NHS retirement: old enough to know better

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The NHS Retirement Fellowship must attract younger members if it is to continue to represent ex-staff. Stuart Shepherd reports

"It remains astounding to me that when I was the chief executive of South Manchester University Hospitals trust I knew very little about our local branch of the NHS Retirement Fellowship," said one of the speakers at its recent annual conference.

This is all the more astounding when you consider that the speaker, Mike Brown, is now the fellowship's director. In making such an admission, he has signalled his determination to raise the profile of what is already a sizeable organisation, with approximately 175 branches and over 15,000 members.

The social and support network for retired NHS staff would benefit from a wider awareness of the role it plays and the contribution it can make, not just to the well-being and welfare of its members, but also to the future success of the NHS.

This could be a pivotal moment in its history. Established in 1978, numbers have fallen slightly recently, with a 5 per cent drop in membership in the last year.

"Some of this is related to the fellowship's age profile," says Mike. "The older members [some of whom were working in the NHS at its inception in 1948] remain the cornerstone of our organisation, but I am sure they would be the first to welcome younger newly retired people to keep it thriving and lively."

Plans are also afoot to bring in new members, potentially in considerable numbers, via new routes. Negotiations are under way with at least one professional body with a view to tying in membership of the fellowship to entry on the retirement register of that body. One thought is that joining fees might be paid for one or more years by a college, association or representative body which would also put retiring members in touch with their local fellowship branch.

If implemented, such a step would swell the ranks of the fellowship almost overnight. Fresh from the front line, new members would be well informed about the current state of affairs and, like current members, keen to continue contributing to the NHS, its function and values.

Manifesto for the future

Evidence for this enduring commitment comes in the shape of the fellowship's manifesto, pulled together with the help of its patron, health management consultant and former County Durham and Tees Valley strategic health authority chief executive Ken Jarrold.

"The manifesto is an expression of our views on the future direction of the NHS," says Mike. "It contains a strong emphasis on quality and dignity, a belief in back-to-basics nursing care, a focus on eradicating healthcare acquired infections and an end to the postcode lottery for drugs and treatments. We sent it to Lord Darzi as our input to the next stage review process and I would like to think we had some modest influence on what he had to say."

Several other social and policy drivers offer the fellowship opportunities to contribute to important health and public sector directions, as Dean Royles, director of workforce and education at NHS North West, points out.

"The NHS cares for the family from cradle to grave and it is right it should also [engage] in a continuing relationship with people who have worked within it and who identify themselves as part of a bigger NHS family. The fellowship can help with that relationship, and at a time when we are looking to increase staff and public engagement, we will look to its members for their views, for instance on things like service changes and the constitution."

Retirement is of course another subject on which the fellowship can expect to be consulted regularly.

"The new pension rules allow for much more flexible retirement planning," says Dean. "We can work with the fellowship to communicate some of those opportunities to people who might want to start thinking about a phase of 'stepping down' - where they are in work and retirement at the same time - more effectively."

Clear signs of a greater part to be played by the organisation in supporting the climate of new pension and work arrangements came with a recent invitation to meet and explore the issues with the Department of Health pension policy team. "We are on the verge of being asked what we as an organisation can do to facilitate that winding down period, as staff make the shift from working full time. It shouldn't be forgotten either that there is no need for people to be fully retired before joining us," adds Mike.

Fellowship members have been helping staff to make plans for retirement for many years. Where connections between branch and local trust are strong, it is often invited to talk about the benefits of membership to a pre-retirement group. In some trusts that has been taken further and it works with two external trainers - one with a background in occupational psychology, the other in personal finance - to deliver complete retirement planning programmes.

Enjoying retirement

The concern remains that in many branches channels of communication between the local fellowship and trust chief executive's office are not as good as they should be.

"Several trusts are very supportive and provide a small grant for secretarial support, room hire, a Christmas lunch and so on," says Mike. "But a lot aren't and this is either because they don't know we are there or they are not making resources available."

Change seems in the offing and for the good. There is a constant at the heart of the change though, as Mike made a point of saying in his address to the conference. The fellowship exists to help former NHS employees get together and enjoy their retirement.

With this objective in mind, it continues to succeed, as Jean Harvey, former head of the private office of the chief executive of Dorset health authority and 1965 graduate management trainee, testifies: "It is a wonderful forum for bringing old friends and colleagues together. Fellowship isn't just a word, it is a major feature of what's on offer."