Devon Partnership NHS Trust
05/07/2007
“It was sometimes difficult to remember that Arthur was an interim appointment given his commitment and efforts………Arthur was ‘head and shoulders’ above the usual external interim appointments and we valued his time with us immensely.”- Iain Tulley, Chief Executive Officer.
When Devon Partnership NHS Trust, a provider of high quality mental health and learning disability services, were faced with a difficult period of transition they turned to Praxis to help resource an interim Director of HR.
Praxis Executive is a leading interim management provider and search and selection business, dedicated to placing experienced interim managers and executives across all major functional business disciplines.
The original assignment was to cover the gap left by the outgoing HR Director until a new person was appointed. It was estimated that the assignment would last for two months.
Arthur Jones was the candidate best suited to the role bringing with him extensive experience within the Public Sector, having previously worked for a number of NHS Trusts. Little did Arthur realise the sheer magnitude of the task that lay ahead of him however. What was originally intended to be a two-month post actually turned into a ten-month placement. Arthur recalls, “When I arrived, there was no handover as the previous incumbent left earlier than planned, the HR function was in the midst of reorganisation and lacked direction”.
Nevertheless “Arthur very quickly established himself within the organisation and made very effective links with key players, helping the team to assess priorities and agree ways forward”, Iain Tully, the Chief Executive Officer of Devon Partnership NHS Trust explains. “He has a strong presence and style, but one which is clearly founded on desire and commitment to move organisations and get the job done. He is a clear, effective communicator and his experience; along with his calm, thoughtful approach was just what was needed during a difficult period”.
Arthur firstly assessed the HR function and while being both strategic and operational managed to retain the centralisation of the transactional HR processes but changed the operational model. This change ensured a better link between HR and the functioning objectives of the trust and their effective delivery.
The next stage was to address and then improve a number of quite difficult and sensitive relationships from both within and outside the trust; Arthur formulated an action plan, set up and chaired an implementation group and regularly met with full time officers and trust managers to ensure a fast track programme of resolution was executed. Arthur recalls “The problems required different solutions but the approach was that with a can do attitude the problems could be resolved”.
Arthur’s exceptional effort in resolving these complicated and somewhat vulnerable issues is highly regarded by the trust. Iain Tulley explains; ‘It was sometimes difficult to remember that Arthur was an interim appointment given his commitment and efforts. He was very conscientious and hardworking and very focused on outcome and delivery. What will remain with us is how effective he was in identifying some of the key issues and very consciously focusing on them and ensuring that real progress and strides were made in resolving long standing issues. There has been a significant reduction in outstanding grievances and longstanding suspensions with practices in place to resolve staff issues and disputes more effectively in future, improvements in recruitment and retention, and improvements in partnership arrangements with staff side organisations’.
The success of this assignment is highlighted by Arthur Jones’s subsequent nomination for ‘Human Resources Interim Manager of the Year 2005’ by Iain Tulley and colleagues at the Devon Partnership NHS Trust. Arthur went on to win this award and comments, ‘I thoroughly enjoyed the assignment and felt I had made a significant contribution to the Trust. Also I was there sufficiently long enough to see through some projects from start to finish, which was very satisfying”.
In conclusion, Iain Tully comments, “He transformed the HR Directorate, ensuring that we have the right people in the right place to deliver the agenda, leaving behind a team that has been built on sound footings. Arthur was ‘head and shoulders ‘ above the usual external interim appointments and we valued his time with us immensely”.
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