Engagement, EDI and 80s rock - meet chief people officer Phil Spivey
New chief people officer Phil Spivey says he wants to have an open and welcoming environment for staff so they can be supported as much as possible across the Trust.
Phil took over from Jo Fanning earlier this month on a 12-month secondment and is now settling down and getting to grips in his new role.
One of his main aims, he says, is to ensure employees are looked after in the best way possible and that positive stories are both shared and celebrated.
In a wide-ranging interview on the Hillingdon Hospitals podcast, he sat down to discuss a number of topics including his career to date, what he hopes to achieve at the Trust and his life away from the NHS.
Below are some of the highlights from the podcast.
Tell us about your career so far
"I've been in the NHS longer than I would care to remember! My previous Trust had their long service award a couple of weeks ago and I picked up my 20 year badge so I've worked in the NHS for a long, long time.
"I worked for NHS England when it started up and I've worked in a variety of different trusts in England, and I also spent about six-and-a-half years in Wales.
"It's a really good, broad range of experience and the past seven years at London North West I was deputy Chief People Officer so hopefully I've got a good understanding of what's going on within the sector and am aware of everything that all the good work that's been done at Hillingdon.
"I've been involved in some of the workforce issues as part of the acute provider collaborative over the last two years as well, so I'm quite familiar with what's going on and some of the priorities. It's really helpful that I know some of the team as well."
What exactly is the role of a Chief People Officer?
"In old money it's HR and in even older money it's personnel. I'm effectively responsible for the workforce strategies within the Trust, in terms of employee relations, the resourcing, the OD (Organisation Development) and very much about the culture as well, so I am the board level member who's got responsibility for that really important piece of work about employee engagement.
"One of my motivations is really about how we can make this a great place to work for everybody. I'm very much there speaking with the employee voice in mind."
What are your ambitions for the months ahead?
"I think one of the things certainly for the first two or three months ahead is really just getting to understand what's going on within Hillingdon, what makes Hillingdon unique and all the specific challenges and issues that the Trust has got.
"One of the things that I'm really, really keen on looking at is employee engagement, the EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) and the culture. I know there's a lot of work that's gone on already, but I think it's about looking at what we can do particularly on the EDI agenda.
"We've obviously got some groups within our workforce and we know from some of the staff surveys in the past and some of our staff do feel that there are less opportunities for them so it's about looking at what we can do to make sure there's equity of opportunity for all our stuff.
And away from work, what sort of things do you do enjoy in your spare time?
"For my sins, I'm a Southend United supporter because that's where I'm from. I live in Ealing with my wife and my daughter. We got a new puppy in November, so she's keeping me very, very busy at home.
"And I spend far too much time going out to gigs and listening to 80s rock and things like that. When people often talk about Covid and what they missed most during the lockdown, it was that for me - it was going out and actually seeing live music.
"I've been to a rather ridiculous amount of live concerts in my life and I aim to continue to do that for a very long time!"
How important do you think it is to have a hobby away from work and to take your mind away from the NHS environment?
"It's really important. We know the NHS is always in the news and there are very rarely good news stories and we know that that can bring a pressure and stress on people.
"It's so important that people do get that time to actually relax and unwind and be themselves at home and and get some time away from work. I really do encourage people to rest up as much as possible and to bring your true self to work.
"I think in the past there was a real focus on 'you' - forget about everything that's happened at home and come to work as as your 'work person'. But actually it is much more accepted now that people do bring their issues with them to work.
"We as managers and as leaders, we have to understand that people will have things have things going on in their personal lives that will actually impact how they do perform at work.
"We need to have a really open and welcoming environment where people feel that they can actually share their concerns and and we need to understand what's going on in people's lives so we can support them in the workplace as much as possible."
Any final messages?
"For staff, I'd say celebrate what you do. There are so many good things that go on go within the NHS and I've already heard some really good things already that have been going on at Hillingdon.
"Reflect back on the successes and celebrate the successes because it's an amazing place to work.
"I think people need be kinder to yourselves; that would be my message to people and really celebrate what you do because everybody is doing an amazing job, every single day."