Staff who make sure local people get the right health services are today celebrating scooping three awards.

NHS Suffolk is the first NHS trust in the UK to have been awarded an Investors in People Health and Wellbeing Good Practice award.

This prestigious award from Investors in People UK (IiP) recognises the work that NHS Suffolk is doing to improve the health and wellbeing of its staff - both for their good health, and so they are fit and motivated to deliver better services to local people.

The IiP Health and Wellbeing award focuses on what really makes a difference to people’s experience at work: good communication, flexible working practices, effective and fair line management and robust team support - as well as help in keeping fit.

All the evidence* is that healthier and happier staff take less time off and work more effectively, so improving NHS Suffolk’s part in delivering better health services locally.

IiP has also awarded NHS Suffolk a bronze award for managing and developing staff professionally. It is the first year NHS Suffolk has applied for the IiP standard. Again, staff who keep increasing their knowledge and skills are almost a guarantee of better results for health services in Suffolk. Through these highly skilled staff we are building our expertise to become recognised as “world class commissioners”** of local health services.

The third accolade for NHS Suffolk is a “Best Companies - One to Watch” accreditation (organised in conjunction with The Sunday Times). This is a Michelin Guide-style rating for organisations that demonstrate high levels of staff engagement in working together to improve overall performance.

All of these awards were announced in March 2010 and follow in-depth consultation by each awarding body with all levels of staff within NHS Suffolk.

Carole Taylor-Brown, chief executive of NHS Suffolk, said: “NHS Suffolk is proud to be recognised as an employer that knows we can only keep improving our services if our staff are fit and enthusiastic at work. We are particularly pleased at being the first NHS trust in the country to have received the IiP Health and Wellbeing Good Practice award.”

“We constantly work with all sorts of employers in Suffolk to help them support their own staff, and we have to set a good example ourselves. I know that every company in Suffolk wants healthy staff who are loyal to their employer, and we can help them to keep improving.”

One such example of offering that support to people in Suffolk is through the new Healthy Ambitions Suffolk specialist adviser, Claire Parker. Claire will work with employers to offer advice on best practice.

Stephen Welfare, Director of Workforce at NHS East of England said:

“This is a tremendous achievement for NHS Suffolk. They are setting the standard against which all NHS organisations should measure themselves. Their dedication to staff wellbeing is something to strive for. I am delighted that their efforts have been recognised through these awards.”

1 - *The Boorman Review illustrates the positive impacts on performance and the quality of patient care of better staff health and wellbeing. The review’s recommendations, which are now reflected in the NHS Operating Framework 2010/11, requires action from all NHS organisations to focus on prevention and good management to make a sustained difference to absence, performance and productivity of their workforce.
2 - **World class commissioning is a national scheme to transform the way health and care services are commissioned (i.e. bought and organised) - “adding life to years and years to life”.

For more information about NHS Suffolk visit www.suffolk.nhs.uk

WVB-VI