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Business Challenges
Interim NHS People Plan

System Optimisation

ESR exclusively offers the provision of an integrated hire to retire workforce management solution developed by the NHS for the NHS.

By fully utilising ESR as an integrated system, your organisation can realise greater benefits. In order to achieve this, your individual departments must work collaboratively to maximise business process efficiencies.

This section outlines how you can utilise other areas of ESR functionality which compliment recruitment to develop a greater overall ESR solution.

  • + Workforce Planning
    • Establishment Control in ESR provides valuable information for organisations that are proactively managing their workforce requirements and associated pay costs
    • Fully utilising the Business Intelligence (BI) functionality places a wealth of workforce information directly on the desktop (and mobile devices) of key stakeholders. This includes comparing workforce demographic data with local area demographics, to aid and inform future recruitment campaigns
    • Understanding your workforce starter and leaver trends helps you to predict and plan recruitment activity
  • + Empower & Retain
    • ESR provides successful applicants with access to statutory and mandatory training as soon as possible. This will reduce both duplication and your on-boarding and induction training time, enabling your new employees to join their team as soon as possible
    • Aids retention by empowering your workforce to manage their own record, including learning and development, through ESR Self Service
    • Empower your Learning and Development teams by providing them with access to applicant competency information through Business Intelligence (BI) reports that will allow for an assessment of any skills gaps and therefore preparation for induction
    • Introduces efficient on-boarding processes which reduces the need for bank/agency cover and reduces the additional pressure on staff to cover vacant posts
  • + Financial Controls
    • Efficient use of the ESR to e-recruitment solution interfaces eliminates the duplication of data entry by recruitment/HR staff
    • Aid in reducing the time to hire, lowering costs of bank and agency spend
    • Managing establishment control in ESR provides valuable information for organisations that are proactively managing their workforce requirements and associated pay costs
    • Transferring pre-hire data such as occupational health and competencies removes the costs related to unnecessary repeat immunisations and induction training
    • Links to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Update service reduces/removes the need for repeat DBS disclosures for new starters
  • + Workforce Intelligence

    here.Use of the national recruitment dashboards and various reports in Business Intelligence (BI) to:

    • Monitor vacancies and recruitment episodes
    • Identify ‘time to hire’ to review and improve the process
    • Provide the assurance that relevant employment checks for applicants are in place
    • Manage employment checks for applicants and employees to meet NHS Employers standards
    • Obtain essential starter, leaver and turnover data
    • Using HR and compliance data together to analyse your applicants by age, gender, staff group, and many more
    • Ability to respond quickly to Freedom of Information requests
    • Ability to meet the data requirements for CQC inspections

    For further information on how ESR supports CQC click here.

  • + Back Office Efficiencies
    • Enables the effective streamlining of working processes when all functional capability is maximised
    • Removing duplicate data input by HR and recruitment teams ensures that resources are used to focus on key recruitment activities
    • An effective recruitment process has the potential to reduce the time to hire
    • Reduced administration in the allocation and recording of training for new starters
  • + Skilled Workforce
    • Provide applicants with access to e-Learning via Employee Self Service prior to hire, to enable them to acquire the relevant skills, knowledge and competencies for when they commence employment
    • Initiate the pre-hire Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process to transfer and manage the applicants existing competencies, and to determine and streamline induction training needs at an individual level
    • Bring the focus of Induction back to that of understanding the organisation and its values, rather than on the completion of statutory and mandatory training
    • Reduced time spent training new starters, enabling them to start their role sooner
    • The Business Intelligence (BI) NHS Compliance Dashboard reports can identify the competencies of all applicants in advance of their start date

To access key information and resources to support System Optimisation click on the icons below

Business Challenges

  1. Are your recruitment activities putting you in a strong position to attract the workforce you need?

  2. Do you know where you recruit/attract applicants from?

  3. Do you have an understanding of your current organisation’s establishment, vacant positions, and approved vacancies?

  4. Has your organisation reconciled ESR to your financial ledger as per Carter’s Recommendation 12?

  5. Is your organisation actively involved with the regional/national streamlining programmes?

  6. How does your organisation record and monitor mandatory employment checks such as Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), Professional Registration, and Right to Work?

  7. How do you monitor mandatory employment checks once the applicant is an employee? Do you use the automation and interfaces in ESR to help you?

  8. Do you have sufficient information to enable you to proactively recruit in response to workforce trends and changes in service needs?

  9. Are you able to respond to Sustainability and Transformation Plans in your area, in relation to workforce needs to meet service demands for now and the future?

  10. Is your on-boarding process quick and efficient, getting your new recruits into the workplace as soon as possible?

  11. How do you ensure your new starters do not repeat mandatory training when moving to your organisation, if their training is still valid?

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.