Southern Health & Social Care Trust, based in Northern Ireland, has chosen to use a new employee app from Civica.
The app was developed in 4 weeks to support communications and sharing of information with employees during COVID-19.
It will be used to inform healthcare professionals of the latest updates during the pandemic and provide a central hub for sharing information or issuing alerts.
The app also includes chatbot functionality for employees to ask questions and get a response on common questions. It then provides a daily breakdown of questions being asked so the Trust’s communications team and the Trust can send out push notifications for important announcements, such as notifying employees of a new PPE delivery.
Vivienne Toal, Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development, Southern Health & Social Care Trust said “Together with Civica and Big Motive, we have been working extremely hard over the past month to find a way to ensure all our employees, including those who do not have easy access to a computer, can access information regarding news, benefits and health and wellbeing on a regular basis.”
“Engaging with and listening to our staff is fundamental to helping us create a great place to work. One of the key areas we identified for improvement following our 2019 staff survey was communication and engagement, so we are thrilled that this app will enable us to connect and engage with everyone across the organisation quickly and effectively. This roll-out is just the first phase and we are very excited about how the app will develop over time.”
Steve Brain, Executive Director, Health and Care, Civica added “The SHSCT Connect App will allow the Southern Health & Social Care Trust to share focused, easily consumed content with its 13,000 employees, ensuring they are always kept up-to-date. We are delighted to be supporting the Trust with its digital transformation strategy at this crucial time and improving its employees’ engagement and wellbeing at work.”
Last month The Department of Health Northern Ireland also launched a COVID-19information app with the support of Civica, in partnership with Big Motive. The app provides trusted, immediate advice and links to information and includes guidance on the symptoms of the coronavirus infection and supports individuals to identify whether they might potentially have the infection. It also provides advice on what actions people should take if they think they may have coronavirus.
