Estates project contractor foodbank donation to The Oasis Project
At University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, we are acutely aware of the social responsibility that goes hand in hand with an anchor institution status. Wherever we can, we want to give back to the local community that makes up UHP’s patient, staff, and visitor groups.
In practise, this commitment sometimes looks like building requirements into contractor agreements that require them to invest back into the local community. When the Trust goes out to tender to complete a job, it is imperative that we judge these potential UHP partners against a social value framework. Such a framework aims to work towards the Sustainable Development Goals as set out by the UN in 2015. The UN’s grouping of the 17 divergent goals demonstrates how climate action, social inequalities, infrastructure, and more are all inextricably linked; If we work with contractors who recognise the importance of one or more of these goals and pledge to invest in them, we’re ultimately working towards Sustainable Development in UHP and the wider area.
Recently, a winning contractor for a works tender pledged a commitment to provide a £1,000 food bank donation. This relates to a project named ‘UPS Level 2’ which essentially involves the moving and upgrading of the current uninterrupted power supply (UPS) located in the Plant Room on level 1. This project plays an important role in the Trust’s business contingency plan; the UPS is a bank of batteries which acts as an immediate back up power supply in the event of a power cut. The project is now well underway, and the successful contractor (Mechanical Electrical Contracting-MEC) made the foodbank donation on Thursday 16th March at The Oasis Project, Plymouth.
Plymouth Foodbank and The Oasis Project work hand in hand to provide emergency food packages to local residents via a voucher system which ensures the food goes to the most in need. Astonishingly, in 2020/2021 the project gave out 7285 3-day emergency food packages- whilst it is distressing to think about how many members of our local community rely on such compassion, it fills us with hope that the Trust can make a difference to these people via the contractors we work with. Indeed, MEC estimates that their £1000 donation would be enough to provide over 55 3-day emergency packages to those most in need this winter.
The cost of living crisis means that food poverty is now a major threat to Plymouth’s deprived areas and the 11,000 children living below the poverty line. According to the UN, ‘malnutrition remains a barrier to sustainable development and creates a trap from which people cannot easily escape. Hunger…means less productive individuals, who are more prone to disease and this often unable to earn more and improve their livelihoods.’ Through supporting foodbanks, the Trust hopes to help ease food poverty hardship and develop a sustainable workforce and community in Plymouth.
Sources:
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/2_Why-It-Matters-2020.pdf
