Chief People Officer, Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust

As Chief People Officer you will lead the Trust’s people and culture agenda, develop a strategy that places our staff at the centre of what we do and ensure BHRUT is the best place to work.

As a member of the Trust Board, the post holder will lead the implementation and development of our People Framework & Strategy, contributing to the development of the strategic direction and operational success of the Trust overall ensuring this supports BHRUT to become an exemplar of best people practices. Develop and support the People and OD Directorate to deliver a first class service to all users ensuring this is timely, accurate and consistent. With key colleagues across the ICS, design and lead on a People and Culture strategy across the NEL Integrated Care System, and the acute alliance with a focus on our collaboration with Barts Health ensuring a cooperative and open approach to cross organisational partnerships.

With a dedicated workforce of more than 7,500 staff and volunteers and an income of £570m, Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) is one of the larger acute trusts in the country.
We provide care for a population of about 750,000 people across north east London (NEL), and that number is predicted to increase by 15 per cent over the next ten years. Our Trust serves three London boroughs with diverse populations, and more than half of our workforce identify as Black, Asian, or Minority Ethnic. In addition, eight out of every ten employees are women, and most of our workforce live within the host boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering, and Redbridge.
We also provide healthcare services to people in south west Essex, and specialist neurosciences services to the whole of the county.
Our services include all the major specialties of large acute hospitals, operating from two main sites – King George Hospital in Goodmayes and Queen’s Hospital in Romford. We also provide outpatient services at Brentwood Community Hospital, Barking Hospital, Loxford Polyclinic and Harold Wood Polyclinic. We have two of the busiest emergency departments in London – in 2019/20, emergency and urgent attendances (Type 1 & 2) were 189,518 and there were nearly 65,000 ambulance arrivals at both sites.
Over recent years, our Trust has made significant improvements to the quality of care we provide patients. Four years ago, following a re-inspection of services by the Care Quality Commission, BHRUT was taken out of quality special measures, and we have improved our overall rating from ‘Inadequate’ to ‘Requires Improvement’. Since then, on-going improvements in the quality of care have been recognised by various external partners and organisations. In early 2018, the Trust entered Financial Special Measures. A Financial Recovery Plan is in place to deliver the financial savings required over the coming years.
Like other trusts across the country, Covid-19 meant we had to transform, overnight, the way we cared for patients and delivered services. Collaborative working with system colleagues ensured we were one of the first to set up a long Covid clinic that is proving invaluable in supporting the on-going needs of residents. During the vaccine rollout, King George Hospital was designated a vaccination centre and was established and launched in seven days.
Our Trust has been making good progress as we respond to the needs of those people whose treatment was delayed by the virus, although we have much work to do to improve waiting times for urgent and emergency care, and performance against the four-hour emergency access standard remains challenged, in comparison to most other London trusts. This aspect of the organisation’s work will be one of the many benefits of closer collaboration with Barts Health. Working with them, and with all partners across NEL, we will find a sustainable solution that will enhance patient care.
We are particularly proud of our regional Neurosciences Centre; Radiotherapy Centre; Hyper Acute Stroke Unit; and dedicated breast care service at King George Hospital. We’re also pleased to be part of the NEL Cancer Alliance.
As well as having a Hyper Acute Stroke Unit at Queen’s Hospital, the stroke service has transformed from being ‘D’ rated to the highest possible ‘A’ rating. The improvements that have taken place have included changing stroke consultants’ working patterns to match demand and introducing a virtual ward that allows patients, where appropriate, to receive care and support in their own homes.
In 2017, the Trust unveiled one of the UK’s first Halcyon radiotherapy machines, which is just one example of the cutting-edge treatment we now offer patients. We also provide Ethos therapy, which uses artificial intelligence to tailor treatment to patients’ changing daily anatomy (in terms of their tumour’s shape and position).
We offer staff the opportunity to train to become nurses, while continuing to work full-time in our hospitals. This pioneering Registered Degree Nursing Apprenticeship is transforming lives – and helping to reduce shortages – by supporting staff who wish to progress to become nurses but who were unable to undertake the usual degree route after leaving school. Growing our own nursing workforce through this route is just one of the ways we have reduced our nursing vacancies and improved retention rates.
Patient experience is hugely important to us as a Trust, and has been recognised at the national Patient Experience Awards, particularly for the support we provide to bereaved families. We are also developing our staff networks and we are determined to continually improve our culture for the benefit of our workforce and our patients. We have appointed a Director for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion who is leading the work to foster a culture that is fair, equitable and inclusive and where every voice counts.
With such continuous improvement always at the forefront of our thinking, we are proud to have partnered with the Virginia Mason Institute, along with four other trusts in the country. Now, with the five-year collaboration at an end, we are continuing to embed The PRIDE Way as our methodology for quality improvement.
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