Derbyshire: Healthcare trust recognised for employee care

Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has been identified as a key national performer in relation to its high levels of employee engagement.
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Guardian News

The Trust was one of only eight Trusts recognised by the IPA (Involvement and Participation Association) for its high performance based on employee engagement scores, patient satisfaction and a range of other data. It is one of only two Trusts where mental health services are core to its provision.

This achievement was recognised at the launch of the IPA’s research ‘Meeting the Challenge: Successful Employee Engagement in the NHS’ in Westminster last night, where the Trust was commended for its focus on values, compassion and its visible and approachable leadership. The Trust’s processes for change management and its ambition to create an empowered workforce, with professional autonomy were also heralded as examples of good practice.

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Professor Steve Trenchard, Chief Executive of Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, was a guest speaker at the event, outlining the unique approach that is in place across Derbyshire.

He said: “I am delighted that Derbyshire Healthcare has been recognised by the IPA in this way. As a Trust we have placed a clear emphasis on values and have introduced processes to ensure that we recruit new staff who have the right personal attributes to reflect these values through their work with both patients and colleagues. We also have processes in place to ensure existing staff are demonstrating our values in their day to day work. This includes leadership, coaching, appraisal systems and reward schemes.

“The Trust also houses the UK’s only Centre for Compassion. Understanding the science of compassion, including the facilitators and inhibitors, is important for all DHCFT staff, and we encourage all our people to be compassionate to themselves, as well as their colleagues, so that compassionate relationships can flourish and benefit those we care for and work with, thus enabling us to offer the highest possible standards of care.

“I am pleased to report that our focus on effective employee engagement was reflected again in our most recent staff survey results, where the vast majority of our staff said they would be happy for their friends or relatives to receive care from the Trust. Similarly a higher number of people than average said they would recommend the Trust as a place to work and that we always act on concerns raised by our service users. Our scores in both of these areas were higher than the national average.

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“We will maintain our focus on employee engagement in the future and learn from other areas of best practice, such as those showcased in the IPA’s report, to ensure we continue to develop this important area of our work”.

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