Read: Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust commits to Purpose Goals framework

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust has partnered with former Public Health Minister Rt Hon Anne Milton and signed up to a new framework for measuring social impact.

In partnership with Milton and former Education Secretary Rt Hon Justine Greening, Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust will now produce an Impact Report to measure its social impact using the architecture of the Purpose Goals.

The Trust will benchmark its activities against the architecture, pulling out areas of best practice and identifying where more could be done to level up local communities. 

Established last year, the Purpose Goals focus on key life stages - from early years through to adulthood, alongside other barriers such as fair career progression and good health and wellbeing.

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust is the main provider of community NHS health and care across Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, High Weald Lewes and Havens and West Sussex. 

The goals are the first major piece of work by the Purpose Coalition, which includes some of the UK’s most purpose-led public sector organisations, businesses and universities.

Justine Greening said: “NHS organisations play a vital role in society by spreading opportunity and tackling health inequalities in their communities. The inequalities that exist in different communities across the UK have been highlighted even more following the coronavirus pandemic. The work of the NHS, in collaboration with others, is crucial in tackling these inequalities. 

“The Purpose Goals architecture is a tool for committed organisations, such as Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, to measure and articulate their purpose and impact. It’s brilliant to be working with an organisation that wants to go further with its role as an anchor institution within the local community.”

Siobhan Melia, Chief Executive at Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, said “As an anchor organisation committed to addressing social inequalities in our community, I am immensely proud that the Trust is the first NHS community provider organisation in the Southeast to join the Purpose Coalition. The pandemic has exacerbated and further embedded inequalities in the region, particularly in terms of health outcomes and employment opportunities. The Purpose Goals framework provides a mechanism for guiding and tracking progress in tackling these inequalities. I am excited to begin work with Justine, Anne and other partner organisations to help achieve positive change for our communities.”