Single Lead Employer (SLE)

• NHS Wales Shared Service Partnership (NWSSP) is the single lead employer for all Foundation Trainees in Wales. This means that NWSSP will be your employer for your Foundation Training year. You will receive a welcome email and FAQs from NWSSP confirming details about Pre – Employment Checks including an Enhanced DBS application, ESR & expenses details, annual leave etc in the coming weeks.
• NWSSP will be your first point of contact should you have any queries in relation to your employment over the next few months and during your Foundation Training year NWSSPSLE.Dental@wales.nhs.uk
• Before booking any holidays, look at the study day Timetable - you will need to avoid those dates as study days are mandatory.
• If you change your email address or phone number, please pass them on to your practice, ES, TPD, the Administrative Officer and NWSSP.
• Before you start seeing patients, it is important that you attend your workplace induction, familiarise yourself with practice policies and write a reflective piece on this in your e-portfolio.
• Attend the first study day (your induction day).
• Ensure that you have weekly appointments to see your ES for tutorials as soon as possible. It would be a good idea for you to have some topics that you would like to discuss with your ES in the early weeks. It is important that you prepare for these tutorials to ensure that you gain maximum benefit from them.
• Think about completing the workplace-based assessments.
• Book annual leave with your practice as soon as possible – please give at least 6 weeks’ notice and remember you must avoid study days.
• Make sure the Administrative Officer/TPD have your up-to-date contact details.
• Advise the relevant parties of any medical or health conditions for which you may require assistance to work and train.
• Ensure you have adequate indemnity in place.  During your foundation period you are employed by Velindre University NHS Trust under the auspices of the NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership.  The Trust applies NHS Indemnity to its core activities.

If you are placed within a health board, this organisation will also apply NHS Indemnity to your NHS activities, which provides indemnity for any civil claim arising from your negligent act, omission, or breach of a statutory duty during your duties. There is currently no state-backed scheme for indemnity within community dentistry and all community dental professionals in Wales are required to obtain and maintain their own personal cover from a private indemnity provider or medical defence organisation.  You will be expected to provide evidence of your indemnity cover to NWSSP, HEIW and the dental practice you are working in.

For any non-NWSSP queries relating to your Foundation Training year, please contact the Administrative Officer or Training Programme Director in the first instance. 

The benefits of a single lead employer to Foundation Therapists are that for the whole of the training scheme the trainee will have one employer. It is anticipated that the model will reduce bureaucracy, provide greater equity, and improve the working experience for trainees.

Below are further things to consider in relation to the SLE arrangement:

NHS Email Addresses

As an employee of NWSSP you will have an @wales.nhs.uk email address. All official documentation will be sent to your NHS Wales email address, and access to all platforms that support your WDTFT year will be set up using your NHS email address.  Therefore, it is important you check this account regularly.

Guidance and log in details to access this account will be given or sent to you.

Please make sure you can access this as soon as possible.  If you require assistance with accessing your account, please contact the IT service desk at 0333 200 8048 or 02920 50 2525 or email it.servicedesk@wales.nhs.uk.

Electronic Staff Record (ESR)

As an employee of NWSSP you will have access to Electronic Staff Record (ESR).  This is where the SLE will record absences and special leave on behalf of host organisations. FTs will be set up on ESR when they start with NWSSP.  Your password will be sent to your NHS Wales email address.  NWSSP operate a paperless payslip system so payslips will be available to view and download from ESR.  Please keep your personal information up to date on ESR.

If you have any queries regarding your ESR account, please contact the ESR Support Hub at esrhub.wales@wales.nhs.uk.

Over the next few months, the following documents will be sent out:

Please sign the appropriate document sent to you and return by the specified date.