Role redesign service

Our solutions help you analyse your services, and identify areas where new roles can be created that promote patient focus, flexible working and cost saving opportunities.

Our established methodology takes the guesswork out of designing and redesigning roles, providing clarity around the skills and competences needed by a post holder. The use of national standards to define the roles makes it easier for you to identify appropriate training and comply with governance requirements. We will also work with you to offer recommendations; implementation and evaluation of roles that we believe will address your particular local needs, from reducing waiting times to delivering specific cost savings.

Proven role templates for a skilled and flexible workforce

To support new ways of working that create a more flexible workforce and reduce waiting times, we develop role templates. We call these "Transferable Role Templates" (TRTs).

TRTs provide a structured approach to developing relevant, transferable and nationally endorsed roles across different locations and services. They can be used when undertaking role or service redesign or when addressing skills mix issues. The information in the templates provides a way to understand the skills and competences required for the role and to identify associated learning that is fit for purpose.

Each template provides the competences required for the role (with the flexibility to add locally relevant competences where required), the career framework level descriptors and indicative learning and development needs.

The TRTs developed so far cover a range of work areas and levels on the career framework.
You can search our library of TRTs here.

Benefits of using Transferable Role Templates:

• Reduced waiting times across a range of services
• Enhanced productivity and cost savings
• Consistent and comparable quality of patient care
• Ease of competence based education and workforce commissioning
• A more flexible and transferable workforce
• Employers can expect consistent skills, knowledge and competences when selecting staff
• Portability and transferability of learning and development, skills competences and qualifications.

Examples of the impact of new / redesigned roles

The following are real life examples of how the TRTs have had an impact in organisations:

• North Cumbria University Hospital NHS Trust. Developed a 'Myocardial Perfusion Stress Testing Supervision' TRT and reduced diagnostic waiting times from 72 weeks to 2-6 weeks*
• Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals FT introduced the surgical care practitioner TRT, which has enabled the addition of 16 extra operating lists each week*
• South Devon Healthcare NHS FT transferred 8 lists, previously covered by a consultant anaesthetist, to a new advanced practitioner TRT. It has been "particularly cost effective"*
• Dudley PCT's orthopaedic assessment service reduced their orthopaedic referrals to secondary care by 75% using an advanced practitioner role – one of the roles now available. For those who are referred, preparation and follow up is done by the same practitioner, ensuring greater continuity of care.* 

* From the Skills for Health report 'Impact of Nationally Transferable Roles on Productivity – Building an Evidence Base'. March 2010.