Guidance Document for Creating Job Descriptions and Person Specifications

Guidance document for creating Job Descriptions and Person Specifications

A separate template document is available on esource to be used in conjunction with this guidance.

The below guidance gives you a step by step explanation of what each part of the job description and person specification means and should contain. You should follow this guidance and complete on the template the details for the job you are working on.

Where text is in red in the body of the job description and person specification details this is for guidance, whereas text in black is what is standard to all job descriptions and person specifications.

Naming the file

To help with version control of job descriptions and person specifications please adopt the following conventions when saving the document that you want to submit.

The file name should be made up as follows:

 JD and PS division name job title version#

Version# should be amended each time you have made amends to the document that you are then going to send to another party in the process of developing your job description and person spec.

When you are happy that you have a final version which is going to be submitted for banding through the Agenda for Change panel process then save this as:

 JD and PS division name job title final version date

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The NHS is in a period of continuing change due to developments and rationalisation of services. This will lead to a modification of structures and job descriptions. The post holder will be expected to co-operate with changes, subject to consultation, at any time throughout the duration of their contract.

MOBILITY: The person specification for the role will detail the mobility requirements of the post. However, employees may be required to work at any of the other sites within the organisation subject to consultation.

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES:

All staff should comply with the Trust’s Policies and Procedures. It is the employee’s responsibility to ensure that they are aware of the relevant Policies and Procedures for their area of work. Key Policies and Procedures will be explained as part of local induction arrangements

SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND ADULTS:

The Trust takes the issues of Safeguarding Children and Adults, and addressing domestic violence very seriously. All employees have a responsibility to support the Trust in its duties by adhering to all relevant national and local policies, procedures, practice guidance and professional codes; promptly reporting any concerns to the appropriate authority in line with safeguarding policy and guidance; attending mandatory training on Safeguarding children and adults; being familiar with individual and the Trust’s requirements under relevant legislation.

MENTAL CAPACITY ACT:

All clinical staff will be aware of their responsibilities under the Mental capacity Act and will ensure that assessment for Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards is in place for any patient that is deemed to lack capacity to consent to their care and treatment.

MAKING EVERY CONTACT COUNT

All staff are positively encouraged to contribute to improving health for themselves, their patients, service users and colleagues. This happens when, in everyday contact, the opportunity is taken to raise the subject of choosing better health by stopping smoking, reducing alcohol intake, eating more healthily and becoming more active. The Trust’s Making Every Contact Count programme has further information.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

It is the duty of all employees of the Trust to ensure that a safe working environment and safe working practices are maintained at all times. Any specific duties you are required to fulfil as part of the job you are employed to undertake will be detailed as part of your job description.

All employees must comply with the duties imposed on them by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, i.e.

 To take responsibility for the Health and Safety of themselves and of other persons who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work.  To co-operate with their employer as far as is necessary to meet the requirement of the legislation.  Not to intentionally or recklessly interfere with or misuse anything provided in the interest of health and safety or welfare

These duties apply to all staff whenever and wherever they are engaged on Trust business.

of 15 DATA PROTECTION:

In line with national legislation, and the Trust’s policies, you must process all personal data fairly and lawfully, for the specific purpose(s) it was obtained and not disclosed in any way incompatible with such purpose(s) or to any unauthorised persons or organisations, unless a lawful exemption applies.

The post holder must be familiar with and comply with the all Trust Policies on Data Protection, Confidentiality and Information Security and requests for personal information. The post holder must be familiar with and comply with the Eight Data Protection Principles contained within the Data Protection Act 1998.

Personal Data must be:

 Processed fairly and lawfully  Processed for specified purposes  Adequate, relevant and not excessive  Accurate and kept up-to-date  Not kept for longer than necessary  Processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects  Protected by appropriate security  Not transferred outside the EEA without adequate protection

CONFIDENTIALITY:

The Trust attaches the greatest importance to patient confidentiality and to the confidentiality of personal health data, personal data and other data held and processed by the Trust. All data should be treated as confidential and should only be disclosed on a need-to-know basis.

Some data may be especially sensitive and is the subject of a specific organisation policy, including information relating to the diagnosis, treatment and/or care of patients and service users, as well as individual staff records. Under no circumstances should any data be divulged or passed on to any third party who is not specifically authorised to receive such data. In addition, staff must not access personal information unless authorised to do so as part of their role.

Due to the importance that the organisation attaches to confidentiality, disciplinary action will be considered for any breach of confidentiality. All members of staff are expected to comply with national legislation and local policy in respect of confidentiality and data protection. With the increased use of information technology and e-communications, staff should also be aware that safe guards are in place to protect the privacy of individuals when using these mechanism, both inside and outside of work. This includes the use of social media i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat etc. Where privacy is breached disciplinary action will be considered.

All employees should be mindful of the seven Caldicott principles when dealing with person identifiable information.

1. Justify the purposes of using confidential information 2. Only use it when absolutely necessary 3. Use the minimum that is required 4. Access should be on a strict need to know basis

of 15 5. Everyone must understand his or her responsibilities 6. Understand and comply with the law 7. The duty to share information can be as important as the duty to protect patient confidentiality

If there is any doubt whether or not someone has legitimate access to information, always check before you disclose.

EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY:

We aim to design and provide services and employment practices that meet the diverse needs of our service users and staff, ensuring that none are placed at a disadvantage over others. You will be expected to take into account the provisions of the Equality Act 2010 to advancing equal opportunity. You must to act in your role to ensure that no one receives less favourable treatment due to their protected characteristics i.e. age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex (gender) or sexual orientation.

In carrying out its functions, you must have due regard to the different needs of different protected equality groups in their area.

INFECTION CONTROL:

All employees have a responsibility to protect from infection themselves and other people, whether they be patients, other staff or visitors, as well as making all reasonable effort to reduce or prevent the risk of infection in their working environment. All staff have a duty to make themselves familiar with and comply with Infection Prevention and Control Policies and Procedures, carry out duties required by legislation such as the Health and social care Act 2008 (updated 2015) (and subsequent legislation), and to attend mandatory training relating to infection prevention and control.

COUNTER FRAUD:

Staff are expected to report any incidences of potential fraud to the Counter Fraud Helpline on 0800 028 40 60.

of 15 SMOKING AT WORK:

The Trust has a “Smoke Free Policy”, which applies to:  All persons present in or on any of the Trust grounds and premises  All persons travelling in Trust owned vehicles (including lease cars) whilst on official business.  Privately owned vehicles parked on Trust grounds or when transporting Service Users, Visitors on official Trust business.  When wearing an NHS uniform.

of 15 ELECTRONIC ROSTERING:

‘Our Electronic Rostering system is key to ensuring staff are in the right place with the right skills at the right time, to ensure we carry out this responsibility effectively; all LPT staff must adhere to the rostering standards and guidelines set out in the Electronic Rostering Policy, pertaining to their role’.

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB DESCRIPTION (Generic Title) AND:PERSON SPECIFICATION FOR: AGENDA FOR CHANGE (Band) BAND: HOURS AND DURATION: As specified in the job advertisement and the Contract of Employment AGENDA FOR CHANGE (reference No) REFERENCE NUMBER: DBS LEVEL: None Required or Standard DBS or Enhanced DBS with Adults Barred List Check or Enhanced DBS with Children’s Barred List Check or Enhanced DBS with Both Barred Lists Check REPORTS TO: (Job Title of Immediate Supervisor)

ACCOUNTABLE TO: (Job Title of Manager role accountable to)

LOCATION: The post holder will initially be based at the location specified in the job advertisement and the Contract of Employment. However, the Trust reserves the right, with consultation, to relocate post holders to any base within the Trust in line with service requirements.

JOB SUMMARY:

of 15 Succinct summary of the key parts of the job description- this is not about repeating everything that follows further on. It is about drawing out where the employee will spend the majority of their time and what the absolute key parts of the role are. This is about informing a potential recruit and selling this role to them.

This box should not continue onto a subsequent page!

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. To demonstrate the Trust’s values in everything you do in the work environment 2. To be responsible in the use and expenditure of the Trust’s resources that you utilise 3. Delivery of Effective Healthcare within the organisation 3.1. 4. Establishing Effective Leadership and Communication 4.1. 5. Continuing Education, Professional and Personal Development 5.1. Undertake the Trust’s corporate and local induction, and maintain your learning and compliance with training requirements for your role 5.2. Participate in supervision via agreed review and appraisal mechanisms 5.3. It is mandatory for all professionally qualified staff and clinical support staff to actively participate in clinical supervision as an integral part of their professional development. 6. Clinical Governance, Reduction of Risk, Audit and Research 6.1. 7. Management and use of Resources and Information 7.1. All records that the role is responsible for or modifies must be kept up to date and maintained in an accurate and diligent manner 8. Operating with Quality in everything you do and Maintaining a Safe Environment 8.1. 9.

COMMUNICATION AND WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:

of 15 ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS:

10.Physical Effort 10.1. 11.Mental Effort 11.1. 12.Emotional Effort 12.1. 13.Working Conditions 13.1. 14.

The job description is not exhaustive and will be reviewed in the light of changing needs and organisational development. Any changes will be discussed with the post holder who may be required to carry out the duties appropriate to the grade and scope of the post.

GUIDANCE ON PERSON SPECIFICATION

of 15 1. Introduction

1.1The purpose of the Person Specification is to identify the skills, experience, qualifications and any other criteria that are required by the post holder to successfully fulfil their role.

1.2 The person specification should be specific, related to the job, and not unnecessarily restrictive - for example only qualifications strictly needed to do the job should be specified. The inclusion of criteria that cannot be justified as required for the performance of the job may be deemed discriminatory under discrimination law, if these impact disproportionately to the disadvantage of specific groups.

1.3The person specification enables potential applicants to make an informed decision about whether to apply and those who do apply, to give sufficient relevant detail of their skills and experience in their application. The person specification forms the basis of the selection decision and enables the selection panel to ensure objectivity in their selection.

2. Elements of the Person Specification

2.1 The person specification details the:

 Trust values  Qualification/training (see section 6.1)  Knowledge and skills  Experience (see section 6.2)  Personal attributes  standard requirements (see section 6.3)  mobility requirements

Elements required to do the job, specifying which are essential and which are desirable; these may be different from the attributes of the previous post holder.

2.2Essential criteria are those without which an appointee would be unable to adequately perform the job; Desirable criteria are those that may enable the candidate to perform better or require a shorter familiarization period hence not essential from day one in the job. 2.3 2.4Criteria which are subjective and for which little evidence is likely to be obtained through the selection process must be avoided (for example, 'a flexible approach' is often too vague to be of any help in the selection process).

3. Weighting

3.1 The criteria should be weighted according to the following levels:

(a) Essential Criteria (weighted 3)

These must be met in order to be shortlisted for the post.

Those which the candidate must have at entry level i.e. from day one to undertake the job safely and effectively. When considering your essential

of 15 criteria you need to think about how this will support you in short listing applicants- having too few criteria will mean that most applicants may meet your short listing requirements whilst having too many may result in no one meeting your short listing requirements.

They should be relevant, clearly defined and measurable e.g. if recruiting a nurse essential criteria will include – nursing qualification and professional registration; if recruiting for a management position essential criteria may include a management qualification or equivalent experience; if recruiting for a PA post essential criteria may include proficiency in using various computer packages, word processing etc

(b) Desirable Criteria (weighted 1)

These are considered to be additional/useful elements which contribute to improved performance in the job however not essentially required from day one.

3.2 Defined in this way, each criteria provides the base for questions at interview and determines those areas where evidence is required of a candidate’s ability to do his/her job effectively.

4. Stage Measured At

4.1 Consideration should be given as to how, and at which stage of the selection process each of the criteria will be tested.

4.2 It should be decided which criteria would be used to shortlist applicants from the application form, for example qualifications. Skills and abilities will normally be tested at the interview or through tests or presentation etc.

4.3 You must consider at what stage it is appropriate to consider a given criteria at as you will not be able to shortlist applicants out on criteria that you have stated you will assess at a later stage in the process.

4.4 Make sure you indicate all stages in the recruitment process that you expect to assess a criteria at.

5. Points to remember

 Setting unrealistically high criteria increases the problem of attracting candidates.  Setting unnecessary standards may be discriminatory and must be avoided.  In assessing candidates you should be as objective as possible, being aware of your prejudices and allowing for them.  Always set criteria that you can actually measure, and think about how you will measure it.

of 15 6 Additional Notes

6.1 Qualifications/Training

 There are a wide variety of educational, vocational and professional qualifications (together with their foreign equivalents); for some jobs a particular qualification may be essential, while for others no single qualification may be most appropriate and experience may be of just as much importance as a formal qualification. Where qualifications are deemed essential these should reflect the minimum basic educational requirements necessary to carry out the job to an acceptable standard.  Equivalent qualifications will be considered where their equivalency can be demonstrated  Where a qualification is stated as essential this must be fully met by the successful candidate before a certificate of sponsorship is issued, where required. E.g. if a PhD is listed as essential someone almost completing, or subject to viva will not be deemed to fully meet the essential qualification.

6.2 Experience

 The type of experience applicants are required to have should be specified; however, stipulating length of experience required should be not be used as this may be challenged under the Equality Act 2010. Quality of experience is more important and a better arbiter of suitability than length of experience.  Skills and experience are not distributed evenly cross the population and on account of past discrimination, black and minority ethnic candidates, women, disabled or older people maybe underrepresented in some areas. This could constitute indirect discrimination if a selection criteria has a detrimental impact on one sex, or ethnic group or by reason of age or disability and cannot be shown to be justifiable. Note therefore that experience can often be transferable from one area of work to another, in which case skills may be more important than a narrow definition of experience.

6.3 Other requirements

 It may be necessary to specify "availability to attend evening meetings" or "possession of a driving license", but you should distinguish between need and convenience and weigh up need against discriminatory effect.  Remember the possibility of adaptations or aids to enable a disabled person to fulfill a requirement. It is important to be clear about what needs to be achieved in the role, not the means to achieve it.

6.4 Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Attributes to Developing Cultural Competence

Whilst a certain level of cultural awareness and competence is required for all posts, it is vital when recruiting to a many posts. Recruiting mangers therefore must ensure that the person specification includes essential knowledge, skills and attributes which reflect cultural competence.

Below are some examples of these which can be included where appropriate.

of 15 Knowledge

 Knowledge of clients’ culture (history, traditions, values, family systems, artistic expressions).  Knowledge of the impact of racism, sexism, ageism, disabilities and deprivation on behavior, attitudes, values.  Knowledge of the help-seeking behaviors of ethnic minority clients.  Knowledge of the roles of language, speech patterns, and communication styles in different communities.  Knowledge of the impact of the health service policies on various clients groups.  Knowledge of the resources (i.e. agencies, persons, informal helping networks, research) available for people with particular protected characteristics.  Recognition of how professional values may either conflict with or accommodate the needs of clients from different backgrounds.  Knowledge of how power relationships within communities or institutions impact different cultures

Professional Skills

 Techniques for learning the cultures of ethnic minority client groups.  Ability to communicate accurate information on behalf of culturally different clients and their communities.  Ability to openly discuss differences/issues and to respond to culturally based cues.  Ability to assess the meaning that ethnicity has for individual clients or communities we serve.  Interviewing techniques that help the interviewer understand and accommodate the role of language in the client’s culture.  Ability to utilise the concepts of empowerment on behalf of culturally different clients and communities.  Ability to recognise and combat prejudice and myths among individuals and institutions.

Personal Attributes

 Personal qualities that reflect “genuineness, empathy, warmth,” and a capacity to respond flexibly to a range of possible solutions.  Acceptance of differences between people.  A willingness to work with clients of different backgrounds.  Articulation and clarification of own values, stereotypes, and biases about own and others’ ethnicity and social class.  Recognising ways that these views may accommodate or conflict with the needs of clients from different cultures.

of 15 PERSON SPECIFICATION

Person Specification 3. Essential/ Stage measured at. You must Selection Criteria: Minimum demonstrate the required 1. Desirable criteria at all stages indicated Applic Intervi Test Prese at-ion -ew n- form tation Demonstrates a commitment to the Trust’s Values

1.1 Compassion 3 x 1.2 Trust 3 x 1.3 Respect 3 x 1.4 Integrity 3 x Qualifications (Equivalent qualifications will be considered where their equivalency can be demonstrated)

2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5

Knowledge and Skills

3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5

Experience (both work and ‘life’ related)

4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5

Personal Attributes

5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5

of 15 Person Specification 3. Essential/ Stage measured at. You must Selection Criteria: Minimum demonstrate the required 1. Desirable criteria at all stages indicated Applic Intervi Test Prese at-ion -ew n- form tation

Standard Requirements

Commitment to Equality & 3 X X Valuing Diversity Principles

Understanding of 3 X X Confidentiality & Data Protection 3 X X Understanding of the service users of the Trust (which could include lived experience of conditions the Trust deals with or of receiving services relevant to those the Trust provides)

Mobility You must demonstrate how you This will either be not would meet the stated mobility applicable or own transport or requirement on your application suitable alternative. form Dependence on public transport is not suitable for this role

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