What is an Anchor Institution?
‘Anchor institutions’ are large public sector organisations rooted in and connected to their local communities. They can improve health through their influence on local social and economic conditions by adapting the way they employ people, purchase goods and services, use buildings and spaces, reduce environmental impact, and work in partnership.
How can Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust improve Blackpool and the Fylde Coast other than providing healthcare?
We want to make sure people have better access to good quality jobs, as well as helping the environment and local businesses.
We would like to speak to people about their experiences of life in Blackpool and the Fylde Coast and understand their opinions about how the hospital organisation can help improve the area.
We want to listen to people in the communities that experience greatest disadvantage, plus people working for and leading public, private and VCFSE organisations who serve these communities.
Our community researchers will be holding focus groups, interviews and attending community events to hear from people during summer 2022.
If you want to find out more, be involved in any of the activities or you know of any community events that we could attend, please email bfwh.socialvalue@nhs.net
FAQs
‘Anchor institutions’ are large public sector organisations rooted in and connected to their local communities. They can improve health through their influence on local social and economic conditions by adapting the way they employ people, purchase goods and services, use buildings and spaces, reduce environmental impact, and work in partnership. (Health Foundation, 2021)
How can Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (BTH) improve the socio-economic conditions of economically vulnerable groups within the most deprived Fylde Coast areas?
The project is funded by the Health Foundation. It is being co-produced by five community researchers from Empowerment and Headstart, who bring their lived experience, and Blackpool Teaching Hospital Trust’s Consultant in Public Health and Head of Research, who provide the project management and research support.
This research is focused on how BTH can help improve the socio-economic conditions of economically vulnerable groups within the Fylde Coast areas ranked as being in the 20% most deprived of all England’s small areas. That is, people living in the coastal areas from Fleetwood, through Blackpool to St Anne’s who are part of the following communities:
• Young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) or at risk of becoming NEET
• Young people leaving care
• Carers and young carers
• Insecure employed
• Unemployed
• Experiencing homelessness
• Individuals leaving prison
• Veterans
• Travellers
• Minority ethnic communities: Polish, Romanian, Hungarian, Italian
We want to speak to:
1. People in these communities (community members)
2. Individuals who work in organisations that serve these communities (frontline workers)
3. Leaders of organisations who serve these communities, such as key local employers and VCFSE organisations (leaders)
4. Other large public sector organisations who operate across the Fylde Coast (anchors)
5. Staff employed by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (BTH staff)
6. Leaders in Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (BTH leaders)
We will use a standard qualitative methodology, gathering data through survey, focus groups and interviews.
Survey (JUNE 2022)
We will prepare an online survey to generate initial themes. This survey can be distributed to public sector, private sector and third sector networks for anyone who wishes to answer it.
Focus groups (JULY 2022)
We will explore the themes in focus groups. We will conduct four focus groups: one with BTH staff; one with community organisations; one with other anchor organisations; and a final mixed group. The focus groups will be held in person at Blackpool Teaching Hospital sites or community venues. Our community researchers and BTH research team will facilitate the focus groups.
Interviews (AUGUST TO SEPTEMBER 2022)
Following the focus groups, we will conduct one to one interviews with key individuals to gain deeper insight. Interviews will be conducted with key individuals, including those from our economically vulnerable groups, the front-line workers who support them, and leaders in BTH, community organisations and anchor organisations. We will conduct up to 25 interviews with BTH staff and stakeholders and up to 50 interviews with economically vulnerable groups.
The interviews will be conducted at times and places to suit the interviewees, which may be in person or over Teams. The interviews will be conducted by the five community researchers and should last no longer than one hour. The interviews will be recorded, with consent from the interviewees.
We will offer a £10 voucher to community members, as a thank you for their time and sharing their lived experience. We hope that the research will help the trust to better support these groups going forward.
Community events (JULY TO SEPTEMBER 2022)
Throughout the process our community researchers will attend events organised across the Fylde Coast relevant to our population of interest, to find out about the needs, assets and opportunities within those communities that BTH can support.
If you want to be involved in any of the activities, please email bfwh.socialvalue@nhs.net
We would like to attend as many community events as possible during July to September 2022. Please let us know of any events that are relevant to our population of interest (economically vulnerable populations in the 20% most deprived areas). Please email bfwh.socialvalue@nhs.net