The Mid and South Essex Health Care Partnership (MSEHCP) is working with health and care partners, local Councils and the education sector in Mid and South Essex as signatories to the Anchor Programme, to provide employment and voluntary opportunities for 1.2 million people in our Essex communities.
The Programme brings together partners from across the healthcare system to understand how the we can be a real force for good and provide high-quality local employment, support staff in their professional development, and reach out to our local partners to help us all succeed. The ambitions include providing more opportunities for young people, reducing their environmental impact and providing volunteering opportunities for all.
Professor Michael Thorne CBE is the Independent Chair of the Health Care Partnership and he said: “As a collective we recognise our huge potential to add enhanced social value to the lives 1.2milllion people who live in our area. As partners we are uniquely placed and have a key role in how we shape policies and procurement opportunities, and the positive impact this will have on the health and wellbeing of our local communities, so I’m delighted that all partners have signed this charter to show such commitment.”
The Anchor Programme aims to improve the life chances of local people. This will be achieved by local organisations working together to develop innovative approaches to support the communities we serve.
COVID-19 has demonstrated the strength in partnership working. As many people have lost jobs during the pandemic, the Anchor Programme will provide an opportunity for retraining, volunteering and developing new networks of opportunity.
Basildon Hospital is being used as the pilot site for the programme, which will be expanded to include all three of Mid and South Essex Foundation Trust’s (MSEFT) hospital sites and communities across Mid and South Essex in 2021.
As 70% of staff at the Basildon site live in the local area, MSEFT will work with its employees to understand how they can recruit more people locally and ensure that employment opportunities are of a high quality with real career pathways.
Anchor Programme partners, Generation Medics, are also providing opportunities for young people hit by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Generation Medics is a multi-award-winning social enterprise dedicated to helping people from all backgrounds explore, strive and succeed in medical and healthcare careers.
They are supporting the next generation of healthcare professionals in Basildon through their ‘Virtual Healthcare Academy’. The programme includes workshops, mentoring, online work experience and a dedicated online platform all designed to support 13-19 year olds.
You can read about the programme here. https://generationmedics.org.uk/healthcare-academy-essex/
Click here to view the Anchor Charter and see who has signed up to the Programme.