Application for an Athena SWAN Gold award: Institute of Health Society, Newcastle University Action Plan: May 2014 – April 2017

Action / Description of action / Action taken already
and outcome at April 2014 / Further action
planned at April 2014 / Responsibility / Timescale / Start
date / Success measure / Progress
by April 2017
1 Baseline Data and supporting evidence
1.1 / Include Athena SWAN
award as a key objective in the Institute’s strategic plan / Included in 2014-15
strategic plan which is approved at University level / To be included in
each annual strategic plan / Institute
Director / Ongoing / Mar
2014
Mar 2015
Mar 2016
Mar 2017 / Inclusion in the annual
strategic plan each year
1.2 / Monitor gender balance in
UG student applications, offers and successes / Data collected and
distributed to FMS Institutes / Continued
monitoring of gender balance in UG applications, offers and successes / Institute
Manager; Faculty Athena SWAN co-
ordinator; Assistant Registrar (UG Medical Education) / Ongoing / Sept
2011 / Record of gender split in
UG applications and offers
1.3 / Monitor gender balance in
applications and acceptances to the MSc in Public Health and Health Services Research and the MSc in Social Science and / System established as
part of Silver action plan and implemented / Process in place
and will continue monitoring / MSc Degree
Programme Director; MSc administrator / Ongoing / Sept
2011 / Record of gender split
of applications and acceptances to the MSc
Health Research
1.4 / To undertake a staff and
PGR student survey on working in IHS / Staff survey undertaken
in 2012
Feedback provided at a IHS staff meeting and results available on IHS intranet / Undertake a staff
and PGR student survey every two years / SAT;
IHS Executive Board; PGR student tutor / Oct 2014 / Oct
2014
Oct 2016 / 2014/16 surveys
completed with good response rate (70%)
Results analysed by SAT working group, results discussed by IHS HRG and any specific issues acted upon
Feedback to staff and students at IHS staff meetings and at a PGR support group meeting
1.5 / Review PDR completion / Annual completion rate / Target of 100% to / Deputy / Jan / PDR completion rate
rates annually / reported to FMS / be reached (98% in / Institute / 2015 / reviewed by IHS EB
Executive Board / 2013); if not / Manager / annually
reached, / Jan
understand why / 2016
and act upon any
modifiable reasons / Jan
2017
1.6 / Monitor representation of
IHS staff on internal and external committees / Staff survey of
committee involvement undertaken in 2010 and followed up in 2012 / Monitor
representation / Deputy
Institute Manager / Within next
nine months / Dec
2014 / Record of committees
IHS staff contribute to
No committee overload for any individual IHS staff member
1.7 / Redesign of staff exit
interview form / Examples identified on
internet and amended for IHS use / Form redesigned to
ensure relevance to HIS in 2013 / Institute
Manager / Commence
AY 2014-15 / Oct
2014 / A new form where all
questions are relevant for IHS staff and can be answered by leaver
1.8 / Undertake exit interviews
with staff / All staff leaving IHS
invited to take part in an exit interview since / System designed to
hold this information / Institute
Manager / Ongoing / Jan
2012 / Record information
from interviews on why staff leave IHS
2012 / Annual review of reasons for exiting / Record any actions suggested and take these on board where agreed
Record of annual staff turnover
2 Undergraduate and postgraduate students
2.1 / Gain information on how
MBBS selection panels are constituted and identify staff interested in being part of the panel / Understand how
panels are constituted to see if IHS staff could be more involved. If so, identify IHS staff who would like to be on the panel by email from the Head of Teaching & Learning / Head of
Teaching & Learning / Within next
24 months / May
2016 / Record information on
panel members and those IHS staff interested in serving on the MBBS selection panel
More IHS staff on MBBS selection panels
2.2 / Hold an annual MSc lunch
(funded by IHS) for students to meet IHS staff during their induction week / Ongoing / Lunch to be held
annually / MSc Degree
Programme Director; MSc administrator / Ongoing / Sep
2013
Sep 2014
Sep 2015
Sep 2016 / Annual MSc lunch held
during induction week
2.3 / Review data collection
system on PGR students / Review system,
refine and add to
(e.g. collect first / PGR student
tutor; Deputy PGR / Within next
three months / Oct
2014 / New system in place
destination data) / student tutor;
PGR student administrator
2.4 / Provide extra ‘buddying’
for overseas PhD students / All overseas PhD
students offered extended ‘buddying’ at induction / PRES every two
years and in-house survey every alternate year to assess satisfaction / PGR student
tutor;
PGR student administrator / Commence
AY2014-15 / Oct
2014 / Record uptake of extra
‘buddying’ on PGR data system
Increased satisfaction with induction process evidenced PRES and in- house survey
2.5 / Inform new PGR students
that they are aligned to an IHS research theme or methodology group during their induction / Current PGR students
know which research theme/methodological group they belong to and are invited to attend theme/group meetings / Make this part of
the induction process through discussion with supervisors / PGR student
tutor;
PGR student administrator; PGR student supervisors / Commence
AY2014-15 / Oct
2014 / All research themes and
methodological groups to have an up- to- date list of their PGR students
2.6 / Inform current PGR
students that they can apply to research theme/group funds for small amounts of funds to support their research or conference attendance (if not available from studentship) / Not all students may
know about this / All students
informed by supervisors / PGR student
supervisors; PGR student tutor;
IHS Finance
officer / With
immediate effect / May
2014 / Increase in applications
to research theme/methodological group funds reported to IHS HRG
2.7 / Reinstate circulation by
email of a PGR student newsletter / Newsletter was being
circulated but there is a need to review before reinstating / Review content of
newsletter through brief survey on content to PGR students / Deputy PGR
student tutor; PGR student support group / Commence
AY2014-15 / June
2014 / Redesigned PGR
student newsletter circulated every semester
2.8 / Update PGR webpage on
the IHS website / Webpage exists but
needs updating
Ensure annual update / Update webpage / Deputy PGR
student tutor; PGR student administrator / Commence
AY2014-15 / Nov
2014 / Updated PGR webpage
and process in place for annual updating aligned to annual IHS website
Covered by IHS web maintenance plan initiated Jan 2014 / update
2.9 / Offer PGR student support
sessions / Support sessions in
place from Apr 2013 / PGR student tutor
to offer a monthly (first Tues) slot when students can ‘drop in’ for advice and support / PGR student
tutor;
PGR student administrator; Head of Teaching & Learning / Ongoing / Apr
2013 / Advertise regular slot to
all PGR students by email
Act on any issues raised by taking to IHS Teaching Learning Committee
2.10 / Organise an annual PGR
student research day / Previously taken place
on an ad hoc basis / Research day to be
held annually / Deputy PGR
student tutor; Postgraduate tutor; Postgraduate administrator; IHS PGRs / Commence
AY2013-14 / June
2014 / PGR student research
day held annually
Evaluation of study day through feedback form
3 Key career transition points, appointments and promotions
3.1 / Appoint research staff to
an open-ended contract when possible / Ongoing / More staff to be on
open-ended contracts / Institute
Director; Institute Manager; Faculty HR / Ongoing / 2009 / Reduction in the
number of research staff on a fixed-term contract
3.2 / Review IHS redeployment
process to ensure research staff continuity in contracts / Use of internal
redeployment process to secure research staff contracts in place / Review process to
ensure optimum system in place / Chair of IHS
Human & Other Resource Group / Within next
12 months / Feb
2015 / No staff turnover as a
result of external funding contract ending
3.3 / Monitor offers and job
acceptances by grade and gender / Data recorded / Continue to
monitor data on gender balance in job offers and acceptances / Deputy
Institute Manager; Faculty Athena SWAN co-
ordinator / Ongoing / May
2014 / Record data on job
offers and acceptances by grade and gender
3.4 / Provide even better clarity
on expectations of role and responsibilities when recruiting academics / Information provided in
advert and at interview / Increase
information on specific role and responsibilities / Institute
Manager; IHS Director / With
immediate effect / May
2014 / Ensure staff know
exactly what the role they are coming to entails and have as much information as possible for them to make an informed decision before taking up an appointment
No member of IHS staff leaving because of bad fit to role
3.5 / All recruitment documents
to have IHS Athena SWAN logo, webpage, ECU Athena SWAN webpage and flexibility in working pattern highlighted / Ongoing - IHS Athena
SWAN logo, link to ECU Athena SWAN webpage and flexibility in working pattern highlighted on job adverts / Link to IHS Athena
SWAN webpage included in job adverts / Institute
Manager; Faculty HR department / Ongoing / Apr
2015 / All IHS job adverts to
include link to IHS Athena SWAN webpage
3.6 / Review staff induction
process, provide written guidance on what is expected from induction and develop a web-based version / Induction process in
place / Review process to
ensure all relevant information is being provided at induction
Produce written guidance on what should be discussed during induction and develop a checklist
Develop a web- based version of / Deputy
Institute Manager;
IHS technical support team / Review to
take place within next 12 months / Jan
2016 / New induction
handbook
Written guidance on induction which includes an induction checklist
A web-based version of the induction process
the induction
handbook
3.7 / Review PDR form and / Reviewed on an ad hoc / Institute / Within next / Nov / Review takes place
process every two years / basis / Manager; / six months / 2014 / every two years
IHS Director
KPIs, University and / Nov / Changes to PDR
FMS objectives added / 2016 / documents recorded
to allow alignment of
personal objectives to / Update of PDR form
University objectives
3.8 / Refine PDR 360o feedback
Provide some basic training on completing forms and giving and receiving feedback / 360o feedback included
in PDR process from 2012
Form based on NHS document
To identify a training provider and investigate training / Brief survey of
those who have included 360o feedback in their PDR to assess process / Institute
Manager / Within next
six months / Sep
2014 / Survey undertaken and
recommendations included in feedback process
New 360o feedback form developed based on survey
360o feedback used as part of PDR process
3.9 / Sign off of all PDR forms by
IHS director (academic and research) and manager (admin and clerical) / Ongoing / All staff receive
individual written feedback on progress in PDR feedback / IHS Director;
Institute Manager / Ongoing / May
2011 / All PDR forms to have
been signed off by Institute director or manager and written feedback provided
3.10 / Review PDR forms to
identify anyone who could be considering applying for promotion / Staff informed that they
can put themselves forward for promotion (started 2012)
All PDRs signed off by IHS director (academic/research) / Proactive
consideration of staff at right stage in career for promotion in addition to individual staff members putting / IHS Director;
Institute Manager / Ongoing / May
2014 / Increase in staff at
gaining promotion
and IHS manager
(support staff) / themselves
forward
3.11 / Review of promotion
documents by internal committee / Since 2012 process in
place to review promotion documents by internal promotions committee and feedback given to optimise chances of promotion / Process in place for
two years- review process through feedback from those who have experienced it / Institute
Director; Institute Manager; Deputy Institute Manager; Head of Teaching & Learning; IHS Research Lead / Review to
take place before 2014-15
promotion round / July
2014 / Review of internal
promotions review completed and any changes to process made
3.12 / Ensure all University
promotion documents held on the IHS intranet are up- to-date / University promotion
documents held on intranet / Check they are up-
to-date and complete / Deputy
Institute Manager / Check will
take place before next promotions round / Oct
2014 / Up-to-date forms on
intranet
3.13 / Advertise Faculty
promotion and PDR workshops on IHS intranet / Ongoing / Deputy
Institute Manager / Ongoing / Apr
2011 / Faculty promotion and
PDR workshops advertised on IHS intranet
3.14 / Hold sample CV’s for all / Gain permission / Institute / To take / July / Sample CVs held on IHS
academic, research and / from staff to use / Manager / place / 2015 / shared folder
admin levels in a IHS / CV, set up folder / before
shared folder for those / and store CV’s / 2015-16
considering promotion / promotion
round
3.15 / Design and run leadership
training courses all academic staff
Review and evaluate leadership training course / Internal leadership
training course tailored to staff in IHS developed and offered to, and completed, by senior staff / Roll out to all IHS
staff / Institute
Manager; IHS Director; NU Staff
Development Unit / Ongoing / Oct
2011 / Record uptake of
leadership course
Record feedback from attendees and amend