Our promise to create a valued Member community

Our dedicated Bank Members are not only the life blood of NHS Professionals, but also an essential part of the NHS. 

We were founded 20 years ago on nursing and midwifery and this staff group remains a key pillar of our membership. But our member base has grown with us over the years so that our members now include doctors, allied health professionals, healthcare scientists, personal social services and increasing numbers of non-clinical workers. We’ve also seen significant growth in our overseas recruitment.

In our recent annual review, you may have read that our focus now is on creating a real sense of community among all our members so they feel truly valued and proud to be part of our team.

To this end we’ve created a brand new ‘Member Promise’ that guides our work and encapsulates the culture we strive for:

“We promise to welcome, support and celebrate our Bank Members as part of our flexible working community; benefiting their lifestyle, their career and our NHS.”

In practice this is about making sure we provide a smooth and enjoyable experience for our Bank Members, whether they are brand new to NHSP or a long-standing member. It’s also making our communications and interactions consistently clear, concise and human  so members feel valued.

Underpinning this promise is an all-new and robust Bank Member engagement strategy. This was agreed in late 2020 but ongoing urgent pandemic workforce demands delayed its full implementation before the end of the 2020/21 financial year. But this delay, and the added insights into member engagement the pandemic has given us, have made our strategy even stronger. 

Integral to ensuring we meet our member needs is understanding what they want from their roles and shifts. We have been working closely with client Trusts to improve the member experience and get the basics right. These can range from providing more information about a ward to reduce any uncertainty, specifying whether shifts include breaks, or making sure there is always a named person to greet members and answer any questions.

Other aspects include giving early career and student nurses access to shifts and locations that specifically suited their professional skills and aspirations, and initiatives like school-hour shifts and a ‘flex pool’ where people can split or share shifts to fill gaps. 

We are committed to recognising the hard work of our members and safeguarding their health and wellbeing. Without doubt the pandemic has showcased the dedication and commitment of people across the NHS but research also suggests many have also experienced mental health issues as a result. Therefore, we’ve made sure there are a range of health and wellbeing resources available to our Bank Members through our online Health and Wellbeing Hub, which provides resources, ideas and guidance. We’ve also expanded our Going the Extra Mile (GEM) Awards to champion and celebrate examples of outstanding work across all our staff groups.

Last but by no means least, we’ve been working to expand career paths and enhance the professional development available to our Bank Members. Flexible working can be and is now a viable and positive career choice for many and we want to underpin this agile mindset with investment in a robust culture of learning. 

For example, we are developing a Competency Framework which will define the skills and knowledge base required for each level within nursing - from unregistered practitioners such as care support workers to registered advanced practitioners. This framework gives us the grounding to help our members who strive to develop additional competencies as well as uphold high standards of care. In addition, our plans for a new Training Academy, which will sit at the heart of our education practice, are continuing to take shape. The Academy’s overarching aim is to take the pressure off the clinical world with assurance of the skills and competencies the NHS requires, while also offering our members the chance to develop their careers to fit with their lives.

With the above and more starting to take shape, there is no doubt of the exciting times ahead.

Melanie Simmonds

Director of Bank Member Engagement