Blogs

What is your name and job role? 

I’m Alfia Jaweed and I work in HR Ops at Northumbria. 

What is the purpose of your team within HR? 

• My role is to support colleagues and managers with people issues — helping things get resolved fairly, consistently and early. 

• That matters because when people feel respected, listened to and supported, we create a positive culture where everyone can be their best at work. 

How does your team fit into Northumbria’s people strategy? 

• through compassionate leadership, inclusion and staff voice. 

• And ultimately, it helps people feel they belong here at Northumbria — so they can focus on great care. 

• On International HR Day, I just want to say thank you to colleagues across the Trust — and to my HR teammates — for living our values: Patients First, Respect and Always Improving. 

What is your favourite thing about your role? 

My favourite thing about my role is the variety and impact it has. Every day brings different challenges, from supporting managers with people issues to contributing to performance reporting and learning through training. It’s rewarding to know the work really makes a difference. 

What is your name and job role?

I’m Katie Frazer and I work in the Staff Bank team.

What is the purpose of your team within HR?

• We support services to fill shifts safely, ensuring staffing gaps are covered and services can continue.
• We support the wellbeing of our bank workforce to enable safe, reliable and sustainable shift cover across the Trust.

How does your team fit into Northumbria’s people strategy?

• This supports the People & OD Strategy priority on workforce supply and sustainability, by providing a reliable internal workforce to fill shifts safely and maintain service continuity.
• By supporting the wellbeing and availability of our bank workforce, we maximise internal cover and reduce reliance on agency usage, ensuring sustainable staffing for services.
• On International HR Day, thank you to our bank workers, and to the ward and service teams who work alongside us to deliver safe staffing across our services

What is your favourite thing about your role?

I have been part of the Staff Bank team at Northumbria for over four years, and what I value most about my role is the variety it brings each day. It’s a position that offers both challenges and rewards in equal measure. I work with our bank workers supporting them with a wide range of queries, from joining the staff bank to navigating their day-to-day experience within it. No two days are ever the same, which keeps the role interesting and continually pushes me to adapt and learn.

While it can sometimes be challenging, particularly as we’re supporting people with individual circumstances while also upholding policies, it’s this human element that makes the role so meaningful. The most rewarding part is receiving positive feedback from individuals I’ve supported, knowing I’ve made a difference to their experience. It’s a role that keeps me on my toes and allows me to combine problem-solving with empathy, which is why I find it so fulfilling.

What is your name and job role?

I’m Graeme Ryder from Learning & Development

What is the purpose of your team within HR?

• We support colleagues to training, develop and progress their careers — from statutory and mandatory learning to workforce development and Technology enhanced learning.
• It matters because when people have the confidence and capability to embrace new ways of working, it helps us deliver excellent care, improve and lead change.

How does your team fit into Northumbria’s people strategy?

• Learning & Development (L&D) enables the People & Organisational Development Strategy by building everyday capability and confidence. Through Workforce Development, Induction, Appraisal and Clinical Learning, it supports staff at every career stage, aligning individual growth with organisational priorities and ensuring people are prepared, supported and able to deliver high‑quality care.
• L&D underpins safe and effective practice through Statutory & Mandatory Training and Technology Enhanced Learning, providing flexible, accessible development. Together, these elements strengthen leadership, culture, wellbeing and inclusion, while improving productivity and retention—making learning a strategic investment in workforce sustainability and long‑term organisational success.
• On International HR Day, thank you to everyone who makes time to learn and supports others to grow.

What is your favourite thing about your role?

My favourite aspect of my L&D role is the breadth and variety of projects I work on, all of which align strongly with my passion for supporting people to learn, grow and develop.

What is your name and job role?

I’m Pietro Tavasci from Workforce Systems - Rostering.

What is the purpose of your team within HR?

• We work with teams to plan and roster staffing, so services have the right people with the right skills at the right time.
• Effective rostering supports fairness, flexibility and safe staffing. This helps teams run smoothly day to day.

How does your team fit into Northumbria’s people strategy?

• This is central to our People & OD Strategy priority on supply and sustainability; modernising rostering and strengthening workforce planning to support service transformation.
• When plans are clear and fair, colleagues feel supported and patients get the safest care.
• On International HR Day, we’d like to thank managers and teams who proactively engage with rostering and help make planning work well for everyone.

What is your favourite thing about your role?

What I enjoy most about my role as a Workforce Systems Support Officer is supporting colleagues in resolving the queries they encounter while using our systems day-to-day. I particularly value the opportunity to interact with colleagues directly, understand their challenges, and see the immediate positive impact once their issues are resolved.

What is your name and job role? – picture on next page

I’m Ben Hutchinson and I work in Workforce Systems – Reporting

What is the purpose of your team within HR?

• We turn workforce data into insight — helping teams understand trends like retention, absence, rostering and training compliance.
• That matters because good insight helps us spot risks early and target support where it’s needed — a prevention-first approach for the workforce.

How does your team fit into Northumbria’s people strategy?

• This links directly to our People & OD Strategy commitment to strengthen workforce planning and predictive capability.
• When we understand what colleagues are experiencing, we can respond with the right support — and help people feel heard and valued.
• On International HR Day, thank you to colleagues who keep data accurate and use insight to improve the staff experience.

What is your favourite thing about your role?

I really enjoy having the opportunity to develop new and innovative solutions in Excel and Power BI, particularly when it involves turning complex data into clear, meaningful insights. I find it highly rewarding to explore different approaches, refine processes, and create tools that genuinely add value.

What motivates me most is seeing the tangible impact of the work I produce. Knowing that the reports and analyses I’ve contributed to are actively supporting decision-making across the Trust gives me a strong sense of purpose. For example, being able to help highlight trends in areas such as sickness absence and contribute to initiatives that drive improvement is incredibly fulfilling. It’s especially satisfying to see how data-driven insights can influence positive change and support better outcomes for both staff and the organisation as a whole.

What is your name and job role?

I’m Owen Arries from Workforce Systems - ESR.

What is the purpose of your team within HR?

We manage the digital tools and processes that support our workforce — making it easier for colleagues to access information, keep records up to date, and complete tasks efficiently. When these systems work well, they reduce administrative burden and give valuable time back to patient care

How does your team fit into Northumbria’s people strategy?

• This links directly to our People & OD Strategy priority of workforce supply and sustainability — modernising and automating people services and building digital confidence.
• It also helps colleagues feel supported and confident in their day-to-day work — and that they belong to a Trust that invests in better ways of working.
• On International HR Day, thank you to everyone who collaborates with us, tests new improvements, and helps make our digital ways of working successful.

What is your favourite thing about your role?

My favourite part of my role is working directly with staff and management when they’re experiencing issues with a system, particularly when something feels confusing or frustrating to them. I enjoy not only resolving the immediate problem but taking the time to explain what’s happening in clear, simple terms so they feel confident tackling similar issues in the future. For me, it’s like translating a different language, turning technical processes into something accessible for those who aren’t especially tech savvy. Helping someone move from feeling stuck to feeling empowered is incredibly rewarding, and it’s what makes the role so satisfying as well as knowing the time saved with these admin tasks frees up more time for patient care.

What is your name and job role?

We are Claire Ferguson, Vicky Thomas, Zoe Robinson Moul and Ann Webb and as people resourcing advisors, we manage the Resourcing, Recruitment & Selection service and teams.

What is the purpose of your team within HR?

My job is to help people join the Trust and have a great experience from offer to first day — answering questions, smoothing the process and keeping things moving.

It matters because how we welcome people shapes how they feel about belonging here.

How does your team fit into Northumbria’s people strategy?

Recruitment is a key part of our People & OD Strategy priority on workforce supply and sustainability — building pipelines and supporting the right skills in the right place at the right time.

On International HR Day, thank you to managers and teams across the Trust who make new starters feel welcomed and supported.

What is your favourite thing about your role?

Our roles have so much variation with no two days being the same - we enjoy people‑focused interactions, meeting and supporting a range of candidates and managers, balancing the delivery of structured administrative support services and being motivated by improving our recruitment process with fair, consistent, and evidence‑based assessment processes.   Supporting staff in their professional and personal development through psychometrics and through implementing complex legal standards with care and compassion such as redeployment and changing visa/immigration rules is really rewarding. Knowing that our roles contribute to a safer environment for employees and patients is what motivates us.

What is your name and job role?

I’m Rhys Johnson from HR Records.

What is the purpose of your team within HR?

• We keep workforce records accurate and up to date — from contracts and changes to essential checks and documentation.
• It might be behind the scenes, but it’s important because accurate records help everything else work well — including pay, access, reporting and workforce planning.

How does your team fit into Northumbria’s people strategy?

• This supports our People & OD Strategy by making sure our people processes are consistent, fair and digitally enabled.
• When the foundations are strong, colleagues feel supported and confident — and can focus on caring for our communities.
• On International HR Day, thank you to colleagues who send information promptly and help us keep the foundations strong.

What is your favourite thing about your role?

Knowing we are upholding the governance standards of Northumbria Healthcare in order to provide safe and high-quality services for staff and patients.