Developing and maintaining a healthy workforce

Adele held a series of four ‘Vision and Values’ presentations for all staff across the hospice. These set out the bigger picture for the organisation and its direction for the future. Each presentation built on the previous ones, sharing new strategic information.

The hospice’s values are now displayed on boards around the building and on every computer desktop. The hospice engaged a local artist who painted the values in corridors and the Boardroom.

As a result of these increased communications, all staff had a better understanding of the hospice’s vision for the future.

A key part of the strategy was to improve communications between teams. Following consultation with staff, several improvements were made. These included:

• improving the internal newsletter and the intranet.
• redesigning the Senior Management Team (SMT) weekly update, making it more colourful and engaging.
• making targets more visible by displaying progress against key performance indicators (KPIs) with quarterly updates.
• relaunching the Staff Forum, inviting members from around the hospice to join and feel part of the wider team.
• scheduling development meetings with each department, focusing on core themes to strengthen relationships within the teams.
• celebrating national days with shared lunches during Hospice Care Week, Black History Month and Christmas Jumper Day.

All of this has helped staff bond as one team and to feel more engaged within their roles.

The hospice launched a Wellbeing Strategy, focusing on mental, physical, social, financial and environmental wellbeing.
New initiatives include:

• wellbeing workshops
• free counselling sessions for staff
• opportunities to speak to trained Mental Health First Aiders
• new/relaunched flexible working opportunities
• Reflections Rounds sessions that provide staff the opportunity to come together and reflect on the emotional aspects of their work
• wellbeing weeks.

‘Back to the Floor’ has been key to bridging the gap between staff ‘on the ground’ and the senior leadership. This involves the Senior Management Team and Trustees spending time in different departments, enabling them to understand staff roles and how each person makes a difference.

It also makes the senior leadership of the hospice more visible and accessible for staff.