mediation at guy’s and st thomas’ nhs foundation trust
TRANSCRIPT
Mediation at Mediation at Guy’s and St Thomas’Guy’s and St Thomas’NHS Foundation TrustNHS Foundation Trust
Overview of presentationOverview of presentation
About mediation Development of the
scheme Evaluation of the pilot Problems and
benefits
About Guy’s and St Thomas’About Guy’s and St Thomas’
Central London teaching and research hospital
9,000 staff 1,100 beds 6,500 babies delivered 137,000 inpatients 534,000 outpatients
Development of the schemeDevelopment of the scheme
NHS pilot – DH funded
Facilitated by Acas Commitment from the
Trust Partnership working
group
Partnership working groupPartnership working group
Five union representatives
Five management representatives – HR, clinical managers, non-clinical managers
6 meetings
What the working group didWhat the working group did
Agreed detail of scheme
Developed procedure and policy
Advertised for and selected mediators
Supported the scheme after its launch
Features of the schemeFeatures of the scheme
Confidential and notes not kept
Voluntary Rights of access to other
policies not removed 2 coordinators control
access to scheme Coordinators monitor
scheme 12 accredited mediators
The procedureThe procedure
Contact with coordinator
Allocation to mediator Meet each party
separately Joint meeting Written agreement Confidentiality
Launch of the schemeLaunch of the scheme
Roadshows on each site Leaflet produced Article in magazine and note
in team briefing Integration into training
– Management training courses in H&B, discipline, grievance
– Corporate induction Integration into Dignity and
Respect Policy
Support for mediatorsSupport for mediators
Time off for mediation and meetings
Quarterly peer support meetings
Quarterly meetings with the working group
EvaluationEvaluation
23 cases in the first year– 8 did not get underway– 3 had a part process– 11 were completed– 1 became a formal case
Median duration from referral to resolution – three weeks
Cases take a day to a day-and-a-half to mediate
EvaluationEvaluationIt felt a much more
positive method & was totally uncritical & in that
way helps one move forward.
The situation would have continued to escalate and get out of hand as communication was difficult.
The situation would have rumbled on unsatisfactorily.
I would strongly recommend mediation as an essential service
I have noticed a change in both of us
already.
BenefitsBenefits
An informal way out of a difficult situation
Prevents escalation Benefits for whole
team Quicker to resolve Has helped return to
work Links with other
initiatives
ProblemsProblems
Accreditation vs training
Practical issues eg booking of rooms
Availability of mediators
Reluctance of some staff
Rate of uptake
The future of the schemeThe future of the scheme
Support of the scheme by Management Executive
Agreement to roll out Agreement to invest in
time off and training Planning a new
publicity splash
Key messagesKey messages
Benefits of working in partnership
A positive step by the organisation
Easy to set up internally
Inexpensive Expertise in-house
More information from…More information from…
Hendrika Santer Bream, Head of Workforce Policy & Partnership at Guy’s and St Thomas’
020 7188 4976