eESS - a new way of working for us all - NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

Important information for all staff
stop press
eESS - a new way
of working for us all
The purpose of this Stop Press is to tell you about plans for the
introduction of a new system which will manage workforce
information and support human resources and payroll services.
eESS is the electronic Employee Support System, and it will
replace our current HR systems, as well as linking to the new
payroll system.
What’s happened so far
eESS is being introduced across the NHS in Scotland in four phases, with the first phase
expected to go live in February 2012. NHS Ayrshire & Arran is part of phase two, so we can
expect to go live in spring or early summer.
A whistle-stop tour of eESS
eESS will record all workforce-related
information including:
• Personal details such as your name, address
and emergency contact
• Equality and diversity information such as
your gender and age
• Contract details such as your job, grade,
hours and salary
• Employment history of the jobs you have
worked in
• Learning and development details such as
your qualifications, courses and training you
have undertaken
Both you and your line manager can use
the ‘self service’ section to update personal
information, and to request and approve
leave and training.
eESS also offers:
• online recruitment
• information to support employee relations
• learning and development administration
2 February 2012

The introduction of eESS is much more than
a change of ‘HR’ systems – it will mean a
fundamental change to working practices
for everyone. For example, both you and
your line manager will be able to review
and update information held on the system
about you. And job candidates will be able
to apply on-line for jobs, with the recruiting
manager able to view the relevant parts of
the application on-line.
So over the course of the next few months
training and awareness raising sessions will
be rolled out across NHS Ayrshire & Arran
to ensure that staff are able to make the
transition smoothly.
What will be the benefits
As well as introducing a single, standardised
system for managing all workforce
information, eESS will bring you a range of
benefits:
• Greater ownership of the information held
about you
• Full access to your training records
• Ability to request and book all future
training onlinie
• Greater ownership of and responsibility for
your own personal and career development
Your line manager will be responsible for
ensuring that you know about the system
and how to use it. However, if your job
means that you don’t have access to a PC,
you will continue to request leave and
training from your line manager – he or she
will then update eESS on your behalf.
In preparation for the new system, we have
set up a project implementation group,
with representatives from Organisation and
Human Resources Development (O&HRD),
Finance, Communications, staff-side and
eHealth, to focus on:
• How our processes will need to adapt to
work with the new system
• How we will deliver training in the new
system
• Ensuring data on the current system is fit
for transfer to the new system
• Agreeing how we communicate the
introduction of the system to staff and
managers
We will keep you informed of progress and
training plans through regular updates in
eNews, on AthenA and in Team talk and Stop
Press.
Click here or visit the O&HRD site on AthenA
and select ‘Workforce Futures/Meetings’ for
more information.
Tell us what you think... If you would like to comment on any issues raised by this Stop
Press, please complete the form and return it to: Communications Department, 28 Lister Street,
Crosshouse. You can also email us at comms@aaaht.scot.nhs.uk or comms@aapct.scot.nhs.uk.
If you provide your contact details, we will acknowledge your comments and pass them to the
appropriate departments for a response.
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