St Helens and Knowsley (StHK) NHS Trust became the Lead Employer for junior doctors in the Cheshire and Merseyside (C&M) area on behalf of the Mersey Deanery in August 2010.The scale of this task, which involved managing over 2000 junior doctors, gave the trust an impetus to introduce a more efficient way of recording sickness absence.
St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is an acute hospital Trust employing around 7,000 staff, which includes 2,500 doctors in training under the Single Lead Employer contract for the Mersey Deanery. Following the review of the Occupational Health Service, the HR Advisory Service, the Attendance Management Policy and the role of the line manager in reducing sickness absence, the Trust has taken a holistic approach and reduced absence by over 1% in a 12 month period.