Earlier this year our Trust was recognised nationally for the difference its services and people make in local communities across Wirral, Cheshire East, St Helens and Knowsley.
As the first NHS organisation in the UK to achieve the Social Value Quality Mark, level 1, the organisation continues to go from strength to strength on its social value journey.
Social value is more than an ‘add on’, it is an important public investment. It is at the heart of all services we provide and has a positive impact on the local workforce, patients, service users and communities.
Recently Professor Michael Brown, Trust Chairman, and Karen Howell, Chief Executive, signed the Cheshire and Mersey Social Value Charter and the Anchor Institution Charter, strengthening the Trust’s commitment on a regional level to:
- bring about improvements from an economic, health and wellbeing, education and skills and employment and volunteering perspective
- make a real difference to the lives of local people in the places we serve
- work with partners to reduce health inequalities
- take a community led approach
- support people in their communities to improve their health and wellbeing.
Team WCHC’s commitment to social value is built on a of series pledges which set out how the organisation will contribute to improve the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of local communities.
Everyday teams demonstrate social value and make a difference to the lives of people on so many levels.
Here’s a snippet of some of the work that goes on:
- Building on the success of existing staff network groups we are establishing a working group to support staff and members of the community who have a military or armed forces connection. The aim of the group is to champion awareness of equality and help ensure that as an NHS organisation we recognis and values the skills and knowledge this community brings to the workforce. The signing of the Armed Forces Covenant also formalises the Trust’s commitment to ensure those who serve or have served are treated with fairness and equality.
- The NHS Cadets programme, delivered in partnership with The Hive, Wirral Youth Zone and St John Ambulance, continues to make a difference to the lives of local young people. After being shortlisted, the programme received the ‘System Partners Award’ at this year’s Team WCHC Awards. The award celebrates the shared values and passion for supporting young people with courses to develop their leadership skills, first aid training and volunteering opportunities in the NHS. The programme was also shortlisted for the Nursing Times Workforce Awards.
- Following the international accreditation for being environmentally friendly we have launched a Green Plan which outlines a number of key priorities. These include working with suppliers, employees and service users to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increasing the number of electric vehicle charging points across the Trust and introducing ‘Sustainability Champions’ to help drive goals and ambitions.
- This year a number of engagement events have taken place for our children and young people’s services to strengthen and promote collaborative working with partners and agencies. Working collaboratively in this way addresses inequalities, identifies gaps in service provision, provides effective early help and ensures local children, young people and their families receive the best possible care and support from joined up services across Wirral, Cheshire East, St Helens and Knowsley.
Karen Howell, Chief Executive, said;
Social value plays an important role in our everyday work life. It’s about helping to improve the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of the people in all the places we provide services across Cheshire and Merseyside, as well as our colleagues.
We are committed to working with partners to reduce health inequalities and working with people to improve their health and wellbeing.
As a Trust, we are proud to sign the Cheshire and Mersey Social Value Charter. It strengthens our commitment to making a difference to the lives of local people on so many levels.
