As the world continues with Olympic fever with the closing ceremony of London 2012 and the Paralympics only days away, athletes aren’t the only ones looking to bronze, silver and gold. The management and staff at Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital have recently been successful in securing the Silver Award of the Investors in People (IIP) scheme. The receipt of the accolade comes only a year after news that the hospital had achieved the Bronze Award, having first been accredited as meeting the basic IIP standard in 2005. Meeting the Investors in People standard in itself is no mean feat, and Bronze, Silver and Gold are awarded to those who go beyond this baseline standard.
Minister for Health, David Anderson MHK said:
“I was delighted to hear the news that the team at Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital have now gone on to achieve the Silver Award of IIP – very well done indeed to the entire team. It shows their ongoing commitment and determination to invest in and engage with staff, which has been proven time and again to be fundamental to building successful teams and organisations. Our people are our most valuable resource and also our most expensive. The Investors in People scheme enables the Department to maximise staff potential and increase employee commitment. This in turn helps to improve customer service and organisational effectiveness, which is good news for the public who use these services.”
IIP is now in its twenty-first year, having been launched in 1991 by the UK Government with the aim of transforming business performance through people. Many organisations in the Isle of Man are signed-up to the scheme, which is championed and administered on-Island by the Department of Economic Development.
Laurence Skelly MHK, Member for Economic Development whose responsibilities include Investors in People said:
“It’s impressive to see the team at Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital going on to achieve the Silver Award in such a short space of time. IIP is a hugely positive force not only in the private sector but also the public sector. I hope that the success at RDCH will encourage further uptake not only by local companies, but also Government Departments and Boards where IIP can help to enhance the delivery of public services.”
The IIP standard sees organisations having to meet 39 evidence requirements. Bronze, Silver and Gold were added in recent years to give organisations the chance to differentiate themselves, as many were going far beyond the standard required. Bronze requires an additional 26 evidence requirements and silver an additional 76, meaning that a total of 115 points of specific evidence are required.
Janet Grib, Manager of Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital said:
“I’m proud of the entire team at RDCH for making this possible, but in particular I’d like to thank the dedication of the members of our IIP Steering Group. To move from the Bronze to the Silver Award in a 12 month period shows the hard work and determination of pushing IIP to the max at Ramsey and making sure it’s integrated into everything we do, and not just an optional extra. Out of the 115 evidence points required, we actually scored 139, which is only 26 short of the Gold Award, so that’s very much our next aim.
“I think the most important thing is to remember that IIP is first and foremost about valuing our staff and enabling us to improve the way we work, and that’s with a view of providing the very best possible levels of care for our patients – it’s all about the patients at the end of the day.”
