The structure for the nine Bank WRES indicators, plus definitions of terms, and advice on which evidence sources and insight to consider are given in the following set of tables. For organisations that employ and manage bank only workers internally, it is strongly encouraged that trusts ensure indicators 1-3 (where applicable) are completed for the first year’s collection in 2023, this is regardless of participation in National NHS Bank Survey 2022.

Future intentions for the Bank WRES

As the role out of the NHS bank worker survey element progresses in the future, the Bank WRES will continue to sit alongside this work. The Bank WRES and the National NHS Bank Survey are an NHS first and we will continue to learn and evolve over time. Any future changes and updates will be cascaded though existing WRES channels ensuring this work focuses where the need is greatest.

Who is required to submit data?

This submission covers NHS trusts that currently submit annual WRES data. As clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are subsumed into integrated care boards (ICBs), there is no requirement for CCGs to submit data for this collection. Primary care providers also are not required to submit in this collection.

Data sources for each indicator

All references to the term “bank workers” will be for individuals employed solely on a zero-hours/casual work contract and who work directly for the NHS. The exception to this is indicator 2, this will require NHS organisations to seek input from outsourced bank suppliers in data collection (where applicable).

Term translation: “Active worker”

Throughout the document there will be reference to the term “active worker”. The active bank worker is an individual who solely holds an NHS zero hours contract who has undertaken work or paid training within a six-month period. The bank WRES follows the agreed eligibility criteria for bank workers who have also been offered the bank worker survey in 2022. The only requirement to look at active workers in these submissions will be for indicator 1. Guidance in table 1 recommends the six-month sample period for trusts.

WRES and Bank WRES submissions

In some cases, historic WRES submissions and data against WRES survey-based indicators may have contained bank worker data. From 2023 all submissions that relate to bank workers should be summited via this method to form the Bank WRES.

Collaborative banks and hybrid banks

For indicator 1 and 3: NHS bank worker head count data will need to be attributed to the NHS organisation that legally holds the workers employment contract. This count must exclude externally provided bank workers/staff

For organisations that use both internal held bank workers and externally provided bank workers/staff, it is only indicator 2 whereby both groups data will need to be combined for this headcount submission.

Collaborative banks for Indicator 2: NHS bank worker head count data will need to be attributed to the organisation where the case originated within, this in some cases may differ to the organisation that holds the workers contract.

For more information please see the indicator table below and the Bank WRES Data Collection Framework (DCF) guidance document where needed.

Data collection window via Data Collection Framework (DCF)

All data relating to Bank WRES indicators 1-3 will be required for submission via the Data Collection Framework (DCF). The submissions platform will be open from Monday 1 May to Wednesday 31 May 2023 (also see timeline at the bottom of the document).

For questions on access to the DCF System, the submission platform, items related to collaborative banks and the use of additional free text to support submissions, please refer to the Bank WRES DCF guidance document.

Overview of the Bank WRES indicators

There are nine Bank WRES indicators. This document will focus on indicators 1-3.

• Indicators 1 to 3 consider the workforce make up and differences in disciplinary systems and outcomes, taken from the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) and internal organisational systems.
• Indicators 4 to 9 will be derived from a National NHS Bank Survey to measure the experiences of bank workers in relation to how they are treated, valued and recognised by colleagues, employing organisations, and patients. These indicators also address career aspirations and time worked on the bank. For year one these indicators will be used for the basis of reporting for organisations that choose to include NHS bank workers in the survey (this was not nationally mandated in 2022).

As highlighted above, Bank WRES indicators 4-9 will be taken directly from the National NHS Bank Worker Survey questions. As the Bank Worker Survey is hosted by the Survey Coordination Centre, the indicators 4-9 will be reviewed annually; to ensure that organisations’ National Staff Surveys are aligned to the WRES indicators. Organisations which are not partaking in the National Bank Worker Survey should check with the local provider of the current survey questionnaire.

The use of the National NHS Bank Worker Survey data should become even more useful from 2023 onwards as a result of important improvements in increasing survey response rates. The push towards reducing the use of small worker survey samples should help increase worker responses to the survey and make the analysis of data locally more meaningful.

The Bank WRES indicators have been chosen following consultation and reiteration. They are intended to be as straightforward as possible and are almost entirely based on existing data sources (Electronic Staff Records; NHS Staff Survey or appropriate workforce management data systems) with analysis requirements which well performing NHS organisations are already undertaking.

Bank WRES indicators in detail

Key to indicators colour coding below:

• Background, light blue = Trust level reported indicators
• Background, light yellow= Bank worker survey indicators
• Indicator number, black = Indicator already in use in main WRES
• (xx) = Question number from the 2022 National NHS Staff Survey question set
• (xx) = Question number from the 2022 National NHS Bank Survey question set
• Indicator number, green = Question imported directly from the 2022 NHS staff survey.
• Indicator number, blue = New indicator
• Indicator number, orange = Revision of current indicator (data can still be aggregated and compared to the current WRES indicators extracted from the national staff survey).

The above table is available to download as an accessible word document.

The Bank Workforce Race Equality Standard reported indicators

Bank WRES Indicator 1

To understand the active NHS bank only workforce by gender and ethnic group by relevant positions on the bank: number of NHS workers by ethnic group and gender in each of the AfC bands 1-7 to be compared with percentage of substantive staff in the workforce.

Note: For individual workers who hold multiple bank positions in one trust, the post that is most used over the period is the only one that will be required for submission.

Definitions:

• “Active” – workers who has undertaken work or paid training within a six-month period.
• “Bands 1-7 and above” – workers paid using the national Agenda for Change (AfC) pay scales for these grades. Where local pay scales are in use.
• “Medical and dental” – workers paid using the Medical and dental pay scales (all).
• “Substantive staff” refers to: all directly employed NHS staff. Excluding bank only workers.
• “Ethnicity” refers to: Self-identification as per the Ethnic Group categories found on the Office for National Statistics website. Please refer to England sub-category under ethnic group section 4.

The organisation’s approach:

• The data capture period to identify active bank workers ideally will be taken six months prior to 31 March 2023.
• The Data Collection Framework (DCF) platform should be used to submit data for this Indicator, this will be open between Thursday 1 June to Friday 30 June 2023.
• Organisations should submit head count data only under each required field.

Sources of evidence and insight will include: Electronic Staff Record (ESR); local NHS workforce data and insights

Bank WRES Indicator 2

Relative likelihood of bank workers entering a formal disciplinary process by ethnic group in the last 12 months. This indicator will be based on internally held headcount data based against ethnic group only. Furthermore, where applicable it is to also include/combine externally provided Bank workers/staff to your Trust within the same 12 months period.

Definitions:

Entering the formal disciplinary process as measured by entry into a formal disciplinary investigation – refers to workers who have entered a formal investigation as prescribed by the local disciplinary process. Workers who have been subject to an investigation, but for whom no further action was taken should be counted. Any occasional cases where disciplinary action is not preceded by an investigation should also be included in this definition. Disciplinary cases where mediation has taken place rather than any kind of formal investigation and disciplinary action should not be counted.

• “Externally provided” for bank workers/staff who are provided to the Trust as bank by a managed external body, it is also recognised that external bank workers may also be employed substantively in a neighbouring Trust.

The organisation’s approach:

• Collaborative banks: submitted data must be attributed to the organisation where the disciplinary case originated, this in some cases may differ to organisation that holds the worker’s contract.
• Submission for this indicator will be headcount numbers only.
• The data capture period will ideally be taken twelve months prior to 31 March 2023.
• For Trusts that use externally suppled bank workers please engage with your suppliers at the earliest opportunity.
• The DCF platform should be used to submit data for this Indicator, this will be open between Thursday 1 June to Friday 30 June 2023.
• Organisations should submit just head count data under each required field.
• Organisations that use both internal and external bank workers, data for both groups should be combined.

Sources of evidence and insight will include: Electronic Staff Record (ESR); local NHS workforce data and insights.

Bank WRES Indicator 3

Relative likelihood of bank workers being formally dismissed by ethnic group, in the last 12 months (for conduct and capability). This indicator will be based on internally held headcount data based against ethnic group only.

• Definitions: “Dismissals” – this is for NHS bank workers who have been dismissed due to capability or conduct only.

The organisation’s approach:

• Collaborative banks: submitted data must be attributed to the organisation that holds the worker contract.
• Organisations should submit just head count data under each required field.
• The data capture period will ideally be taken twelve months prior to 31 March 31 2023.
• The DCF platform should be used to submit data for this Indicator, this will be open between Thursday 1 June to Friday 30 June 2023.

Sources of evidence and insight will include: Electronic Staff Record (ESR); local NHS workforce data and insights.

Bank WRES indicator 4-9

For the first year of the Bank WRES (2022/23) the data sets provided by trusts (indicators 1-3) will also be aligned to local data for participating organisations in the National NHS Bank Workers survey. For the first year the bank worker survey was not mandated. This data will be directly accessed and analysed for your trust with no submissions from organisations required.

Bank WRES Indicator 4-9

The supporting data sets will be sourced directly from NHSE post the first year’s bank worker survey. Alignment and analysis will be undertaken by the WRES team.

Sources of evidence and insight will include NHS Trusts responses to the bank worker surveys questions against each indicator.

Submission timeline 2022/23

Below is the agreed timeline for key inputs and reporting outputs

October 2022 to November 2022

• NHS Bank Survey open

December 2022 to March 2023

• NHS Bank survey findings released

April 2023

• Bank WRES published
• WRES team to support Bank WRES launch, embedding, trust data collections and access Bank survey data.  

May 2023

• Trust preparations for data submissions
• WRES team to support Bank WRES launch, embedding, trust data collections and access Bank survey data.  

June 2023

• DCF Platform for Bank WRES data collections opens for trust submissions (indicator 1-3)
• WRES team to support Bank WRES launch, embedding, trust data collections and access Bank survey data.  

July 2023 onward

• Data validation, analysis, report writing, publish findings.

Please note these are indicative timelines.

Data Collection Framework (DCF) guidance for the Bank WRES

The Bank WRES data collections will be hosted online and to gain access to the Bank submission you will need an account on the NHS England Applications portal. This account is also known as an okta account and is used by many NHS England applications so you may have one already.

• Anyone who has access to the WRES data collections portal will automatically get access to the Bank WRES collections before the 1 of June 2023.
• Prior to the formal collection window opening in June, WRES will circulate a guide template for the trust collections to aid user familiarity and data storage prior to submission.
• If you are part of a collaborative bank and/or is one that who works in a hybrid model with external bank providers such as NHSP or Bank Partners, please also see the Bank WRES DCF guidance document for detail.
• Lastly, for new users to the platform please see the Bank WRES DCF guidance document for step by step support.

Thank you in your support for this work,

The WRES team.