e-KSF / SWISS Integration Resources (Scotland)
The e-KSF technical team, along with their counterparts from NHS Scotland, are working hard to create a data link between e-KSF and the "Scottish Workforce Information Repository” (also known as the SWISS system”).
Click here to go straight to downloadable documentation.
The Workforce Information Repository (WIR) is the national database for workforce information for NHS Scotland employees, and contains information about individual employees, including names, employment details, demographic information and pay band and pay point details.
Rather than managing these details separately in e-KSF, and updating them independently with things like new starters, employees leaving the NHS, and changes in individual details, it makes sense to link the two systems together and remove this duplicate administration.
So, the e-KSF and SWISS teams have developed an interface to allow relevant employee information to be automatically transferred from the SWISS system to the e-KSF system, via a secure data link.
The benefits of developing this link are:
- Reduced administration effort for local Boards (no duplicate data entry of new starter information, for example)
- Reduction in errors – the automatic transfer eliminates manual typing errors
- Improved take-up of the e-KSF system, by removing a barrier to use (the admin resource required to manage the system)
- Accurate and consistent reports of skills data reported from e-KSF
- Provides a foundation for the creation of a comprehensive and joined-up employee development system for NHS Scotland.
The e-KSF team held a series of introductory workshops for e-KSF, SWISS and HR leads in August this year. At these workshops we explained the key steps and dates: - Local Boards need to complete data cleansing on e-KSF by end of September 07
- The e-KSF team will review this data, and check that it’s suitable for linking to SWISS. If there are any problems, we’ll contact Boards directly with action plans
- During October 07, we’ll be performing a series of trial data exchanges between SWISS and e-KSF
- If all goes well, the link will be activated for all organisations in NHS Scotland in early November 2007.
Remember that you don’t need to wait for the SWISS link, before using e-KSF! You can continue using the e-KSF system now for:
- Creation, approval and management of post outlines
- Training of your managers, reviewers and reviewees in how to use e-KSF
- Recording of KSF reviews and PDPs for users registered on e-KSF
- You can also add new users to e-KSF, even without the SWISS link in place. All you need to be careful of is adding an accurate SWISS ID to the “unique identifier” field when you add the new e-KSF user.
Key documentation about the e-KSF/SWISS link
We will be using this e-KSFNow page to store and communicate latest information about the link.
Contact Points
If you have questions about the e-KSF/SWISS link, or e-KSF in general, please contact:
- The e-KSF support desk – log in to e-KSF, click the “support” button and then the “ask for support” link
- Shaun Wilde, the e-KSF account manager covering Scotland, at shaun@e-ksf.org
- Anne-Marie Greene, the NHS Scotland e-KSF “super-administrator”, at Anne-Marie.Greene@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
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