Employee financial health comes to the fore after COVID

Purpose>This paper aims to discuss employee financial health post COVID.Design/methodology/approach>The following article outlines different schemes that can be used to improve employee financial health.Findings>Analysis of the transactional data that open banking provides gives employers unprecedented capabilities to finally measure the improvement they make on the financial health of its workforce.Originality/value>This paper provides insight into how financial wellbeing tools can improve the financial health of employees post COVID.

Primary care: challenges faced during COVID-19

The COVID-19 outbreak is arguably one of the greatest public health challenges of our time - not least for general practice, where over 1 million patients are already treated daily. Boundary House Medical Centre, a GP practice in Greater Manchester, has a 10,500 patient population and 28 members of staff. As lockdown approached, the transition in primary care in such a short space of time presented many challenges, particularly for those in leadership positions (practice manager (PM), GP partners). This project sought to capture the experiences of the staff at the practice to highlight lessons learnt during the pandemic in primary care.Using a semi-structured format, interviews were conducted in July 2020 of all staff members at the practice. This involved the PM, 3 GP partners, Salaried GPs, GP trainees, trainee advanced practioner, Nurses, HCAs, and the rest of the diverse administration team (n=28). Their responses were summarised into transcripts using an interview-based format. Consensus coding of the transcripts was performed using thematic analysis to establish common themes during the interviews and how this related to staff well-being.This project highlighted some key learning points in primary care during the Covid-19 pandemic. It challenged leaders to be adaptable during uncertain periods, keeping staff engaged and up to date, and fostering a feeling of togetherness in a collective aim to still provide excellent patient care. Leaders felt empowered with more individual autonomy and there was a greater focus on staff wellbeing through both the creation of an environment which makes staff feel safe, valued and supported, ultimately improving staff well-being and morale.