Read: South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust signs up to new levelling up framework

South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust has joined a growing number of NHS organisations by committing to a new set of levelling up measurements.

In partnership with former Education Secretary Rt Hon Justine Greening and former Public Health Minister Rt Hon Anne Milton, South Warwickshire will now produce a Levelling Up Impact Report to measure its impact against the Levelling Up Goals.

Established earlier this year with input from businesses, universities, policymakers and regulators, the Levelling Up Goals are a set of clear objectives for the UK's levelling up challenge in the wake of Covid-19.

The Levelling Up Impact Report will highlight best practice at South Warwickshire and identify where even more can be done to spread opportunity. 

South Warwickshire unites with a number of NHS Trusts and public sector organisations measuring their social impact against the goals, as well as a range of businesses within the private sector.

A long-term campaigner on social mobility and levelling up both inside and now outside of Parliament, in 2018 Justine Greening co-founded the Social Mobility Pledge to bring organisations together to improve social mobility. The Levelling Up Goals are the first major piece of work launched by the most committed of these organisations, the Purpose Coalition.

Justine Greening said: “It’s really exciting to be working with another purpose driven NHS Trust on a Levelling Up Impact Report. The Levelling Up Goals give a clear architecture for committed organisations and leaders, such as South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust and Anne Coyle, to measure and articulate their purpose and impact.

“NHS Trusts play a key role in society by boosting opportunity and driving levelling up in their communities. The health inequalities that exist in different communities across the UK have been highlighted even more following the coronavirus pandemic. We must continue to work together with NHS Trusts to drive change and ensure that tackling these inequalities becomes a priority across the UK.”

Anne Coyle, Managing Director at South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I am really proud that SWFT is going to be a part of the levelling up challenge. The pandemic has highlighted the inequalities within our populations and the impact this can have on individual outcomes. Within South Warwickshire we are extremely passionate about tackling inequalities and it is a key priority for all partners to ensure everyone has the same access to the health and care services they need. I am really looking forward to working with Justine and other organisations to learn and identify opportunities to improve.”