Airedale NHS Foundation Trust commits to levelling up

AIREDALE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST HAS PARTNERED WITH FORMER PUBLIC HEALTH MINISTER RT HON ANNE MILTON AND SIGNED UP TO A NEW SET OF LEVELLING UP MEASUREMENTS.

Airedale NHS Foundation Trust has joined a growing number of NHS organisations by committing to measure its social impact against the Purpose Goals.

Launched last year by former Education Secretary Rt Hon Justine Greening, the Purpose Goals are a set of clear objectives for the UK’s levelling up challenge in the wake of Covid-19. The partnership will see Airedale produce a Levelling Up Impact Report which will highlight best practice already being shown by the Trust and identify where more can be done to level up across various areas.

Airedale NHS Foundation Trust joins a number of NHS Trusts, public sector organisations, businesses and universities, including the University of Bradford, in measuring their social impact against the goals.

A long-term campaigner on social mobility and levelling up both inside and now outside of Parliament, in 2018 Justine Greening co-founded the Social Mobility Pledge to bring organisations together to improve social mobility. The Purpose Goals are the first major piece of work launched by the most committed of these organisations, the Purpose Coalition.

Justine Greening said: “The Purpose Goals are a tool for committed organisations, such as Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, to measure and articulate their purpose and impact. It’s great to be working with another purpose driven Trust that wants to go further with its role as an anchor institution within the local community.

“NHS Trusts are huge employers within communities and therefore play a key role in levelling up opportunities, as well as health inequalities. The health inequalities that exist in different communities across the UK have been highlighted during the coronavirus pandemic and we must work together to try and address them.”

Keighley and Ilkley’s MP, Robbie Moore said: “As Parliamentary Chair of the Purpose Goals, I am delighted that Airedale NHS Foundation Trust has signed up to the Purpose Goals. We have all seen the huge dedication of our NHS staff throughout the last eighteen months, and as we emerge from the pandemic it is vital we build back better – that’s why I’m fighting hard in Westminster to secure the money we need to rebuild Airedale Hospital. As a major local employer, Airedale has a huge role to play in levellingup, and I look forward to working with the whole team to deliver more and better opportunities for local people.”

With a backdrop of a challenging winter ahead, and already difficult recruitment and retention conditions, it's time to remind people, from those looking for a career to those considering a change, that their local NHS is not all doom and gloom. Yes there are immense challenges and we face those head on and honestly; but working for your local NHS Trust, in both clinical and non clinical roles is genuinely one of the best and most exciting places to work and learn as you build your career.

Hon Anne Milton, Former Nurse