Can Corporate Social Responsibility Improve Patient Care?

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has increasingly become at the heart of the majority of businesses’ strategies year after year, more specifically in hospital settings across the UK. The motive behind the use of CSR varies from organisation to organisation, but across various NHS trusts, the goal remains the same – to improve patient care.

 
With a comparable aim, ID Medical’s Corporate Social Responsibility strategy includes a year-filled calendar of events to support key clients’ hospital charities in the NHS. An important element of this strategy is to introduce monthly dress down days to the business. Last Friday 24^th July 2015, ID Medical held its second dress down day since implementing the strategy and raised £439.80 on the day.
The hospital charities aim to achieve the above and bring a positive measurable impact to patient care within trusts and hospitals through innovation, improvements and providing all-round excellent care.

How do hospital charities use the donations?

• Research support – funding and pioneering of new life-saving treatments
• Technology developments
• Improving the hospital environment
• Supporting the welfare of patients and staff
• PHD funding
• Funding training courses and conferences for staff
• Fund facilities that do not fall within the NHS parameters
• Social work department – provides subsistence support to families on low income that have children undergoing treatment in the hospital

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Ultimately, how does Corporate Social Responsibility improve the patient’s experience?

The implementation of ID Medical’s CSR strategy originated from the identification of the crucial and life-changing benefits it brings to hospital patients across the UK. In addition to raising the profiles of the Trust itself, CSR can improve 5 key factors in hospitals – Employment, Procurement, Environmental Sustainability, Global Health and Health and Well-being. All significantly important attributes which lead to improving patient care.

• 1.Employment

With an improved and kind-hearted reputation, the Trust attracts high quality employees and reduces employee turnover. This encourages an increase in performance and lower costs which can be invested elsewhere.

• 2.Procurement

Business partners and investors research how hospitals deal with social and environmental issues in addition to financial performance prior to partnering with the Trust. The better the Trust’s involvement in CSR initiatives, the higher the number of clients attracted to the Trust who can help make the difference.
In addition, hospitals demonstrating Corporate Social Responsibility practices generally achieve more support from the government in the form of waivers and less scrutiny.

• 3.Environmental Sustainability

By being more socially aware, Trusts use their resources more efficiently in day to day operations thus reducing costs. Having identified the impact which the hospital’s daily operations has on the environment, new machinery and processes can be put into place to support this. An example of environmental sustainability is shown by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust who was the first London Trust to produce its own electricity, saving under £2million per year in energy costs.

• 4.Global Health

One key factor which is important to recognise when working in hospitals on a daily basis is any public health concerns- one that isn’t only a local issue but worldwide. Using donations raised through fundraising events, Trusts can put forward public health awareness initiatives to improve global health. For example the ‘No smoking’ campaign reduced the amount of pregnant mothers smoking at delivery to 15%.

• 5.Health and Wellbeing

Ultimately, donations raised through fundraising events go towards improving all aspects of hospitals from processes to equipment as seen as above. Together, each of the four factors will make a vast impact to patient care through the development of hospitals.
 
CSR raises awareness of the impact that work has on people and the environment, whilst demonstrating steps which can be taken to reduce any negative effects. It can also highlight the performance of the hospital and allow the community to understand the current changes they face. Reputation management is vital, especially with such a heavy focus on patient and client benefits, avoiding the risk of losing patients and reducing patient loyalty.
ID Medical is dedicated to supporting its valued candidates and clients on a daily basis through staffing solutions and CSR – together we will make the difference.

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