NHS Lanarkshire has been shortlisted for an award in the ‘Local Champions’ category at the Living Wage Scotland Awards 2023.
The awards celebrate individuals and organisations that have made an outstanding contribution to the living wage movement. The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Thursday 9 November at the V&A in Dundee.
Just this week, it was announced that the real living wage would increase by 10.1% to £12 an hour, meaning over 64,000 Scottish workers will receive a vital cost-of-living pay boost.
Lorraine Scott, NHS Lanarkshire HR business partner, said: “For many years, NHS Lanarkshire has actively participated in the multi-agency living wage campaign in Lanarkshire. The board was the first territorial NHS Board in Scotland to receive accreditation. It has participated in numerous initiatives and served as a role model for other health boards and regions to encourage and support accreditation.
“The journey has been a collaborative effort and various system components have all contributed to this work. Human resources, health improvement, public health and procurement played a key role in obtaining accreditation and inspiring other boards to do the same.”
Lorraine explained how the organisation has encouraged other health boards to become accredited.
“After receiving accreditation, NHS Lanarkshire hosted a seminar for colleagues in procurement and human resources from other health boards in Scotland to share the experience and provide assistance to those who were considering the accreditation. This event attracted a lot of people and inspired many other boards to begin their own journeys and earn accreditation.
“As part of the team’s overall mission to combat poverty – and through online sessions and in-person visits for Healthy Working Lives – the team members have engaged with local employers about the living wage.
“Key messages regarding living wage accreditation have been shared on NHS Lanarkshire’s extensively used social media platforms. The team spoke at a campaign group event during Living Wage Week about the connection between health, in-work poverty and paying the real living wage — quite a novel strategy at the time.
“Within NHS Lanarkshire’s work to be an exemplar anchor organisation and support community wealth building, it is committed to continuing to be a champion and role model for living wage accreditation among the community and peers. We have also been investigating living hours’ accreditation and exploring this further will be the next step in our journey.”
Alana McGlynn, NHS Lanarkshire health improvement manager, said: “Our promotion of the movement and support of it as a reputable anchor organisation, significant employer and important community planner in the area has positively impacted the community in a variety of ways.
“Making sure staff receive salaries that represent the true cost of living will have a direct influence on many of the organisation’s employees and their families that live in Lanarkshire and surrounding areas.
“Working on joint initiatives as part of the campaign group has encouraged other employers in our community to sign-up, find out more information and become accredited, thus increasing the number of Lanarkshire people who get paid the real living wage and making a contribution to reducing in-work poverty and child poverty.
“As a result of our unwavering belief in the movement and the advantages it offers to our employees, patients and community, NHS Lanarkshire made the jump before any other health board to demonstrate a strong commitment to the real living wage.
“We understand that people who are experiencing poverty unfortunately can have poorer health and wellbeing outcomes and experience greater inequalities. By tackling in-work poverty and other social determinants of health we can help to reduce these inequalities and improve health and wellbeing outcomes.
Alana highlighted how committing to the real living wage will assist Lanarkshire employees through the cost of living crisis.
“A range of initiatives we are pursuing to support our community through and beyond the cost-of-living crisis and to increase the amount of money going into our local economy and people’s pockets includes committing to the real living wage.
“For the organisation, partners, employers and the entire population of Lanarkshire, it is the moral thing to do. In our community and throughout Scotland, we take pride in serving as an example and a champion for real living wage.”
