Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System will launch a major new initiative aimed at ensuring its 80,000+ strong workshop has a voice in building the best place to work in health and care.
From 30 November to 14 December 2023, all staff working in health and care in Birmingham and Solihull have the opportunity to take part in the first of the System’s ‘Our Open Conversations’ which will see them safely, openly and anonymously sharing their opinions and ideas via an online virtual discussion platform with the promise that their contributions will be heard, recognised and actioned.
Professor Patrick Vernon OBE, Interim Chair of Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board, said: “We are determined to make working in health and care in Birmingham and Solihull the best place it can be.
“This is a unique opportunity for staff to tell the System about their frustrations; where it has got things wrong; what’s stopping staff from doing their job in the way they want and need to, and what needs to be done to make things better.
“We can only do this by tapping into the wisdom of our workforce – we need a full and honest picture of the challenges of day-to-day working life so that we can make genuinely transformative change.
“Nobody knows better than our staff, and Our Open Conversations will allow us to get to the root causes of our challenges to put in place an action plan that will make every part of health and care in Birmingham and Solihull the best place to work.”
Following the first of the System’s Our Open Conversation, the data captured through it will be used to draft an action plan aimed at ensuring every organisation delivering health and care in Birmingham and Solihull is the best place to work - from recruitment to retirement.
Staff will then have a chance to check and challenge this draft action plan in a second Open Conversation in Spring 2024, before it is finalised and implemented.
Any staff with questions about Our Open Conversations should email communications.bsolicb@nhs.net