Read: New report launched to outline social impact of Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust
Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust (SCFT) has become one of the first NHS organisations to launch an Impact Report outlining its impact in delivering social value across an innovative set of purpose-led measures.
The Purpose Goals are the UK’s first social impact framework designed to focus efforts on driving equality of opportunity and social mobility at key life stages.
The Goals were launched by former Education Secretary Rt Hon Justine Greening and are now used by organisations across the public and private sectors.
The Impact Report highlights a number of key strengths that put Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust at the forefront of the purpose agenda. These include:
Positive destinations post 16+ - The Trust’s outreach programme concentrates on sharing employment pathways with children in local schools, particularly those in lesser performing districts across Sussex. These pathways include an extensive apprenticeship scheme, with all apprentices over the age of 16 gaining vital workplace experience while continuing their academic studies.
Open Recruitment - SCFT’s recruitment processes for its apprenticeship scheme, and wider employment opportunities, use computer software to safeguard the process from bias. Beyond recruitment practices, the Trust offers strategic routes specifically tailored towards underrepresented groups to gain employment, advice, knowledge and experience with the Trust, such as SCFT’s Dare to Dream initiative.
Achieve Equality Through Diversity and Inclusion - The Trust’s annual Equality and Diversity report, and SCFT’s wider inclusion programme, ensures a continued programme of support for colleagues reinforced by data. The Trust is committed to supporting Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups with specific targets, and the 2020-2021 report fed back particularly encouraging data.
As well as benchmarking SCFT’s current activity, the report also identifies areas where the Trust can go further in its work.
As part of the report former Minister of State for Skills and Apprenticeships Rt Hon Anne Milton visited the Trust to see first-hand the work detailed within the report.
Siobhan Melia, Chief Executive at Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust. Said: “We welcomed Rt Hon Anne Milton to our Brighton site to talk to a number of our apprentices across the trust. Anne and I were able to speak to apprentices in our nursery, finance team and estates and facilities. We also spoke to some of our clinical staff in allied health professions and nursing. What’s great about this is we’re really widening access to a range of people to come and have great careers here at Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust. We are delighted to launch our Impact Report in partnership with the Purpose Health Coalition which will give us a great action plan to go further and faster for the future.”
Anne Milton, Chair of the Purpose Health Coalition said: “We had a fantastic day at Sussex Community Trust. It was brilliant to meet the staff, young apprentices and people on Kickstart programmes to hear their inspiring stories. What is striking about Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust is how committed they are to spreading opportunities to get on the career ladder.
“I talked to people from a huge variety of backgrounds, whether they left school without any qualifications or they’ve done an undergraduate degree, that thought this would never have been possible before. Hearing them say what a rewarding job it is working in the NHS, not just in clinical roles, but also from estates management to the kitchens. These are people who are committed to making sure Sussex Community Foundation NHS Trust does the job it needs to do.”
Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust is a key member of the Purpose Health Coalition joining a pioneering group of UK universities, businesses and public sector organisations forming The Purpose Coalition - aiming to set a new and higher standard on boosting social mobility in the UK.
