Case studies
Sussex NHS Commissioners
Role
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Assistant Finance Manager
Client Profile
Sussex NHS Commissioners is a GP led statutory NHS body responsible for commissioning health services in the local community.
The group is responsible for the health of the whole combined population of Brighton and Hove, West Sussex and East Sussex and its success is measured by the degree in which it improves health outcomes.
It commissions local health services that include mental health care, urgent and emergency care, elective hospital services, and community care.
Assignment
Robertson Bell was approached to make use of our expert market knowledge to arrange a meeting with a specialist NHS consultant to discuss the Sussex NHS Commissioners finance team’s specific needs. As the year-end was approaching, the client was looking for some extra hands-on deck and additional resources to tackle the high workload, which included recruiting an Assistant Finance Manager for a six-month contract.
Considerations and challenges
When recruiting for NHS roles, employers are often looking for a candidate with NHS experience. This may be essential for certain roles but for others, there may be alternative transferable skills and experiences that candidates have gained from different backgrounds that would make them a great fit.
Due to the time of year, many of those with specific NHS sector experience were already in post, making the task challenging. The consultant had to work closely with the client to manage their expectations and help them to widen their net in order to capture candidates outside of their initial pool of talent.
Robertson Bell also focused on ensuring that it had gained a comprehensive understanding of exactly what the client needed, by taking a thorough brief, maintaining regular contact and taking feedback on board. This meant that all candidates put forward had skills that would be relevant and valuable to the position.
Solution
In this case, strong communication with the client was absolutely crucial. Using the combination of the detailed brief, expert market knowledge, and detailed feedback from the client at every step of the process, the consultant refined the search and presented the strongest possible candidate on the market for the position, who was successful and was offered the role. The consultant then supported the candidate throughout the offer process and the candidate started the role within four weeks of the initial briefing conversation with the client.
Outcome
The client was satisfied with the outcome, as was the candidate, who after being in the role for several weeks, reported feeling very comfortable and pleased with the environment and culture of the workplace. The team had to lean on their consultative skills and work effectively with the client to reach a successful outcome. Having a regular line of contact between the parties was critical; using feedback and discussions to construct a complete picture of their needs and informing the consultant’s approach.
At year-end it can be difficult to find candidates who are not already in a post, which meant the consultant had to manage the client’s expectations as to the talent that would be available and recommend alternative solutions, which proved successful and resulted in a very satisfied client and candidate.
This is an excellent demonstration of the level of expertise that Robertson Bell offers. Based on our consultants’ expert insights and insider knowledge of the industry, the firm provides reliable and detailed guidance on what employers should expect from the market and should be offering to remain competitive.