ESR access is controlled by both Supervisor Self Service access and the Supervisor Hierarchy. If a user does not have any direct reports in ESR they will have no supervisor hierarchy and be unable to see any staff records when accessing Supervisor Self Service. For further information relating to Supervisor Hierarchies in ESR please click on the headings below.
ESR uses Position Numbers to determine roles within the Trust. Each position number contains a wealth of key workforce information such as; Job Title, pay grade, ESR Organisation/cost centre, occupation code, staff group, subjective code etc. Use of accurate Position Numbers is vital when completing a contractual change or submitting a vacancy requisition. For further information relating to Position Numbers in ESR please click on the heading below.
In conjunction with ESR Supervisor Self Service access, the supervisor hierarchy is the mechanism which controls access to records within ESR. ESR users who have Supervisor Self Service access can only view and access records which sit below them within their supervisor hierarchy. Those staff records which do not sit within a users’ hierarchy cannot be viewed or accessed by the user.
Accurate supervisor hierarchies are a vital requirement to allow managers to record Appraisals and Pay Progression Meetings, manage Flexible Working requests as well as manage absences such as annual leave and sickness absence for their teams (NB: absences managed within the HealthRoster system are automatically uploaded to ESR once a month following finalisation and therefore do not need to be dual input to both HealthRoster and ESR).
Should supervisor hierarchies be inaccurate, staff records will not be visible and actions cannot be undertaken against those records.
All hierarchies will have multiple levels. Dependant on the users’ placement in the structure these levels may or may not be visible.
An example of supervisor hierarchy can be found below. This hierarchy allows the senior staff member, Matron in this example, to view and undertake actions in ESR against their individual team members's records. This hierarchy also gives the option for management responsibilities to be devolved, if desired, to Team Leaders/Seniors within the overall team should those individuals have Supervisor Self Service access.
In the above mocked up example Jean Smythe is the Matron for Wards 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D and she sits at the top of the hierarchy. As the entire hierarchy shown sits beneath Jean she will be able to see all records in ESR. Those identified as Ward Managers are classed as ‘Direct Reports’ to Jean Smythe as they sit directly beneath her in the hierarchy.
Paul Evans’ ‘Direct Reports’ are Jane Jones and Michael White. Paul can view and access the staff records for these ‘Direct Reports’ as well as those who sit directly below these ‘Direct Reports’, also known as ‘Indirect Reports’. Paul Evans cannot see records for anyone other than his 'Direct' or 'Indirect Reports', for example he will not be able to see records for Tom Jones and his team.
ESR also has functionality to allow Proxy Access, and would be used in conjunction with Supervisor Hierarchies. This is an alternative to factoring staff into the Supervisor Hierarchy, and can often be useful should an area have an admin resource who handles ESR updates for a team. This admin resource is managed by a different individual so therefore needs to remain in their current Supervisor Hierarchy, but also needs to view and access other records. Proxy Access will allow this once set and enables actions to be undertaken and records viewed.
- Proxy Access is set, managed and controlled by the user themselves. It cannot be set centrally by the Workforce Team.
- Proxy Access allows someone to access ESR and undertake actions on their behalf of others.
- Those being given Proxy Access must login to ESR using their smartcard and they must be assigned Supervisor Self Service access.
- Actions undertaken within ESR via Proxy Access are fully auditable so we can identify both the manager who has given Proxy Access and the Proxy Access user.
To view the national video tutorial/guidance on how to set Proxy Access please click here (please log into ESR before clicking the link)
In the above mocked up example Jean Smythe is the Matron for Wards 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D. She has a PA who has been tasked with updating ESR. Proxy access can be assigned by Jean to Barbara to allow her to undertake actions in ESR on Jean's behalf. Start and end dates can be added when setting Proxy Access to only allow access when required.
Check Hierarchies Directly Within ESR When Logged In
- When logged in using Supervisor Self Service the manager tab holds an 'Organisation Chart' portlet. When launched this will show all your direct reports together with your indirect reports.
- For the majority of ESR processes there will be a screen which will show a 'People in Hierarchy' view. This is essentially the hierarchy which sits below that users' record, and any records with a plus icon can be expanded to reveal indirect reports.
- Business Intelligence, the ESR reporting module, has a dashboard which will render a graphical representations of the supervisor hierarchy. This can be accessed by clicking on 'Business Intelligence', then opening the 'NHS Staff in Post' dashboard and selecting the 'Supervisor Hierarchy' tab. It should be noted that viewing with Business Intelligence will group hierarchies by ESR Organisation/cost centre, therefore if your hierarchy crosses more than one ESR Organisation/cost centre there may be branches of your hierarchy missing
How Can I update my Supervisor Hierarchy?
Please click here to contact workforce
Tips to Maintain Supervisor Hierarchies
As a manager you will need to consider those in your ESR Supervisor Hierarchy in order to ensure you have access to the appropriate records. This is important should any staff start, leave or move into or out of your team/area.
- New Starters - When staff first commence in post the recruiting manager may be added as their Supervisor in ESR, or the person who has the most direct reports in that area may be set as their supervisor. To ensure the new starter has the correct supervisor from the outset the supervisor name should be confirmed to Recruitment so this can be included in the handover to the Employment Team.
- Changes/Moves - When staff move to a new/different role within the Trust, in the same or different team, their supervisor may need to be changed. If a contractual change has been submitted and a new supervisor is needed this should be included on the contractual change form.
- Leavers - Should a staff member be leaving the Trust they may have Direct and Indirect reports. When their leaving date passes any Direct or Indirect reports will no longer be linked to the hierarchy causing a break. Steps should be taken as soon as possible to inform the Employment Team or Workforce Team of any updates required in light of the member of staff leaving to maintain continuity with the supervisor hierarchy.
ESR uses Position Numbers to identify roles and their associated terms. All NHS staff who are paid via ESR will have a Position Number against their ESR assignment. It is vital that managers understand ESR position Numbers so they are used appropriately when submitting any contractual change forms (GreenLight system), or any vacancy requisitions (TRAC system).
Key workforce data which is linked to Position Numbers is as follows (not exhaustive):
- Job Title
- Pay Grade
- ESR Organisation/Cost Centre (budget which cover salary costs)
- Staff Group and Role
- Occupation Code
- Subjective Code
If an incorrect Position Number is used in the processes mentioned above this can impact budgets (incorrect cost centre used) as data feeds the Financial Ledger system.
**COMING SOON** A report is being developed which will be a filterable list detailing ESR Position Numbers - EXPECTED NOV24
Should you require a new position number or a change to an existing position number please email workforce