Read: Building healthier lives

Spotlight on Rt Hon Jacqui Smith and University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust 

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust knows the wider role that it can play in levelling up society, as we report here.

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) is one of the largest teaching hospital trusts in England, employing over 20,000 staff and serving a regional, national and international population.

UHB includes Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Solihull Hospital and Community Services, Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham Chest Clinic, as well as the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham which is the largest single-site hospital in England. 

The Trust sees and treats more than 2.2 million people every year across its sites and its hospitals deliver more babies than anywhere else in Europe. UHB is world-renowned for its trauma care and has developed pioneering surgical techniques in the management of ballistic and blast injuries, including bespoke surgical solutions for previously unseen injuries. 

Rt Hon Jacqui Smith

With an annual turnover of £1.6bn UHB is the second largest trust in the country by turnover and one of the largest employers as a whole in the West Midlands. This gives the Trust a much wider role in the city and region, and the opportunity to act on its mission to build healthier lives. The Trust sees itself as an anchor institution within Birmingham and Solihull and works in partnership with Birmingham City Council, West Midlands Combined Authority, and other health and social care providers to boost health outcomes.

The West Midlands has some of the largest health inequalities in the country - travelling just seven stops on the train on the way out of Birmingham can increase your life expectancy by over eight years. UHB is very keen to address these inequalities and understands its role in influencing a whole range of factors that will help people to have healthier lives. As a health provider and employer the Trust recognises its responsibility more widely to the health and wellbeing of the communities it serves. 

Health plays a fundamental role in the levelling up agenda. The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the disproportionate impact on certain communities due to underlying health inequalities. People’s willingness to take the vaccine, their ability to isolate due to crowded housing or an inability to have time off work have all led to a disproportionate impact on those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. 

The Trust is working to address these inequalities but understands that they can’t be tackled in isolation. Inequality in other areas such as employment, housing, safety and wellbeing all impact on health. UHB’s vision to build healthier lives is not just about the health service in isolation, it is around building relationships with other organisations in order to address the wider issues. 

Coronavirus has brought with it some enormous challenges in the short term for the Trust but also moving forward. The impact of the pandemic has caused a large backlog of patients waiting for operations which could lead people to believe that their only choice is to go into the private sector. Ultimately this leads to an inequality of access to healthcare. Bringing down these backlogs after the pandemic will be key to tackling health inequalities. 

Procurement of services is one way in which UHB has the power to impact on local economies and communities. During the pandemic the Trust created close partnerships with local manufacturers around the development of PPE and other equipment. Out of a period of extreme uncertainty came something really positive - a boost to local manufacturing and the Trust getting the equipment that they needed quickly. Recently the manufacturers have provided face-sensitive masks that people can use with hijabs and other religious dress, showing what can be done if the Trust has more control over procurement. 

Another way in which UHB looks to support its local community is through its purpose built training centre, the ‘Learning Hub’. It is a successful employment and training programme that reaches out to unemployed people and the most disadvantaged communities. Providing pre-employment training, advice and guidance can make a real impact on employment within these communities. 

Inclusion and diversity is another area that the Trust continues to champion. UHB has a high level of ethnic minority staff but as yet there isn’t a high enough proportion in senior management and Board positions. A reciprocal mentoring scheme has been put in place with Board members to help progression. There has also been a real push on staff wellbeing during the pandemic which will be built on moving forward. 

UHB is playing its part in the road to net zero, working sustainably and setting a positive example for its staff, patients and community. Its vision to build healthier lives can not be achieved without looking after the environment and thinking about the impact that the Trust has on the health of the community. 

As a whole, the NHS is responsible for an estimated 6.3 per cent of England’s total carbon emissions, and 5 per cent of total air pollution. Collectively the NHS has taken great strides in reducing its environmental impact – the carbon footprint of health and social care has reduced by 19 per cent since 2007, despite a 27 per cent increase in activity. Between 2008 and 2018 UHB reduced its own energy consumption by nearly 12 per cent and carbon footprint by 15 per cent. 

However, UHB recognises that more can be done and has introduced a five-year Sustainable Development Management Plan to set out its objectives around delivering sustainable healthcare. The strategy is based around six areas where the Trust believes it can make a significant difference - estates, assets and utilities; travel and transport; waste; goods and supplies; green spaces and biodiversity; and sustainable clinical pathways. 

Progress has already been made across many of these areas with a cut to energy usage and the introduction of solar power in 19 locations across the Trust. The number of car journeys taken by staff has been reduced and there is a big focus on the use of technology to allow virtual consultations. As part of its digital transformation plans, the Trust is using virtual consultations more frequently, supporting staff to work productively at home and using digital technologies for symptom checkers and A&E admissions.  

As one of the largest NHS Foundation Trusts in the country University Hospitals Birmingham understands the huge role it plays in the lives of local people, not only in addressing health inequalities but other related societal issues. Working in partnership with other local organisations, the Trust can have a massive impact on the wider community that it serves.