Local NHS Group celebrates social value success despite challenges of the pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has amplified many societal health and social care inequalities, including those faced by local communities in Oldham, Bury, Rochdale and Salford.

But despite these challenges, the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group, which operates four hospital sites and a variety of community services across these localities, is continuing to move its social value ambitions in the right direction.

It reported a number of successes to its Board this week, as well as making further commitments to influence local and national policy, as part of its post COVID recovery plans.

Members were updated on the progress made since January 2021, when the NCA Board considered the impact of COVID-19 to the Group’s social value commitment and set clear employment and place-related ambitions, agreeing further ambitions in respect of procurement and to challenge itself further against commitments already made.

Director of Social Value, Donna McLaughlin, said: “Social value is the NCA’s approach to addressing some of the structural inequalities which drive poverty, which we know is one of the major contributing factors to poor health.

"We are pleased and proud to be able to report that, despite the pressures of the pandemic, a number of significant achievements have been made over the last six months where we’ve been able to take positive action to address structural inequalities through employment opportunities, purchasing decisions and the use of our estates and assets, addressing matters where people are marginalised from employment and economic advantage.”

Achievements to date

Since January 2021, the NCA has delivered the following achievements and progress:

Recruited 166 pre-employment learners across the NCA(there are loads of different schemes)

Recruited the first 10 out of 90 Kickstart learners through the government support scheme aimed at 16-25 year olds in receipt of universal credit

Supported 30 people through a pilot with Get Oldham Working and Oldham Council, funded through GMCA, with at least 10 moving into apprenticeship opportunities.

Supported changes to technical education, enabling young people to apply directly for NHS jobs, particularly in the healthcare science field, funded via the Oldham Opportunity Area.

Increased the total number of local people employed across the NCA from 45% in July 2019 to 57.8% in March 2021

Increased the number of staff volunteering as NHS Career Ambassadors and Work Experience Hosts across the NCA from 440 to 696, despite the operational pressures of Covid19.

Brought together over 80 people at a community of practice event focusing on how we can challenge ourselves further by working with our partners to create local wealth through our purchasing decisions, see the video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlJRQyhmfm8

Planned to spend £31.1m of the total £44.8m construction costs of the James Potter Building on our Salford Royal Hospital site within either the Salford or Greater Manchester region.

Planned to create 360 job opportunities for Salford residents and well over 1,000 jobs for our neighbouring localities in relation to the James Potter capital build.

Raj Jain, Chief Executive Officer for the NCA, said: “Our place-based organisational structure places our Care Organisations at the heart of the communities we serve.

"Our social value ambitions are an extension of that commitment to place based leadership and I’m very pleased and proud of the progress that has been made to date and in spite of some of the biggest challenges we’ve ever faced during the last year.

“However, we need to respectfully engage with our partners across the region and acknowledge that organisations across the community and voluntary sectors often have stronger and greater reach into communities than the relationship we have as a public sector organisation.

"We therefore need to learn when to take the lead and when to provide support, and we are very excited to be embarking on the next stage of our social value journey in collaboration with our partners, and are committed to further and faster developments which will benefit our communities and reduce the inequalities we know need to be addressed.”

Case Study – Oldham Pre-Employment Scheme

David Jago, Chief Officer at Oldham Care Organisation, part of the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group, explained how the social value work being embedded by the NCA is making a difference to local young people in Oldham.

He said: “If you asked me what I am most proud of through our social value work, which has been carried out during the pandemic despite the challenges this has brought, I would point you to a particular young woman who I will refer to as E, to protect her identity.  

“E did not engage well at school, she struggled with mental health issues and left without doing any exams.

"She is the sole carer for her dad who has several severe medical problems.

"Prior to starting the pre-employment programme she had no access to digital devices and was not really motivated to do anything for herself.

"Within 12 weeks E has passed her written driving test, started college to gain English and Maths qualifications and secured paid work with the NCA in health records.”  

E said: “I have gained a lot more confidence since starting the programme, especially during the placement and I have learnt a lot about the NHS and am continuing to learn new things.

"I am very proud of myself, and so is my dad.”

David added: “This says it all for me, as a Chief Officer but also as a father.

"It’s fantastic, and we are committed to doing more into 2021/22 to improve opportunities, reduce inequalities and do more for our local economies and communities.

"It’s about working together to do the right thing.”

---

Do you have a story for us? Want to tell us about something going on in and around Oldham? Let us know by emailing news@oldham-chronicle.co.uk , calling our Oldham-based newsroom on 0161 633 2121 , tweeting us @oldhamchronicle or messaging us through our Facebook page. All contact will be treated in confidence.