Northumbria Healthcare reflects on first year of key pledge

The trust’s pledge to focus on all the ways it can improve people’s lives by focusing on how it can have an even larger impact for everyone who lives and works in the area and wider region was launched in summer 2021 during a special event at Berwick Infirmary.

It is based on six key pillars which relate to the wider factors that fuel health inequalities – poverty, employment, education, economy, environment and well-being.

Some of the key steps taken in the past 12 months include 450 virtual work experience places to showcase work and employment opportunities in the trust to local students alongside 172 on-site open to local schools, as well as a partnership with Project Choice resulting in work experience placements being offering to cohorts of young people with additional support needs, on-going work to encourage more ex-armed forces personnel to join the NHS through a targeted recruitment programme and a corporate and social responsibility procurement officer being recruited to take responsibility for its drive to buy more products and services locally.

In addition, the trust is leading on the ‘mini scrubs’ project to promote health and care careers to primary age school children – with packs to be provided to schools in a number of North East areas, including Northumberland, in the 2022 autumn term.

Northumbria Healthcare’s chief executive, Sir James Mackey, said: “When we launched Our Community Promise, I spoke about how in addition to being a healthcare provider, we are also a major employer, a major buyer and user of products and services, and very conscious of our responsibility for our environment.

“I also said that we had a responsibility to do more, which is why it is very pleasing to be able to reflect on some of the progress that has been made and on several key achievements.

“However, as with everything we do, we will not rest on our laurels as we know there is so much more we can do to have a positive impact as the region – and country – continues to work to recover from the effects from Covid-19.”