HEIW supports award-winning programme to improve employee investigations in NHS Wales

Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) are delighted to be working with Aneurin Bevan University Health Board to roll out their ‘Improving employee investigations’ programme across NHS Wales.

Last month, the programme won both the ‘workforce wellbeing’ and overall ‘outstanding contribution to transforming health and care’ categories in this year’s NHS Wales Awards. It also received an award from the UK’s Association for Business Psychology for ‘excellence in health and wellbeing’ and a Healthcare Honours Award for employee experience.


Compassionate delivery 

Judith Paget, Chief Executive of NHS Wales, said:

“The ‘Improving employee investigations’ work is an important programme for all NHS Wales. We know that the application of our disciplinary policy can cause harm and the focus on delivering it more compassionately is crucial for the health and wellbeing of our people.”

“We also know that employee investigations can have a wider impact on an organisation’s culture and potentially the quality of care we provide to our patients and public – which is why this work calls for them to only ever be used as a ‘last resort’.”

Earlier this autumn, Julie Rogers, HEIW’s Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Workforce and Organisational Development, raised the issue in her opening comments at the HPMA’s (Healthcare People Management Association) annual UK conference:

“Employee investigations are costly – not just for those that we take through them, but also for those involved in delivering them. As a profession, we have too often focussed on the delivery of the process, without considering its impact on those involved. We need to change that and ensure our duty of care to those being taken through an investigation is equal to the delivery of it.”


Looking after your people and the process

NHS Wales organisations – including Aneurin Bevan and Swansea Bay university health boards, Welsh Ambulance Service and Velindre NHS Trusts – are already implementing the programme and seeing improvements.

Amanda Jenkins, Head of Workforce at Velindre University NHS Trust, said:

“The employee investigations training was a major turning point for us in developing a person-centred approach in this area of people practice. It provided the insight to support the case for change with senior colleagues and the avoidable employee harm framework enabled our HR team to quickly start making a real difference for our staff.”

More NHS Wales organisations have signed up to take part in the programme in 2024. Work has also started on resources designed to support individuals being taken through an employee investigation as well as enabling their organisations to provide an appropriate level of care for them.

Andrew Cooper, Head of Programmes at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, said:

“We have been working with colleagues in HR, wellbeing and occupational health to develop ‘A guide to an employee investigation’. It will provide answers to commonly asked questions, insights to help individuals understand the related stress and anxiety, and signpost to available help and support.”

If you would like further information about the ‘Improving employee investigations’ programme, please visit our online resource and contact Julie.Nallon@wales.nhs.uk