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Our ambition is for Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes (BLMK) to be an attractive place to work, learn and live. We want our residents to become part of the high-performing workforce that meet our health and social care needs now, and in the future.

The last couple of years have been challenging for all of us. Our staff and volunteers, together with our citizens and patients, have shown extraordinary commitment, dedication, compassion and bravery.

Our focus now is to do everything we can to continue to support the health and wellbeing of our staff. As part of this, we are committed to addressing inequalities and ensuring that every member of staff has a voice and feels listened to.

Over the next few years, we want to grow our workforce and attract the very best talent to help us meet current and future demand and provide high quality joined up health and care for our residents.

In these pages, you can read Our People Plan, find out more about some of our staff wellbeing initiatives and find out the latest volunteering opportunities and vacancies.

Our People Plan

Our refreshed Health and Social Care People Plan describes the actions we will take to support our workforce to recover and restore services following the pandemic.

It also sets our longer term ambitions for how our people will continue to work together across Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes to provide the very best health and care for our population.

Our People Plan reflects the NHS People Plan 2020/21 which focuses on ‘more people, working differently, in a compassionate and inclusive culture’.

As part of our People Plan, we have developed four key priorities:

  • Looking After Our People

Quality health and wellbeing support for all health and social care staff.

  • Belonging in BLMK

Tackling the discrimination that some health and social care staff face.

  • New Ways of Working

Effective use of full range of skills and experience across health and social care.

  • Growing for an Integrated Future How we recruit, train, welcome back returners and keep our people.

Staff Wellbeing initiatives

Below are just some examples of the many Staff Wellbeing initiatives we have put in place to support our people:

  • We have increased our staff wellbeing provision to include long Covid support, long term mental health groups and support with musculoskeletal issues
  • All primary care staff have access to ShinyMind – an app to support NHS staff with their wellbeing and resilience
  • We have set up a BLMK ICS Keeping Well Hub, which offers confidential, direct access support for all health & social care staff, including fire, police, carers and volunteers
  • Bedfordshire Hospitals has implemented additional support to the health and wellbeing of its Critical Care staff, including on the ward psychological support, psychological first aid, 121 sessions, stress management and training for managers

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