Our ambition is to provide an outstanding level of care to our patients and communities. To achieve this we need to be an outstanding place to work as well.
We want our culture to be positive, compassionate, and inclusive – and we all have our part to play. Studies show there are links between the experience of NHS staff and patient satisfaction levels – as well as more positive outcomes from treatment. To support in making the ROH an outstanding place to work, last year we introduced a new role, a People Promise Manager, focused on embedding the NHS People Promise at the Trust.
The People Promise is an NHS initiative focused on 7 promises that we must all make to each other – to work together to improve the experience of working in the NHS for everyone. The ROH is a People Promise exemplar site and over the past 12 months the People Promise team has been working closely with colleagues to improve their experience, alongside NHS England and NHS Improvement’s People Directorate.
Sharon Malhi, Chief People Officer at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, comments: “The NHS People Promise work is crucial because it directly supports the health, wellbeing, motivation, and retention of NHS staff who are the backbone of the health service. It’s been wonderful to see the ROH fully embrace and adopt the People Promise. Our colleagues have demonstrated significant drive and passion in creating positive changes for staff and patients which reflects a collective commitment to enhancing the workplace environment and patient care.”
As part of our People Promise work, we elevated our Me as a Manager programme and appraisals framework with a specific focus on ensuring employees have clarity both in their role and how they fit into the bigger picture as a team member at the Trust. Both approaches are grounded in making sure staff have a voice, and feel safe to share that voice. We also carried out a handful of schemes focused on improving specific areas of the Trust, including civility and respect and our flexible working scheme. Feedback from staff in our recent staff survey demonstrated a strong team culture, a dedication to learning, and a compassionate approach to patient care – evidence that these initiatives are working.
Sharon continues: “The programme’s development involved diverse project groups comprising staff from various departments, including clinical and non-clinical areas such as nursing, medicine, corporate services, patient safety, quality improvement, Freedom to Speak Up, patient complaints and more. This cross-functional, collaborative approach to implementing the People Promise ensured initiatives were co-designed, relevant, and sustainable.”
We will continue to roll-out our People Promise initiatives with a focus on making the ROH an outstanding place to work, centred on inclusivity and wellbeing for all.
