SMT Meeting held on Wednesday 2 June 2021 at 9:00 a.m.
(via zoom)
In attendance:
- R Kidd - Chair and Chief Executive
- N Monson - Deputy Chief Executive
- B Monson - Deputy Chief Executive
1. Apologies
- L Burns - Deputy Chief Executive
- K Neeson - Deputy Chief Executive
2. Minutes from previous meeting
The minutes from the 5 May 2021 meeting were agreed.
3. Action Points
There were no action points not covered by the agenda.
4. Corporate Health, Safety and Welfare
The re-occupation of the buildings were revised taking account of the latest information available. A site visit was conducted and Trade Union side has raised a number of questions which will be considered. There was also a discussion on what additional equipment might be required going forward under a hybrid home/office working model such as desks, chairs, monitors etc.
5. (a) Audit, Risk Management and Finance
SMT discussed the fact that the finance position this year will likely be ok due to ongoing vacancy rates.
5. (b) Emerging Risks
- Staffing continues to be a challenge as the filling of posts has progressed slowly and there is an underlying concern that an embargo could result in posts not being filled.
- The Building Safety Regulator role remains an ongoing issue with no decision taken as to how it will be rolled out in Northern Ireland. The chief executive updated SMT on the meeting which he and K Neeson attended and which was chaired by HOCS which gave a much more positive outlook as it clarified the role of HSENI. (Carried forward)
6. Staffing
- SMT noted recruitment is ongoing for a number of posts and is at various stages. All EU posts and the Deputy Chief Executive are now through grading. It was agreed that the paper regarding trainees would be put to the Department seeking approval to recruit up to 5 trainees over our current number of vacancies.
- This has been shared with Trade Union side and they are aware of the challenges of having to support a large trainee cohort vs not recruiting enough staff to fill the existing vacancies. This is acknowledged as a finely balanced decision.
7. Case and Project Work
Major Investigation Team (MIT) update
N Monson shared the statistics on the number of cases currently with MIT. A separate attachment was sent to SMT in advance of the meeting.
EU Exit / Transition period
Principal Professional Technical Officer (PPTO) interviews are now complete and papers are back with HR Connect.
8. Business Planning
No further updates at present.
9. Performance Monitoring
B Monson updated SMT referring to the new format pdf report which he had shared in advance of the meeting and outlined some of the statistics. We have been involved in some 220 clusters with Public Health Agency colleagues during the course of the pandemic since the introduction of the track and alert system.
10. Board Business
SMT discussed the first board meeting with the new members and considered how we might help their induction by providing support and assistance in certain areas.
11. Any other business
B Monson alerted SMT to a Post Project Evaluation exercise which is required to be conducted following the implementation of the Case Management System.
12. Date of next meeting
The date of the next meeting is 1 July 2021.
The meeting concluded at 11:30am.