Supporting our staff

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Speaker 1

Supporting our staff means having the right workforce to deliver high quality care. Investing in education and training, so everyone can reach their ambitions. And we mean everyone. We are all stronger when we value difference and inclusion. We want working at CUH be a good experience for people and positively impact their health and wellbeing. Supported by compassionate and enabling relationships with colleagues.

00:00:28:11 - 00:00:38:04

Speaker 2

People are definitely the best thing about working here. I've been here for 13 years and I trained here as well. So it's the people around me that have moulded me to be the nurse I am today.

00:00:38:11 - 00:00:47:17

Speaker 3

I think it's really important that entry level roles exist for everyone and are available to everyone so that you can get into the hospital and get your foot in the door.

00:00:48:00 - 00:00:58:10

Speaker 4

It means a lot to me, I'm a local lad. When I left school, I didn't know what I wanted to do and I love helping people, I love talking to people, quite a sociable guy and things just make me proud to work here.

00:00:59:04 - 00:01:08:02

Speaker 5

I love working at Addenbrooke's is professionally and personally. It's a lot to learn and there is multi diversity culture around there.

00:01:08:04 - 00:01:09:05

Speaker 4

I enjoy working with.

00:01:09:05 - 00:01:15:07

Speaker 6

The people at Addenbrooke's because they're enthusiastic about the jobs that they do as well as looking after patients.

00:01:15:16 - 00:01:21:19

Speaker 7

What I like the most about working in CUH is the professional development opportunities and the career progression.

00:01:22:01 - 00:01:33:06

Speaker 8

One of the main challenges living in Cambridge is that Cambridge is expensive, especially with finding accommodations. It would be great if the trust would help us with some financial assistance or finding out new houses.

00:01:33:15 - 00:01:53:23

Speaker 9

People are what makes the events really special, and that's why we know that we need to focus on recruitment to support our staff, and also we need to focus on retaining the staff that we've got and supporting them to the best of our ability. There are over 12,000 people working here at CUH, and understandably not everybody has the same experience.

00:01:54:09 - 00:02:04:23

Speaker 9

So one of the things that we do to really tune in and listen to that staff voice as an example is through our staff networks. They're a great way of staff being able to engage and have their voice heard by the organisation.

We will invest to ensure that we are well staffed to deliver safe and high quality care.

To provide healthcare, we need people. All our services rely on having enough staff with the right skills and experience to deliver our ambitions:

• cleaners
• porters
• scientists
• engineers
• nurses
• allied health professionals
• doctors
• administrators and countless others.

CUH employs over thirteen-thousand people. Where teams are short of staff, patients can come to harm and colleagues can be at risk. In the national staff survey only 24% of our staff said there were enough staff to work safely.

We made significant progress before the pandemic to reduce our vacancy rates to below 4%. Pressures of the Covid-19 pandemic led staff to leave. This disrupted our recruitment and training pipeline. Now we need to expand our staff further to deliver the extra capacity. We also need to reduce waits for planned and emergency care.

We are always developing new ways to recruit and keep staff. For example, being among the first NHS organisations to welcome degree nursing apprentices. We have welcomed 800 apprentices since 2017 following introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy. We also work with schools and the voluntary sector to promote NHS careers and training.

We also need to keep more staff, which is becoming harder in a competitive job market, and with the high cost of living in Cambridge and rising inflation. We cannot offer the same high-cost area supplement that is available in London.

By 2025 we want to:

• Increase our staffing to address the backlog in care. Provide safe, high quality care to all patients
• Recruit staff from a range of backgrounds and communities. This includes those who are under-represented in the NHS. We value our international recruits.
• Increase retention of current staff
• Lead nationally innovative work on recruitment. For example, through Health Education England’s (HEE’s) refugee nurse programme.
• Minimise premium pay and optimise deployment of staff. This will maximise efficiency of spending on staff.
• Improve staff survey results on adequate staffing levels

We will achieve this by:

• Maximising undergraduate and postgraduate training places
• Working with education and training providers. We will deliver innovative routes into training at CUH.
• Continuing a strong pipeline of international nurses
• Expanding the number, and broadening the range, of apprenticeships offered at CUH
• Promote career opportunities in the NHS. Work with schools, local government and the voluntary sector.
• Working with ICS, regional and national partners. We will shape policy and co-design programmes that meet the needs of our current and future staff pipeline.
• Providing practical support with the cost of living in Cambridge. For example, transport, accommodation and food.

We will invest in education, learning, development and new ways of working.

People are capable of amazing things at work. The pandemic showed the professionalism and dedication of healthcare staff across the country. We help all our staff learn the skills they need to keep improving our services.

Teaching and education is central to CUH’s purpose. We train new staff and help current staff grow their skills. In doing this, we create the next generation of leaders who will care for our patients in the future.

CUH attracts many staff members through our educational and research opportunities.

CUH provides vocational, undergraduate and postgraduate training opportunities. These offer the foundations for a fulfilling career in the NHS. The pandemic disrupted educational activities as staff were redeployed to frontline care. But it also led to some new ways of learning, with greater use of virtual opportunities.

We want all our staff to be engaged, enthusiastic and enjoying their careers with us. We want them to feel supported to achieve their goals whilst staying within the CUH family.

We offer Continuous Professional Development to all staff, and support from line managers. This helps people improve their skills and be able to respond to the Trust's changing needs. In the staff survey, 74% of staff said that the organisation offers challenging work. 82% of staff have received an appraisal, which helps to retain skilled staff.

We recognise and promote talent of all staff, across all protected characteristics. We ensure fair and impartial access to these opportunities for everyone.

By 2025 we want to:

• Train a skilled workforce to meet the needs of the health and care system now and in the future.
• Support all staff to develop their careers. This involves broadening and deepening their capability through education and training.
• Develop skilled and experienced leaders and managers at all levels, across all roles.
• Maintain strong relationships with educational institutions, local government, schools and government bodies. This will make education, training, and development more available as part of our social responsibility.
• Embed a culture of sustainable continuous improvement.

We will achieve this by:

• Continuing our programme of vocational, undergraduate and postgraduate training and education programmes
• Maximising CUH’s contribution to the apprenticeship levy funding. Taking full advantage of a range of training and career progression routes.
• Establishing modern, fit-for-purpose educational facilities at the hospital.
• Providing high quality Continuous Professional Development and learning for all our staff. This includes in-service improvement.
• Providing an annual appraisal, including a career conversation, to all staff.
• Running leadership programmes within targeted cohorts of staff and on general inter-disciplinary courses.
• Providing opportunities to gain experience working abroad through Cambridge Global Health Partners.

We will make sure that working at CUH helps improve our health, safety, and well-being.

The safety and well-being of our staff is equally important as that of our patients.

The Covid pandemic brought unprecedented challenges to keeping staff safe at work. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), testing, vaccination, contact tracing and isolation became daily priorities. Our Occupational Health service helped with over 200,000 cases during the pandemic. Our Estates teams have maintained a Covid secure environment for staff and patients.

During this time, we gave equal support to staff's physical and psychological wellbeing. We provided support with food, travel and accommodation to make life a little easier. We gave access to psychological well-being services to support those affected.

The next three years bring new challenges on top of these. Clinical services, education and research are all catching up after this disruption. High inflation is reducing the real incomes of staff. With the high cost of living in Cambridge, some are facing financial hardship as a result. We continue to do everything possible to help staff to thrive. This is so that we can continue to provide the best possible care for patients.

We are very grateful for the ongoing help from Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) and donors.

By 2025 we want to:

• Maintain a safe environment for patients, staff and visitors
• Improve the health and well-being of staff – seeking to work more in the preventative space
• Reduce the number and severity of staff safety incidents. We will be transparent and effective in managing these.
• Reduce staff attrition rates including reducing staff turnover resulting from ill-health or stress
• Improve health and well-being of staff

We will achieve this by:

• Monitoring and responding to levels of community Covid transmission. This will keep the hospital as safe as possible for staff, patients and visitors.
• Supporting line managers to promote the health and wellbeing of their teams
• Providing influenza, Covid and other vaccinations to staff in line with national guidance
• Delivering an outstanding Occupational Health service
• Providing regular forums for staff to provide feedback. This feedback will shape our policy and practice.
• Providing adequate rest and break areas for all staff
• Providing appropriate practical support to staff. This includes transport, accommodation, food, on-site childcare and leisure facilities.

We will seek to drive out inequality. We will recognise that we are stronger when we value difference and inclusion.

Our staff serve patients and each other because they care deeply about others. Every day, we bring diversity of perspectives, experience, history, culture and identity. This diversity makes us more resilient. It enriches our common life together as the CUH Family.

CUH welcomes staff from more than a hundred countries. W welcome all ethnicities, religions, sexualities and gender identities, health and disability statuses. Everyone is equally deserving of respect, opportunities and support.

Sometimes, staff or patients may make others feel unwelcome, left out, or ashamed of who they are. We want staff to feel able to bring their whole selves to work, take pride in their work and express their identity. When people are safe and welcome they are happier. Happier employees are better able to excel in their work and to support their colleagues.

Some staff groups have faced particular barriers across the NHS including at CUH. 10% of staff report experiencing discrimination from their manager or colleagues. This is higher for staff from ethnic minority groups. Ethnic minority and disabled staff are also under-represented at senior levels at CUH.

We commit to driving out these inequalities so that all staff can thrive. Our organisation grows stronger as a result. We are working with national programmes such as the Workforce Race and Disability Equality Standards (WRES / WDES). These programmes will help us improve our equality, diversity and inclusion performance. This will also make us better able to serve the diversity of our patients.

By 2025 we want to:

• Achieve a culture of inclusivity and respect for difference. Providing a safe and supportive environment where everyone can thrive.
• Improve WRES and WDES performance making a tangible difference for our staff
• Improve staff survey performance on discrimination and respecting individual differences
• Ensure all workforce processes are fair and impartial. This includes recruitment, promotion, professional development and disciplinary procedures.

We will achieve this by:

• Increasing use of diversity and inclusion panellists in recruitment
• Assess the impact of changes to policy and practice on inclusion. To do this, we will use equality impact assessments.
• Promoting staff networks as partners in these goals. Offering peer support to colleagues
• Promoting cultural intelligence and anti-racism to our line managers and leaders
• Training line managers in sensitivity to individual differences. Ensuring they treat people as individuals with specific needs.
• Playing our role in delivering local, regional and national inclusion strategies. For example, the East of England anti-racism strategy.

We will foster compassionate and enabling working relationships.

Healthcare is a human industry where groups of skilled workers help those who are unwell.

Positive working relationships enable collaboration and sensitivity, required to deliver high quality care. This provides the platform for innovative work with partners. Over 70% of our staff in a recent survey felt that colleagues treated them with kindness and respect. This culture emerges from living our values every day. Our work environment broadens and deepens the support that we provide to one another. We place significant emphasis on creating and maintaining this.

CUH is also proud to work with partners in health and care services, academia and industry. Working with others allows our teams to provide better care, teaching, and research. We value our relationship with these partners and will continue to nurture them.

Relationships have never been more important than during Covid. Our staff and partners faced unprecedented disruption to their normal work. They experienced prolonged periods of working under extreme uncertainty and intense pressure. Our staff feel that having supportive relationships within a team was key to staying motivated during this period.

We presented the Covid Star to all our staff to thank them for their contributions during this time. We had positive feedback from staff, who shared how proud they were to be part of CUH’s response to the pandemic.

By 2025 we want to:

• Strengthen the positive workplace culture. Improve relationships between colleagues at CUH and with partner organisations.
• Ensure that staff feel valued by our patients and respected by their colleagues.
• Show a culture of compassionate leadership, listening and empathy.
• Create a culture where staff feel supported to learn when things do not go as expected, not blamed.

We will achieve this by:

• Demonstrating compassionate leadership through Trust-wide events and communications.
• Recognising and rewarding staff for outstanding achievements. For example, through our monthly You Made A Difference and CUH Annual Awards.
• Championing staff networks that deepen connections between staff with similar experiences.
• Investing in Freedom to Speak Up. Providing discreet channels to report incivility and bullying.
• Conducting After Action Reviews (AARs). This will allow us to learn and improve based on the practical experiences of staff.
• Making sure that Employee Relations processes follow the principles of a fair culture.
• Developing line manager training to promote compassionate relationships.
• Delivering all our commitments in a way that deepens the mutual respect of partners.
• Contributing to ICS-wide leadership and organisational development initiatives.