Behind the Building

 

In the ninth of our #BehindtheBuilding series looking at the new Emergency Care Building (ECB), we talk to Sharon Tucker who is the Social Value Lead for the Future Hospital Programme at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust.

What is social value?

Social value is the additional benefit we get with a project. The ECB is a massive building programme, so social value looks at how we can bring extra benefits to the community, above and beyond the bricks and mortar. Social value is about concentrating on the community, looking at what we can offer to them. 

The Social Value Act came into play at the end of 2012 to beginning of 2013. The NHS has its own procurement policy linked to that act, which looks at how we can move from solely concentrating on the financial cost, to a more advantageous tender. Contractors now put commitments in their tender which are evaluated at tender stage, and we make sure that they are delivering on their key performance indicators (KPIs) throughout their contract. 

We normally look at three different strands with social value: community, work and the environment. For community, it could be working with local schools. For work it could be agreeing to take on a number of apprentices, looking at the number of long-term unemployed they take on or providing opportunities for training and mentoring. For the environment it could be updating green spaces and looking to increase biodiversity.

Why is social value important?

As a hospital, there’s so much good work already going on, but social value really showcases that. It provides an opportunity to make society a bit more equitable, such as offering work experience for people who might not have previously had access, including young people who are not in education or training, or people who might want to retrain. There are so many opportunities for us to have an impact on the community and to make worthwhile change.

Providing jobs helps to put money back into the local community too, and of course there’s also the aspect of leaving a legacy from the project. We’ve already had fantastic support with upgrading the Plymouth Hospitals Charity Hub, and we are looking at future legacy projects. 

What does your role involve?

I started in post just over a year ago, and so far no two days have been the same. My remit is to work with contractors and co-design projects to deliver and meet KPIs in their tender, but this can mean many things. I can be going out to a school, ripping down a fence, designing a garden with the Youth Patient Council, meeting with larger organisations like Plymouth City Council and the University of Plymouth to talk about wider impacts across the city, and even looking into digital poverty. It’s very varied and keeps me on my toes.

I came from a background of working in the Executive Office, but this role isn’t your typical office job. I didn’t expect to be out in all elements, with the wettest winter on record, and then the hottest summer. It’s also been a big learning curve for me, but I have managed to link in with other trusts and their social value leads, and I’m hoping to build a network so we have a social value community going forwards, where we can all share best practice and learn from each other. 

What’s your experience been like so far working with contractors?

I not only work with Willmott Dixon as the main contractor, but also with BAM and the supply chain partners, and they have all been fantastic when we’ve asked for support with some of our projects. We’ve created a little bit of a community and they’ve come in with their tools, even when it’s been pouring with rain, and helped with clearing undergrowth or sowing seeds. They were really keen to help us at Christmas and came up with the idea to have a donation event for the children’s wards. We spoke with the Paediatric Emergency Department team and they gave us a wish list of toys, sensory equipment and other equipment, and the supply chain pulled out all the stops. Thousands of pounds’ worth of toys and equipment were donated and the staff were overjoyed. 

We’ve also been keen to offer something back to them and their staff, so we plan several health awareness sessions throughout the year, linking them with the national NHS Health Awareness Days. So far we’ve had a talk from the Chestnut Clinic, offered PSA tests and during Know Your Numbers in September, one of our lead nurses went up to the cabins and identified that a couple of people needed to be referred to their GP for their blood pressure. Obviously as it’s a silent condition, getting this checked is really important. 

What projects have you been involved in?

As part of the adopt a school programme, we are working with local comprehensive school Notre Dame. When they’ve had careers fairs, we’ve gone in to talk about construction and careers in the NHS. We’ve done CV workshops with them and they’ve come into the hospital to do a clinical work experience week with us. As part of this they got the opportunity learn some resuscitation skills and were given a certificate by SWAST at the end, so they went away with both practical skills as well as knowledge about careers in the NHS. In return, they offered us a young person’s perspective on what they’d like to see in the new paediatric emergency department, such as quiet places and the ability to charge phones.

As a Green Champion I work closely with the Trust’s Sustainability team as there is a keenness to increase biodiversity on site as part of our Green Plan. Last year I did some engagement with Trust staff and they asked to see some improvement to our green spaces, including colourful planting and places to sit. Willmott Dixon kindly agreed to fund some wildflower seeds and with support from Sphere Solutions, Mitie and YGS Landscaping, we sowed a meadow last October. Despite a really wet winter and really hot summer, we did get some blooms, so that was fantastic. We also went out and did a bioblitz with some local students and we were able to demonstrate an increase in our biodiversity on site, including more pollinators and butterflies. 

We’re currently working on a herb garden, which has been co-designed with oncology patients and with the Youth Patient Council. We’re also starting to upgrade the pond area, with Topan and a group of volunteers helping us to replace the fence. We’ve also worked with Poole Community Farm, who were commissioned by SDS to run some wellbeing in nature sessions, which we’ve offered to the public and to staff and their children. As part of that we’ve built some bug hotels, which will go into the new garden.

I’ve also been working with our anchor partners - Babcock, the University of Plymouth and Plymouth City Council, and I’m part of the community engagement group. We’re looking at how we can provide support to areas in Plymouth that are most in need, working with community hubs with the intention to create an online portal we can direct the supply chain to. It might be as simple as painting a room, or something bigger like building a new toilet block, or drawing on some of the construction teams’ expertise to help apply for grants. 

Why is the new ECB so important?

I’m a Plymouth resident and I’ve had to use the Emergency Department a few times in the past. Throughout our family life, it’s been important to us. My children needed it when they were little, and my husband, who was particularly ill, needed treatment in the department too. This new facility is going to be so important to the people of Plymouth.

We’ve all experienced seeing the number of ambulances waiting outside, too. When my Mum was ill, she had to wait outside for a whole night in an ambulance, which wasn’t ideal. She said the staff were fantastic and the ambulance crew were really caring, but its still not what you want for your family. So anything that gives us more capacity and improves wait times will be fantastic. This brand-new facility will not only benefit us, but the next generation to come too.