Read: Levelling Up report recognises Barts Health NHS Trust’s social impact
Rt Hon Anne Milton’s Purpose Health Coalition has published a report outlining the social impact of Barts Health NHS Trust against an innovative set of levelling up measures.
The Levelling Up Impact Report measures Barts Health’s activity against the Levelling Up Goals - a framework designed to focus efforts on driving equality of opportunity at key life stages.
The report highlights a number of key strengths which see the trust leading the way on the levelling up agenda and spreading opportunity. These include:
Successful school and college years - its Healthcare Horizons programme works with children from year 10 onwards to educate them on the careers available within the NHS. Activity includes career talks at schools, parents evening, mentoring career events or webinars and virtual work experience.
Good health and wellbeing - Barts Health is committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of its staff. There are wellbeing hubs at all hospitals within the trust, funded by Barts Charity, and designated leads to deliver the wellbeing programme.
Achieve equality through diversity and inclusion - Barts Health has one of the most diverse workforces within the NHS with 56 per cent coming from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds. Barts Health has diverse recruitment policies, specific career development training and opportunities for groups of staff and diversity networks to ensure that opportunity is spread evenly for all.
Barts Health plays a vital role in the Purpose Health Coalition alongside other NHS trusts aiming to set a new and higher standard on boosting social mobility in the UK.
As part of the report former Minister of State for Skills and Apprenticeships Anne Milton and Chair of Barts Health, Rt Hon Jacqui Smith visited Barts Health Futures hub at Newham College, one of the initiatives cited within the assessment.
Speaking on the report, Jacqui Smith, Chair of Barts Health NHS Trust said: “It’s great Barts Health’s efforts to address health inequalities, employ more local people and support the wellbeing of our staff recognised in this report.
“We’re proud of what we’ve achieved, especially given the difficult circumstances of the last two years, but we know there’s more to do for us to become a truly inclusive organisation to work and be treated in.”
Anne Milton, Former Minister for Skills and Apprenticeships and Chair of Purpose Health Coalition added: “Having trained as a nurse at Barts Hospital, and having spent many years working in East London, I saw first-hand the impact on the city’s health outcomes.
“As an organisation that serves 2.5 million people, and with a workforce of some 24,000, Barts Health NHS Trust has the status and community reach to play a leading role in levelling up London.
“As evidenced in this report, Barts Health is demonstrating an innovative and proactive approach to addressing the health inequalities that can have such a negative impact on people’s ability to access opportunity. Working in collaboration with others, the Trust can continue to lead the way in levelling up the communities it serves.”
The full report can be found here.