How Organisations in the North of England Are Enhancing Their ESR Dashboards with Web Content Portlets

Every ESR user has access to the My ESR Dashboard, and—depending on their system permissions—may also access dashboards such as Manager, HR, Payroll, Learning, Professional, and Applicant. Portlets within these dashboards provide quick, intuitive access to personal, team and organisational information. While every organisation can configure national portlets, many are now going further by developing Web Content Portlets to create a more bespoke, engaging experience for their workforce.

Web Content Portlets allow organisations to display tailored messages, embed guidance and ‘how to’ resources, promote key services, and combine rich content and imagery in a single accessible space. This flexibility makes them particularly valuable for improving user experience, supporting onboarding, promoting wellbeing, and strengthening local workforce processes.

Across the North of England, organisations have begun to design and launch their own portlets to support employees and managers in new and innovative ways. This article highlights a selection of these developments—from management reporting tools and onboarding hubs to wellbeing and learning resources.

Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust – Applicant Dashboard: My Applicant Knowledge Hub

Following the launch of the Applicant Dashboard, Mid Yorkshire introduced the My Applicant Knowledge Hub, providing new starters with essential onboarding information to support their first days in employment. The hub continues to grow and now forms a central component of their digital onboarding approach.

Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust – MyESR & Manager Dashboards 

The Northern Care Alliance has developed a dynamic Management Report Portlet to help managers quickly locate the most relevant Business Intelligence (BI) reports to support effective team management.

The useful management reports portlet is continually evolving as we create more bespoke custom reports for managers. For instance, we’ve developed a staff list report for budget managers showing   establishment information, designed to support our establishment control project.

Kevin Mahon, Technical Systems Manager, Northern Care Alliance NHS FT

Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust – Health & Wellbeing Hub

Liverpool Women’s NHS FT created a Health and Wellbeing Hub Portlet to provide staff with easy access to vital wellbeing resources in one central location. The aim was to address the lack of a single, accessible repository for key information.

The Hub includes resources covering:

• Carers
• Addiction
• Finances
• Food and Nutrition
• Menopause
• Mental Health
• Men’s Health and Wellbeing

The organisation selected the ESR portal as the sole home for these resources to ensure staff—both on-site and remote—could access support at any time, including applicants.

Development of the hub included:

• Stakeholder engagement with HR, Occupational Health, managers and staff to understand needs.
• Regular updates to keep content current and relevant.
• Targeted promotion via internal communication channels to maximise awareness and usage.
• Feedback gathering to refine the hub and improve the experience.

The Wellbeing Hub has now become a valued support mechanism within the Trust, offering a continuously evolving space shaped by staff needs.

Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust – MyESR Dashboard: Learning & Development Hub

Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust developed the Leeds Community Learning and Development Hub Portlet to help employees and managers understand role-specific learning requirements, access guides and view upcoming Statutory & Mandatory (Stat & Man) and non-Stat classroom sessions.

The portlet is a useful resource as it allows staff to view information about training requirements, access guides for new starters or those unfamiliar with ESR, and review class times for training we provide. It also supports managers to understand the learning needs of their staff and estimate time needed for completion.

Ewa Getka, Organisational Development and Improvement Support Lead, Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust

Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust – MyESR & Manager Dashboard

RDaSH has launched a comprehensive Line Manager Resource Hub, accessible via a Web Content Portlet. The hub opens as a microsite containing information and resources to support managers in their roles and support their personal and professional development.

It brings together:

• Guidance on managing people
• Systems and process information
• Leadership and culture resources
• Training and development opportunities
• Links aligned with Trust strategies and values

This portlet provides managers with a central, structured and easy-to-navigate tool to support their day-to-day responsibilities.

NHS Business Services Authority – Veterans Portlet

To support and promote its Veterans Network, NHSBSA developed a Veterans Portlet to provide clear signposting to the services and resources available for veterans and service leavers within the organisation.

Working with the ESR team on the new Veteran ESR portal was truly exceptional. The portal provides veterans and service leavers in the organisation with direct access to information about the Armed Forces Network and other guidance they may find beneficial.

Neil Emery, Optimisation Implementation Lead & Chair of the NHSBSA Armed Forces Network

Want to Develop Your Own Web Content Portlets?

Guidance on configuring and maintaining the ESR Dashboard is available on the ESR Hub.

If your organisation would like to explore how Web Content Portlets could support your local priorities, please contact your NHSBSA Regional Readiness & Implementation team who can provide advice and examples and help you get started.