical Director

• Invite to Positive Achievement Awards

• Name in Chief Executive’s Blog

• Letter from the Chief Executive

40 years’ service                                                                                                                

• £150 vouchers

• Personalised letter from Divisional Chief Operating Officer/Corporate Service Manager/Medical Director

• Invite to positive Achievement Awards

• Name in Chief Executive’s Blog

• Letter from the Chief Executive

We envisage an improvement in recruitment and retention within the enlarged organisation. From our experience, coming together with organisations offers staff more opportunities to broaden their portfolios. For example, staff working solely in mental health services gaining roles in integrated mental and physical health services.

The retirement procedure includes retire and return. This is likely to be very similar to NWBH’s procedure, as they tend to be broadly the same across the NHS. As we go through due diligence we will align all policies.  

We are in the process of developing a process so that vacancies can be shared across both organisations.

Staff who transfer into Mersey Care as part of a TUPE transfer do so on any contractual policy or pay protection principles within existing terms and conditions. There are still on-going discussions with staff side colleagues in relation to whether colleagues will transfer onto the MCFT policy.  Currently Mersey Care pay protection includes basic wage/salary – the number of working hours will also be protected if a reduction and is dependent on length of service at appoint in time.

If you have a HR27 in place, this will transfer over to Mersey Care with you.

All Mersey Care vacancies will be advertised internally only across both organisations in the first instance unless there is Director level approval for a post to be advertised externally. There may be limited circumstances whereby expressions of interest may be made available for any colleagues.

Mersey Care has an established training programme in place since 2017 and has over 130 currently in training, including a number of qualified Nurse Associates in practice. The Trust is very supportive of the role and is keen to develop and expand this opportunity further and is looking to offer the 2 year ‘top-up’ to study nurse degree from September 2021.

Staff currently within this team at NWBH will transfer on 1 June and will continue to cover both areas.  Amanda Oates, Director of HR and Noir Thomas, Medical Director from Mersey Care are currently discussing the best way for this to be organised within the enlarged organisation. Amanda and Noir are committed to keeping staff updated with any developments.