An outgoing external secondment is where a member of staff is based with another organisation for a defined period of time whilst remaining an employee of the Trust.
Before an employee applies for a secondment opportunity external to the Trust they must establish with their existing manager that the external secondment can be facilitated.
The existing manager must consider service requirements and how the service would benefit from the secondment e.g. personal development of the employee, acquired skills which can be brought back to the Trust.
Once the secondment is agreed, People Services will prepare a secondment agreement which sets out the obligations, expectations and accountabilities of each party.
The Trust will continue to pay the secondee for the duration of their secondment and will invoice the secondment organisation, in order to recover the employment costs.
Throughout the period of the secondment, the secondee's manager (at the Trust) will maintain regular contact with the secondee, to ensure they are kept up to date with developments.
Arrangements to fill the vacated post should be made in accordance with the normal recruitment process by use of a fixed-term contract or internal secondment as appropriate.
Prior to the end of the period of secondment, a meeting should be arranged between the secondee and their substantive line manager to discuss the return to their substantive post, and in order to update the individual on any changes within the department.
On completion of the external secondment, the employee will return to a post agreed between the employee and the Trust at a salary which is equivalent to their substantive post immediately prior to commencing in the secondment. This is subject to any National Agenda for Change salary increases. In the event of organisational change affecting the individual’s substantive post, the Trust’s Change Management Policy and Procedure will apply.
In the event that the external secondment may be extended, the employee must contact their manager at least two months prior to the completion of the secondment to discuss whether the extension can be facilitated.
In circumstances where the secondment cannot be extended the employee will be required to return to the Trust on the date that was previously agreed prior to their secondment.