Human Resources Director of the Year award for Harrogate-based NHS leader

A prestigious national Human Resources Director of the Year award has gone to Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust’s Director of Workforce and Organisational Development.

Phillip Marshall has scooped the Healthcare People Management Association’s award for 2017, and was described as “one of the pre-eminent HR Director experts in terms of workforce development, skills and education.”

This year, Phillip has spearheaded the implementation of a values and behaviours framework incorporating values-based appraisals and provided leadership to the roll out of a Quality Charter, which sets out the Trust’s ambition for quality and safety, promotes staff engagement, provides assurance on care quality and supports a positive culture.

Phillip also works across the region. He has a history of involvement with Health Education England’s Local Education and Training Boards, which are responsible for the training and education of NHS staff, and is currently a Board member of the LETB North. He leads the Registered Staff work stream for the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Sustainability and Transformation Partnership through the Local Workforce Action Board, and co-leads the creation of a collaborative staff employment bank across the six hospital trusts in the Partnership.

Phillip, who has been in post in Harrogate for 11 years, said: I’m delighted and incredibly proud to have received this award. It’s testament to the hard work of my team as well as managers across the Trust in driving forward good people management and creating an inclusive, forward-looking working environment.

There is a direct link between the job that I and my team do, the engagement of our workforce and the outcomes for our patients and those who use our services. Happy members of staff, who love and care about what they do, does equal better care for patients and I see this every day when I go to work.

The Trust manages Harrogate District Hospital, Ripon Community Hospital plus extensive community services across North Yorkshire, Middlesbrough, County Durham and Darlington. It employs approximately 4,500 members of staff.

Ray Gray, Regional Organiser for the trade union Unison, said: For partnership to work it has to be more than just words on a document and in Harrogate, Phillip ensures that we are listened to, respected and feel part of a real partnership that has the interest of the staff and the patients at the heart of all that we do.

In the HPMA Award Programme it was stated: “Phillip is held in great regard by his own team, peers in his trust and, critically, other partners outside the organisation all of whom value his honest and approachable manner underscored by humility and modesty. Phillip is a fantastic asset to the HR community but more importantly the NHS.  A truly deserving HR Director of the Year.”