WERKIN and the NHS

Transforming lives together.

How we work together

  • As an approved NHS supplier, WERKIN is proud to support and deliver world-class programmes for the healthcare industry.

    The National Health Service (NHS) and WERKIN first partnered in 2021 to design and facilitate the BAME Career Mentoring programme, to accelerate the career progression of mentors and mentees from underrepresented racial or ethnic backgrounds. 

    We've since seen an increase in access to opportunities for BAME staff, an increase in morale and confidence, and an increase in psychological safety.

    Our reports and trusted insights are also used in NHS senior stakeholder meetings to contextualise WRES and WDES data, as we obtain more in-depth and honest feedback from employees.

  • WERKIN's core offering is the design and implementation of mentorship and leadership development programmes with key success metrics. We are publicly recognised as the leading experts in Inclusive / Reciprocal Mentorship, having delivered programmes globally, as profiled in Forbes in August 2020.

    WERKIN offers bespoke programmes which use technology, data and our people to drive career progression and enable culture change in organisations. It's a difficult thing to measure something intangible like 'belonging' , but we are able to analyse the sentiments of your underrepresented groups, seeing a real shift throughout the course of all of our programmes.

    By partnering with WERKIN, you're choosing a company with mentoring as its expertise and inclusion at its heart.

    A selection of programmes we are running for the NHS & healthcare partners:

    • NHS Kent & Medway MIND Mentoring

    • NHS Generational Reciprocal Mentoring for Nurses

    • IC24 Ready & Prepared Programme

  • Healthcare inequalities refer to the disparities in health outcomes and access to healthcare among different populations. These disparities can manifest in a variety of ways, including geographical location, ethnic background, gender, or socioeconomic status. The Covid-19 pandemic exposed these inequalities even further, focusing the issue for many working in healthcare from a local, regional, or ICS (integrated care system) perspective.

    Recently we have seen The National Health Service (NHS) Long Term Plan make it a priority to eliminate unjustified variations in patient care. Healthcare organisations and teams are also developing health inequalities strategies to address the need for action at a population health level, and examining issues facing unfair variations in patient care.

    At WERKIN we have seen inequalities increase not only in patient care and general health but also reach into healthcare organisations and corporate culture.

    There are several ways we work with organisations to address these inequalities, which include delivering bespoke programmes that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare staff, using data to develop strategies, and supporting your colleagues from underrepresented groups and communities in many other ways.

  • At WERKIN, we design and deliver the best training for your people with an authentic team who come from an array of different backgrounds and lived experiences. Our culture is positive, compassionate, and inclusive – and it’s our mission to bring these values to our partnerships in line with the NHS People Promise.

    Read more below about how WERKIN’s values align with the NHS People Promise.

  • The NHS Leadership Values are at the core of what WERKIN does. Our programmes are designed to create effective leadership behaviours and outcomes, building on existing strengths and identifying important areas for development.

    Read more below about how WERKIN’s values align with the NHS Leadership Values.

  • What makes our programmes unique is our focus on building communities of practice. Being part of a community fosters a greater sense of belonging at work, improving the health and wellbeing of staff from all backgrounds and cultures.

    Our communities are led by People Experience Leads from the demographic that we will be supporting. Sharing a similar lived experience is crucial in building trust and authenticity in our programmes.

  • Making skill sharing a two-way street

    NHS Kent and Medway

Elizabeth Saji | NHS Kent & Medway BAME Mentoring Programme Mentee

Louisa Brailey | Diversity and Inclusion Programme Manager | NHS Kent & Medway ICB

What our NHS Clients say

  • WERKIN’s programmes are designed to accelerate the careers of underrepresented groups such as people with disabilities, those from disadvantaged backgrounds, colleagues experiencing age-based or gender discrimination, LGBTQ+, BIPOC and Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities and more.

    We ensure that members of these groups within your organisations feel ready to take the next step in their career, become confident in their abilities, increase their access and visibility, making progress achievable and equitable.

    It is our mission to help you bring “belonging” to the workplace, for every member of your organisation.

  • WERKIN recognises the value that the NHS provides every day. Our programmes spotlight and champion underrepresented talent within organisations, ensuring that employees are recognised for their contribution. Staff graduate from our programmes with a formal recognition, increasing their visibility, salary and opportunities for promotion and rewards.. Many alumni also secure places on renowned NHS leadership programmes such as the Mary Seacole and Nye Bevan programmes.

  • WERKIN’s mentorship and leadership programs are designed to give staff the security and confidence to speak up in the workplace. Our People Leaders are here to listen and understand, giving a voice to your marginalised colleagues and creating spaces for them to be heard.

  • WERKIN prioritises putting measures in place to ensure that people are looking out for each other and that the NHS are in the best position to deliver the best possible care.

    We are here to help deepen your understanding of the issues faced by marginalised staff within your organisation. As a trusted third party, we build spaces that foster psychological safety, enabling colleagues to express their concerns without fear or prejudice.

    We do this by providing the right platforms, programmes and technology to support your people.

  • WERKIN excels in providing leadership development, workshops, training and culture change programmes to support you people reaching their full potential.

    We will show you how to attract, develop and retain talented people from all backgrounds.

  • At WERKIN we believe that offering employees flexible working arrangements is critical to a thriving and successful workplace. WERKIN provides coaching around the importance of this, and how employees thrive when companies support them by providing an optimal work/life balance.

The WERKIN People Promise

  • WERKIN is made up of diverse team members who will lead your programmes in the most authentic way, talking about their own lived experiences and creating psychological safety for your participants

  • At WERKIN we are a strong team, and we believe in creating effective and diverse teams for your organisation that thrive by sharing learning, supporting each other and celebrating the success of the team.

  • WERKIN is transforming diversity and inclusion by building belonging at workplaces around the world with modern mentorship. The NHS is the leader in modern healthcare. Together we can make a difference.

Inspiring shared purpose

Our programmes are designed to help your staff develop a shared purpose, shared values and service ethos. This creates an environment that ultimately leads to a more inclusive workforce and an improved quality of patient safety and care.

Connecting our service

At WERKIN we understand how health and social care services fit together and how different people, teams and organisations interconnect and interact. We can provide your staff with the knowledge and resources to engage with stakeholders, connecting your service to the wider community.

Leading with care

WERKIN understands the importance of creating safe spaces and caring environments that focus on improving the emotional wellbeing of your staff, allowing them to receive and develop compassionate leadership skills.

Sharing the vision

WERKIN programmes can help your staff to develop and share a common vision, engage the team in achieving it, build their professional capacity, and hold staff accountable (and their managers) to organisational and personal goals. This in turn wields successful outcomes and results for your company.

Evaluation information

We provide new insights and data points which help you better understand your employees and your organisational culture. These reports are used by our NHS clients to contextualise their WRES and WDES data. Engagement metrics are used to improve our services and make effective plans for change.

Engaging the team

WERKIN believes in creating an atmosphere of staff engagement, where mutual respect is key, and team members’ contributions and ideas are valued. We will engage your team by equipping them with the skills to effectively collaborate and communicate, driving better outcomes and therefore productivity.

Holding to account

WERKIN programmes are designed to support your teams by emphasising the importance of accountability and creating a culture of transparency. We encourage our participants to agree to clear performance goals (OKRs), and take responsibility for results. We build in line manager and direct report accountability which enables us to effectively assess the impact of our programmes outside of the cohort.

Developing capacity

We will help your staff develop capacity by teaching them the necessary skills to take on new tasks and responsibilities, whether that be for personal development, organisational learning or stepping into role model and mentorship challenges.

Influencing for results

At WERKIN we are passionate about showing your teams how to create positive impact, build relationships, and recognise the experiences and concerns of other people. Our programmes will help your staff influence results by demonstrating the importance of persuasive communication and showing them how to create successful strategies.

NHS Leadership Values

The NHS Leadership Values are at the core of what WERKIN does. Our programmes are designed to result in effective leadership behaviour of your team and will identify the strengths of your leaders, and any areas for development.