The early days were a crucial period for learning, gathering information, meeting people, identifying new responsibilities and risks, writes Rosarii Mannion, HSE National Director HR.
Transitions to new roles are a critical time. In the early days I was lucky enough to make a number of site visits, meeting front line staff working in our hospitals and hearing first hand the challenges staff are facing, particularly in ED. The Leadership Team face frequent challenges and steep expectations. Over the 90 days I have had the privilege of working with super leaders and teams and I now have a fantastic opportunity to continue my career in HR along a different yet exciting path whilst learning from great leaders and skilled and experienced team members.
I was excited to jump right into my new role and get stuck in. I am passionate about the difference our staff can make to the lives of our public, often in their greatest hour of need. Each of us has our own particular personality, background and experience that adds perspective and diversity to the organisation and how it works. The early days were a crucial period for learning, gathering information, meeting people, identifying new responsibilities and risks.
I am passionate about the difference our staff can make to the lives of our public.
The major high points were a site visit to the NHS Leadership Academy, a centre of excellence for leadership development and something we need to replicate in the Irish Health System, the commencement of 2 HR Future Leaders Programmes, the receipt of 426 applications for the 2016 Health Service Excellence Awards mostly from front line staff and the privilege of spending some time with an outstanding team of staff at South Tipperary General Hospital, Clonmel.
The next 90 days will see further determined implementation of the People Strategy, follow up on the recommendations of the RCPI Study on Wellbeing of Doctors in Ireland, further support to enable and empower delivery units and implementation of key priorities around staff engagement, equality, diversity and inclusion – to support better patient care.
Of course there are the ongoing challenges of managing competing demands, different styles and paces of work, whilst keeping perspective, balance and focus and delivering improvements.
To ensure our patients have the best possible experience in our services we need to keep a constant eye on the well-being of our staff and to remember that tending to our wel-being is easiest where it’s most effective – in our daily life.
It is not possible to change overnight, even the most obvious takes time, regardless of good intentions or people’s willingness to change. The beginning in a new job is often the hardest, it is now time to get into a steady rhythm of delivering progress, continue to listen to frontline staff, support structured programmes of change, supporting all aspects of the reform programme and most importantly implementing the first ever Health Services People Strategy ensuring we are getting it right for staff and patients.
