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Business Challenges
Interim NHS People Plan

Back-Office Efficiencies

Best-practice use of ESR enables improved efficiency within workforce administration and back office services, by allowing many routine transactions to be completed by the most appropriate person – typically employee or manager. A key priority for the NHS is to concentrate resources on the delivery... Read more

Back-Office Efficiencies

Best-practice use of ESR enables improved efficiency within workforce administration and back office services, by allowing many routine transactions to be completed by the most appropriate person – typically employee or manager. A key priority for the NHS is to concentrate resources on the delivery of front line services. However, effective administration and back office functions must be recognised for their importance as a key enabler of transformational change.

ESR is designed to enable data transactions to be entered once, at the point of source. The transactions are undertaken by the most appropriate person, and in so doing, this is evidenced to reduce the need for ‘paper’ or ‘e-forms’ to be used for workforce data changes…a ‘paper-less office’.  Using ESR Self Service, employees can actively manage their personal data and view processed data such as; payslips, Total Reward Statements, learning data, compliance etc. Whilst often considered a cultural change, using ESR Manager Self Service, managers are empowered to ‘manage’ their teams and respective workforce data, such as learning and development, compliance monitoring/management, talent management, absence control along with managing starters and leavers.  Significant efficiencies can be made by maximising the use of ESR system capabilities and streamlining processes to ensure the timeliness and quality of data is improved. The Carter Report highlighted 'how important it is for trusts to record and report data accurately, particularly as this data will be used for a more open and integrated approach to performance management across the NHS.' and stated 'Trusts must get a tighter grip of their coding to the ESR database and use the data in their daily management of staff.'

Through maximising ESR capabilities and streamlining processes, opportunities are subsequently created to review working practices and service offerings from back office functions, so as to enhance the recognised value-add of such services to your organisation, employees and managers. Consequently, back-office teams become more efficient and are increasingly recognised for their value.

Local Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STP) play an important role in realising back office efficiencies. Collaborative and consistent best practice working across STP partners is increasing, as this can enable a fluid workforce across organisational boundaries - to meet a changing service need.  As the national workforce system for the NHS, ESR is ideally placed to support STP objectives, whilst supporting the delivery of your local workforce strategies.

The use of ESR within your organisation can help you increase productivity and efficiency by ensuring that back office functions within Recruitment, HR, Payroll and Learning and Development are lean and appropriate; whilst core ESR functionality such as Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) and Employee and Manager Self Service are fully utilised.

This interactive tool will help you understand how ESR can support you in gaining greater efficiencies in your back office functions.  For a consolidated version of the information contained within this segment, please download the 'Executive Summary', located at the bottom of the page under 'Latest Resources'.

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To access key information and resources to support Back-Office Efficiencies click on the icons below

Business Challenges

When reviewing your back office functions, processes and the service they provide, the following questions are relevant and can be supported by using ESR:

  1. Are you driving efficiency within your back office functions?
  2. Have you reviewed the workforce services provided by your back office functions and compared these to the functionality available by using employee and manager Self Service and ESR learning management?
  3. How lean are the processes within your back office departments – for example, have you reviewed the end-to-end processes to remove duplication and/or unnecessary steps? Could this be improved by using ESR to ensure data is captured at source?
  4. Do your back office processes rely on paper-based or other e-media based systems? If so, can these be displaced by using ESR?
  5. Is your recruitment process streamlined so as to minimise on-boarding time and effort?
  6. Do you have regular communication between your back office functions in relation to ESR usage and its development within your organisation? Is this effective and does the group have a clear remit and direction?
  7. Have you recently reviewed your on-boarding and induction process for new starters from the perspective of the organisation’s processes, and from the new starter’s experience?
  8. Is your organisation involved, or aware of the national streamlining projects?

Latest Resources

To discuss the functionality available in ESR, to undertake an ESR Assessment on your current and potential usage, or for further information, advice and support please contact your local NHS ESR Functional Account Manager.