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Job summary

Main area
Human Resources
Grade
Band 6
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
197-RF8805
Employer
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Laurence House
Town
Catford
Salary
£39,959 - £48,117 per annum plus HCAS
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
21/10/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust logo

Senior ER Advisor

Band 6

Please refer to the Applicant Guide via this link for key information:- Applying to LGT Guide - Key Information for Applicants 

 

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.

Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup.

We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 – the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.

To achieve this we value Respect, Compassion, and Inclusion; Being accountable over  staying comfortable; Listening  over always knowing best; and Succeeding together over achieving alone. You can read more about our visions and values here

Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as “good” or “outstanding” in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.

Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.

LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King’s College London’s GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.

We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the ICS in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.

Job overview

We are looking for an experienced and proactive Senior HR Advisor to join our Employee Relations team. This is an opportunity to provide a comprehensive, responsive and high-quality employee relations service to managers across Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, helping them manage people matters confidently, fairly and consistently.

Working in partnership with managers, colleagues and trade union representatives, you will provide specialist advice on complex employee relations matters, applying employment legislation, Trust policies and good practice. You will support the timely resolution of cases, contribute to effective people-management practice and help ensure that workforce decisions support the Trust’s objectives and the wellbeing of its staff.

The successful candidate will bring sound employee relations experience, up-to-date employment law knowledge and the confidence to coach and influence managers. You will need excellent communication, organisational and relationship-building skills, with the ability to work in a fast paced environment managing a varied workload and maintain accuracy, confidentiality and professional credibility.

INTERVIEW DATE 4TH NOVEMBER 2026

Main duties of the job

·       Provide specialist advice and practical support to managers on sickness absence, conduct, capability and performance, grievances, dignity at work concerns and other employee relations matters.

·       Manage a varied employee relations caseload, ensuring cases progress promptly and in line with Trust policy, employment legislation and best practice.

·       Advise managers at formal hearings, supporting fair and consistent decision-making and the correct application of procedures.

·       Support the preparation of management cases, appeals and responses relating to Employment Tribunal claims, and maintain accurate records of formal proceedings.

·       Work proactively with managers to improve attendance and staff wellbeing, including providing advice on NHS terms and conditions and workplace options.

·      Coach managers and design and deliver training or briefing sessions on employee relations and people-management topics.

·       Contribute to the review and development of employment policies and keep up to date with employment law and HR best practice.

·       Support recruitment initiatives and advise managers where required on matters arising from positive DBS checks.

Working for our organisation

Please refer to the Applicant Guide via the link below for key information:- Applying to LGT Guide - Key Information for Applicants 

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

  1. Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
  2. Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
  3. Improving the experience of staff with disability
  4. Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
  5. Making equalities mainstream

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 
Employee Relations 
1. To provide advice and support to managers on all aspects of employee relations 
including sickness absence, conduct, performance management, grievances and 
harassment and bullying cases, ensuring timely progression of such cases, in line 
with Trust policies, employment legislation and best practice guidance. 
2. To advise managers on the application of Trust employment policies and 
procedures, providing coaching and training to managers to promote and 
maintain good employee relations as well as health and well-being at work. 
3. To advise managers chairing formal hearings under Trust employment 
procedures, ensuring that appropriate procedures are followed and adhered to 
and that employees have full, fair and impartial hearing. To advise managers on 
appropriate action to take under such procedures, taking account of all the 
circumstances of the case, ensuring a consistency of approach across the Trust. 
4. To be responsible for taking and transcribing notes at formal hearings to ensure 
an accurate record of proceedings is kept for use at internal appeals and external 
Employment Tribunal Hearings. 
5. To assist managers in preparing the management statement of case for internal 
appeal hearings   
6. To assist the Associate Director of Workforce/Head of Employee Relations in 
preparing responses for employment tribunal claims and preparing for ET 
hearings. 
7. To provide information to staff on NHS terms and conditions of service and 
issues impacting staff health and wellbeing at work, such as salary details, 
annual leave, maternity leave, paternity leave, adoption leave, flexible working 
options, retirement, stress management, sickness entitlement and ill health 
retirement. 
8. To be responsible for working proactively with managers to manage and reduce 
sickness absence, in line with the Trust’s performance targets and strategy on 
absence management.   
9. To work with the Head of Employee Relations /Associate Director of Workforce to 
review and develop Trust employment policies, to ensure the Trust has robust 
policies and procedures in place which comply with current employment 
legislation and NHS Employers standards. 
10. To keep up to date on developments in employment law and HR best practice  
Recruitment and Retention 
11. To support managers, as and when required, on designated recruitment initiatives.   
12. To support managers who have been advised by Trust Staffing of positive DBS 
checks.  
Change Management 
13. To advise managers on the implementation of organisational change initiatives, 
ensuring that the Trust meets it obligation to consult with staff and their recognised 
Trade Unions/Professional Organisations. 
14. To assist with the management of redundancy and redeployment processes, 
ensuring the Trust policy on organisational change is followed appropriately. 
Management 
15. To jointly line manage the HR Assistant, ensuring the provision of an efficient and 
effective service, conducting performance appraisals in line with the Trust’s 
Performance Appraisal policy. 
Training 
16. To develop and deliver training sessions for managers on HR management 
issues such as performance management, managing sickness absence and 
capability, working alongside the training department to co-ordinate the delivery 
of such training programmes. 
17. To work with alongside directorate managers to identify management coaching 
and development needs within the designated areas and design and deliver 
bespoke coaching and briefing sessions as required. 

Person specification

Education/Qual

Essential criteria
  • Educated to degree level or equivalent experience
  • Proven experience in a HR role that included undertaking an employment relations component with minimal supervision
  • Up to date knowledge of employment law and good employment practice.
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of working in a unionised environment
  • Experience of advising managers at disciplinary hearing and other formal hearings

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience of advising managers on the application of employment policies
  • Robust experience of supporting absence management
  • Experience of designing and deliverying training/coaching managers

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Ability to prioritise and organise workload

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Trust IDCapital Nurse, LondonVeteran AwareApprenticeships logoTimewise helps businesses to attract and develop the best talent through flexible working.No smoking policyLondon Living Wage is a voluntary commitment made by employers, who can become accredited with the Living Wage FoundationAge positiveDisability confident leaderArmed Forces Covenant (Silver Award)We offer Wagestream - A financial wellbeing benefit which lets you access your pay as you earn it.NHS Rainbow badgePrince's Trust - Proud to support the Prince's trust - Youth can do itStep into healthHappy to Talk Flexible WorkingArmed Forces Covenant

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Nicky Bushe
Job title
Assistant Director Employee Relations & Policy
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07469 441050
Additional information

[email protected]  ER Manager

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