WORKING WELL
CHALLENGE FUND
2009/10
Information Note
Background
1. Working Well underlines our ambition for a joined up approach to the whole employment package, including support for actions that can influence workforce culture, the engagement and commitment of staff, and their health, wellbeing and safety. The objective of Working Well is to make NHS Scotland an "employer of choice" which acquires the best talent, motivates employees to improve their performance, keeps them satisfied and loyal, and provides opportunities for them to develop and contribute more.
2. A range of commitments to improve the health, safety and well-being of staff are already in place via the Staff Governance Standard which, underpinned by PIN policies, set the minimum standards NHS employers are required to achieve. Whilst these initiatives have worked well in their own right, there is growing recognition from NHS Boards, HR and Occupational Health professionals, as well as partnership groups, that a successful policy must focus proactively on promoting good health, rather than just meeting minimum standards or reacting to the problems of ill-health.
Aims
3. The Working Well Challenge Fund is a competitive fund, open to all NHS Scotland Boards.
4. The principal objectives are to provide funding for actions that:
· positively influence workplace culture and increase the engagement and commitment of staff;
· address issues that affect staff health, wellbeing and safety;
· encourage Boards to work collaboratively, both within and outwith the sector, to develop innovative and effective ways of maximising staff potential;
· promote the spread of good practice, and development of approaches which are capable of replication.
In 2009/10, we will prioritise projects which address issues raised by the 2008 Staff Survey, and part of the fund has been ring-fenced for projects that address violence against staff.
Who is eligible?
5. The Working Well Challenge Fund is open to all NHS Scotland Boards. Multiple applications from Boards will be considered.
6. Applications can be submitted by NHS Scotland Boards, or by an NHS Scotland Board working with other partners. For collaborative bids, the lead applicant must be a NHS Scotland Board. Acceptable partners include all types of organisations or institutions, as long as they can demonstrate that they have the expertise to develop a relevant project. Consortium bids (headed by the lead Board responsible for the grant) will be encouraged and may include the involvement of private sector organisations where support is to enable the sharing of expertise, but not for profit.
7. All applications must be agreed by the relevant Area Partnership Forum (APF) or Staff Governance Committee (SGC). In the case of collaborative bids from multiple Boards, the bid must be agreed by the lead Board's APF or Staff Governance Committee. We will accept an endorsement achieved in correspondence if the timescales do not allow a full meeting of the APF or SGC.
Funding
8. Up to £1.5 million is being made available for the Fund in the financial year 2009/10. No minimum level of funding per bid is being specified and there is no upper limit to enable individual or consortium bids to develop more strategic programmes of work.
9. £0.5 million of the fund is reserved for projects which address violence against staff.
10. It is expected that the Fund will kick-start activity which will be funded by the Board and other partners in subsequent years. As a result, it is expected that applications will be submitted for a single year. We anticipate Boards will be notified whether they have been successful in June 2009. Therefore project plans should be for the period June 2009 to 30 March 2010. Applications must address the sustainability of the proposed work in terms of the outcomes and set out proposals for on-going funding once the Scottish Government funding ends.
What can the funding be used for?
11. The purpose of the Fund is to support activities which positively influence workplace culture and increase the engagement and commitment of staff, and which address issues that affect staff health, wellbeing and safety.
12. A range of commitments to improve the health, safety and well-being of staff are already in place both via the Staff Governance Standard and other initiatives (e.g. OHSXtra). This funding is not intended to support these existing activities. Nor should the fund be used to meet any statutory obligation, for example, to meet health and safety requirements.
13. Some examples of the kinds of activities which might be funded are:
· Projects that seek to limit the impact of violence against staff, such as violence and aggression training, support for staff affected by violence at work, on improvements to the workplace environment that lessen the probability of violent incidents.
· Information and awareness raising campaigns that improve staff well-being, for example, public health messaging, advertising the availability of childcare vouchers or other staff benefits;
· Treatment programmes, such as alcohol or drug rehabilitation, smoking cessation etc;
· Staff training that promotes well-being, such as violence and aggression training, stress management, staff management training etc.
This is not intended to be an exhaustive list and Boards are encouraged to submit novel proposals.
14. Staff costs will only be funded where these are additional to current activity, non-recurring and necessary for the operation of the project. Administration costs will be considered on a case-by-case basis but must be kept to a small proportion of the overall costs and the rationale for these must be clearly demonstrated.
15. We will not penalise bids which deliver activities with partners where joint working is more difficult, or disadvantage bids where additional costs are incurred because of the Boards' remote or rural location.
Are any proposals ineligible for funding?
16. Capital infrastructure projects and capital spend proposals that are primarily to create a fixed asset are not eligible. Some capital elements will be considered if they are an essential and proportionate part of a wider programme. For example, audio equipment to deliver effective training, or proportionate spend on safety equipment, such as panic alarms.
17. Bids where the primary output is research and the enhancement of knowledge will not be considered.
Reporting
18. Successful applicants will be required to submit accounts and a brief report on their projects at the end of the funding period. In addition, Boards may be asked for updates on progress on an ad-hoc basis throughout the funding period. Guidance on the content of the final report will be sent to successful applicants with the funding agreement. Applicants should incorporate the costs of reporting into their bid.
Timing
19. The closing date for applications to the Challenge Fund is Friday 15 May 2009. Applications will be assessed by the SWAG Secretariat, before recommendations are made to Ministers. An announcement of successful bids will be made in early June 2009 to enable projects to commence shortly thereafter.
Health Workforce
Scottish Government
March 2009