Croydon Health Services NHS Trust

Summary

Croydon Health Services NHS Trust (CHS), who serve nearly 400,000 people in South London, faced significant investment challenges leading to a fall in training environment quality. Through a partnership with SCC, the Trust transformed its tired training facilities at Shirley House into modern learning hubs, elevating staff morale, training quality and ultimately patient care. This collaboration demonstrates the ripple effect of volunteering and supplier engagement, showing how a simple act can spark lasting positive change.

Challenge

The training facilities at Shirley House, Croydon University Hospital, had become outdated and suffered from a lack of investment. Staff induction and ongoing development were hampered by uninspiring spaces and old technology, which included a projector that required the lights to be off for visibility, affecting the learning atmosphere. Croydon NHS faced the dual pressures of serving a diverse community with varied needs and managing ongoing funding constraints typical of the NHS. The Trust recognised that without high-quality training in high-quality spaces, staff development and patient care would be compromised.

Solution

SCC and CHS have been working in partnership for many years and have developed a relationship built on our mutual values and a passion for delivering exceptional services. When CHS’s challenge came to SCC’s attention, we quickly arranged a company-funded volunteering day to redecorate the seminar rooms, filling holes, sanding walls and painting them in NHS blue.

The transformation was further enhanced by the installation of a state-of-the-art interactive screen, donated by Lenovo and delivered by SCC, replacing the old projector and enabling engaging, hybrid training sessions. The rooms were refreshed in the Trust’s value colours, creating a welcoming and professional environment. This upgrade supported both in-person and online learners, making the space adaptable and accessible for all staff.

Esther Mukeme, Practice Educator at Croydon NHS, said:

“We now have a facility to be proud of. The environment is stimulating for our learners and makes teaching much easier.”

The Head of Skills, Learning and Development atCroydon NHS, Catherine Bailey, also noted:

“If we don’t have high quality training in high quality spaces, our patients can’t receive high quality care. SCC’s support has given us a beautifully repainted space so that staff can have a nice environment, a professional environment, in which to embark on training and also have some fantastic facilities so that they can get the information that they need to develop the right skills, knowledge and behaviour to provide outstanding services to our patients.”

Outcome

The Shirley House transformation has had a positive impact on staff, patients and the wider community. Staff now have a facility to be proud of, with a stimulating environment that makes teaching and learning easier. By creating a modern, stimulating environment equipped with advanced technology, staff are now able to access high-quality training that better prepares them for the demands of patient care. As more staff receive up-to-date, engaging training, they develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed to deliver outstanding services.

The ripple effect of SCC’s volunteering and investment has extended beyond staff morale and training quality, ultimately leading to enhanced patient support, improved quality of life and increased life expectancy for the community. As highlighted by Catherine Bailey:

“That space is now an area where we could bring a live experience facilitator into. Therefore, more people in the borough can receive that training. Therefore, you’re more likely to encounter somebody who has had the right training to deal with a patient […] Therefore, that patient is more likely to get the support that they needed, the medical intervention they required at the right time, and therefore their quality of life and life expectancy is significantly improved. And all of that started with SCC’s decisions to hold a volunteer day to come and paint a room.”

The project stands as a testament to the power of partnership, community spirit and the ripple effect of volunteering.