Barts Health Extended Placement Scheme

Organisation: Barts Health NHS Trust
Location: North East London ICB region– London boroughs: City of London and Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham and Waltham Forest

Size: 18k staff count across 5 hospitals
Populations served: 2.5M use Barts Health services

We know that approximately 60-80 per cent of health and wellbeing is attributable to the social determinants of health. Employment is one of the key determinants. There is an inherent and reciprocal link between health and work. Being in good work with fair pay and conditions improves people’s overall physical and mental health and supports quality of life; good health enables people to work, creating a virtuous cycle. Through inclusive employment schemes and targeted activities, Barts Health has made a significant impact in enhancing the lives of local people experiencing deprivation and inequalities, support economic and social recovery and levelling up. 

One such activity was an ICB funded extended placement scheme aimed at a minimum of 20 local people completing a 4-month paid admin work placement with Barts Health NHS Trust.

The placements participants were paid at London Living Wage. The funds were provided through Tower Hamlets Together so all participants were Tower Hamlets residents from the following demographic profile: female, 18-30, Somali/Bangladeshi or other BAME, not in secure or long-term education, employment or training - as determined and evidenced by the local community employment needs. The engagement was carried out in collaboration with the TH council’s own employment provision, Workpath. 

A key part of the offer was a structured pre-employment training pathway through our Healthcare Horizons provision (read more here) for all participants before the placement started. This included an assessment of numeracy and literacy at level 1 and a training course which provided participants with an understanding of their roles and responsibilities within a large healthcare provider. This also worked as a corporate induction that outlined but was not limited to modules in understanding of mental health, infection control and Barts Health employer visions and values. 

Impact of the programme

Tower Hamlets has among the highest levels of unemployment in Great Britain for women, with 4.3% of women claiming a benefit mainly for the reason of unemployment, compared with 3.1% of women in Great Britain (figures taken from Office of National Statistics, Claimant Count By Sex and Age, Females, February 2023).

At 59.7%, the borough has the second lowest female employment rate in London (ONS Annual Population Survey, 16-64 Employment Rate - Females, October 2021 to September 2022). The employment rate for Black and Asian Multi-Ethnic women in Tower Hamlets is 46.8%, lagging far behind the 64.8% employment rate for Black and Asian Multi-Ethnic women across the capital (ONS Annual Population Survey, 16-64 Employment Rate, Ethnic Minority Females, October 2021 to September 2022).

It was therefore a borough and ICB imperative to focus on this group: young Somali and Bangladeshi women aged between 18-30 from Tower Hamlets on unemployment benefits. A minimum of 20 local people completed a 4-month paid admin work placement with Barts Health NHS Trust. The placements participants were paid at London Living Wage. It is clear that there was a direct cause or inference that 10 local people secured work as a result of the placement scheme and more are expected to follow.

All 21 participants became more employable through the work placement scheme as determined by individual feedback. 

How the programme was delivered

The scheme was based on the highly successful Women into Health scheme which was TH council funded and made a similar offer a few years ago yielding some excellent results which included a high employment rate at the end of each placement cohort. The key to success was good admin placements with a good range of duties and a host / environment that were highly supportive. 

The current scheme adopted key elements from the Women into Health scheme but also the highly effective Healthcare Horizons scheme here at Barts Health. The key offer here was a structured pre-employment training pathway to all participants before the placement to get them ready. 

What is the future of this programme?

The project is tried and tested with regards to efficacy and impact on local people but this is not a guarantee for continuation of funding in an environment where healthcare providers are meeting patient demands following on from the pandemic. Scalability predicates on large organisations hosting the scheme where supervision and opportunities are widely available to provide the most impact in experience and skills terms. 

In practical terms, the model is relatively easy to adopt if the infrastructure of support is in place.  The project needs not just management and coordination but a support team which provides training of candidates and support through the duration of the placements. Advocating with supervisors and helping secure work post placement is another role played by the support team. This function may be played by teams within the host Trust or within the partnership but in our case we had both which is a stronger position for impact and success.  

Advice for others doing similar work

Given the extended placement scheme included elements of a tried and tested approach towards employment and therefore tackling wider determinants, the approach delivered a sound offer towards developing good work experience, job readiness and employment. Although the engagement for the project was carried out in collaboration with the TH council’s own employment provision, Workpath, a more targeted approach would probably have increased participant numbers in terms of women of Somali backgrounds which lagged behind its Bangladeshi counterparts. The Women’s Inclusive Team have been identified and recommended for future works. An extended aftercare period with participants would probably have led to more transitions into work.

For more information about the programme:

Lead name: Sadhek Khan

Contact email address: Sadhek.khan@nhs.net