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Over the course of this year, we have once again demonstrated our commitment to innovative approaches that put people at the heart of their healthcare journey and inspired services around the country to try new ways of working.

We are extraordinarily proud of our work over this last year, and our annual report is a chance to celebrate and share our success, reminding ourselves of why we are here, and what can be achieved.

We are at our very best when working with people living with long term conditions, and in the report below you will see our approach, where ‘What Matters to You’ is the starting point for every conversation. Nowhere is this more true than in MSK, where this year we report on our ten-year journey, that has made a difference for so many people in Sussex.

We are an organisation that can step in and out of services, exploring new ideas and offering short pieces of transformative work. Our Stroke service pilot is a great example, a new idea, tested in partnership with others, that has led to a way of working.

The idea of a patient revolution is not new, and we have found ways to turn these inspirational ideas into real action. Our health builder program partners with people who are closest to the problems we want to solve – those who live with long term conditions - drawing on their unique insights to design services. Their support to others travelling the same path, is part of what makes our care exceptional.

Our story this year is once again one of creative experimentation, a constant striving towards exceptional care, and ways to reach everyone. All of this happens in a system under stress. But effective healthcare offers better value – better value for people using the service, and better value for systems - wasting less of our limited public resources.

As a purpose led organisation, spreading our impact is critical. On Radio 4 and BBC Sussex, word on our Community Appointment Days spread far and wide, and our conversation with New Local supported 160 leaders to find out more, and to set off on their own discovery journeys. Once again, we are at the heart of a growing movement of people who want to transform healthcare, taking a fresh perspective on old ways of working, and understanding how community powered health can be made real.

Our changes can only work in collaboration with others. Our partnerships spread our reach and impact, and we have tried to play our part as our system changes, offering support to the VCSE alliances and newly forming ICTs.

Our report will not only show you more about what we do, and why, but also, the difference that our work is making to people's lives.

In the coming year, we want to do more, to learn from others and form partnerships that change our DNA, inspiring us to reach more people, and deliver exceptional care. Our work is designed to make a difference, and I want to say thank you to those who make this possible – our staff, our patients and our partners, who are inspired every day to deliver exceptional care, for everyone.

1

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We believe in exceptional care,

for everyone.

Exceptional - as aspiration for all we do. Our purpose is to not only deliver exceptional care, but to explore the exceptional. As a not for profit, values run organisation we can do things a little bit differently, and not settle for anything less than the highest quality for those we work for. This doesn’t mean unaffordable – good value, effective processes are good for people using the service and good for the bottom line.

Care - personalised to those who need it. When we dream big, we start with an individual. We know the experience of care determines the end-result which means we must listen, understand and tailor all that we do to those we work with.

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For everyone – actively including the whole community. We care deeply about social justice, reducing inequalities in society not just in health. We want our work to be exceptional for everyone. This includes our staff. Part of our DNA , what drives our quality standard, is to embrace a different way of working, where the wellness of our people, and their ability to individually flourish, is an unshakable priority.

This is how we deliver exceptional care, for everyone.

We see people as people – not conditions. If you have a long ​term health condition, receiving care that helps you live the life ​you want, that fits around the things that are important to you ​really matters. It matters to you, and so it matters to us.

Through our years of delivering CQC outstanding health ​services, we know personalised care leads to better patient ​outcomes, reduced waiting lists, more efficient service delivery ​and happier staff.

That’s why our services are built on personalisation principles, ​with ‘What Matters to You’ conversations at the heart of our ​model.

What makes our approach unique is that we make ​personalised care a reality – at scale. With a growing workforce ​of personalised care experts, smart data, systems and highly ​skilled care navigators, we have the infrastructure in place to ​balance at-scale-delivery with a uniquely person-centred ​approach.

We work with people seeking care, combining our clinical ​expertise in conditions, treatments and human behaviour, ​with what matters to people, their support network and our ​communities. These unique collaborations and shared ​decisions unlock sustainable approaches that work for ​everyone.

This year we drew on our 15 years’ experience in personalised ​care to develop our pillars of service design – marking a ​significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to ​exceptional care, for everyone.

We know a supportive work environment creates ​the capacity and continuity to care, and embracing ​difference is not only possible, but effective. This ​year we continued to invest in our Everyone Culture, ​placing a deliberate focus on embedding wellbeing ​and a sense of belonging in every aspect of our ​organisation.

Over the coming year we will develop our ‘Here ​Charter’, codifying our commitment to wellness, ​belonging and sustainability. The charter outlines ​how we bring our values to life through our ​behaviours, setting out key competencies for ​everyone and the support we can expect from our ​leaders.

Putting people at the heart of urgent care.

Commissioned by Sussex NHS Integrated Care Board, and delivered in collaboration with University Hospitals Sussex East (UHSxE), we have developed a flexible and dynamic service that supports people of all ages who need urgent care but whose needs are best met by seeing a primary care clinician rather than going into A&E. This includes people who are unregistered or live out of the area. We do this through a mixture of telephone and face to face appointments based at the Royal Sussex County Hospital.

We want to provide a positive journey by ensuring people see the right person, at the right time, in the right place. Our team of dedicated GPs and ANPs provide evening and weekend cover, 365 days a year, 7 days a week, including bank holidays, working hard to relieve the pressure on A&E.

Approximately 80%* of our patients are assessed and treated within APC, with no need for emergency care at the hospital or further appointments with their own registered GPs.

*Data range Sept 2023- Feb 2024

Anon, patient feedback

Sussex MSK Partnership Central (SMSKPC) is ​delivered by Here in partnership with Sussex ​Community NHS Foundation Trust. Over the last ​10 years, we have managed over 526,000 ​referrals, serving the population of c. 660,000 ​people across Sussex: Brighton and Hove, ​Crawley, Horsham and Mid-Sussex. Holding the ​prime contract means we steward the entire ​budget for MSK care - approximately £51 million ​of taxpayers’ money each year. SMSKP hold the ​responsibility of being a commissioner, bringing ​together and joining up all the required services ​to ensure comprehensive MSK care, ranging from ​counselling to wrist splints to knee surgery. We ​manage sub-contracts with 8 different ​secondary care providers across Sussex.

This year we celebrate our tenth anniversary of ​delivering exceptional MSK care in Sussex, a ​journey that has seen the service become an ​exemplar of personalised care delivery at scale - ​featuring in the media (BBC News, Chartered ​Society of Physiotherapy, Health Service ​Journal), and is influencing the development of ​the Major Conditions Strategy for the ​Department for Health & Social Care.

Here is head contract holder for Brighton and Hove ​Memory Assessment Service (MAS), working in ​partnership with Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation ​Trust and the Brighton and Hove Carers Centre.

We operate as an integrated clinical and support ​community service bringing together clinicians from ​both secondary (nurses and consultants) and primary ​care (General Practitioners with Extended Roles) who ​work alongside support workers, offering a holistic and ​personalised service to patients and their loved ones.

Unlike other Memory Assessment Services, we provide ​extensive support from the point of referral and work ​proactively with people to support and improve quality ​of life.

*Quality of life report

Until November 2023 Here was the main vaccine ​provider in Brighton and Hove, delivering COVID-19 ​vaccinations to eligible cohorts. To ensure equity of ​access for underserved communities, we offered this ​through our central Vaccination Hub, care homes and ​home visiting, Mobile Vaccination units and pop-up ​clinics.

Celebrating our vax team

Last November marked a very special moment in time for Here with the end of our formal involvement in the COVID-19 Vaccine primary care collaboration in Brighton & Hove. It is impossible to recount all the ups and downs – building new sites from scratch, creating a new workforce, designing outreach, and dealing with short notice change of plans, this was a workstream like no other.

Between December 2020 and Nov 2023, we delivered over 358,000 vaccines. Working in collaboration with Primary Care Networks across Brighton & Hove and the Havens we ensured that everyone had access to a COVID-19 vaccine. Together we accomplished amazing things.

Our roving services delivered over 87,000 vaccines to around 61,000 people, protecting those that are most vulnerable – administering in their homes, care homes, homeless settings and community hubs for minority groups.

928 Mobile Vaccination Units (MVU) were also deployed, meaning those who couldn’t access the main vaccination centres were able to access and MVU closer to them and within their communities.

“One we are extraordinarily proud to have been a part of. COVID-19 changed our world forever and it changed us forever too. It changed our relationship with this city, it got us to really look at how we do things and who we do it for. We are so deeply grateful to all of those who took part.”

Helen Curr

First Brighton vaccination venue December 2020

Here has been a pivotal partner in the delivery of the ​COVID-19 vaccination programme across Sussex ​ensuring that the local population had access, and ​were supported, to receive this important protection.

Here has put the needs of the local community first in ​all of their planning and coordination, supporting and ​delivering vaccinations to our most vulnerable and at-​risk populations through a targeted outreach ​programme, whilst at the same time running at scale ​larger vaccination centres.

They have demonstrated a strong partnership ​approach, working closely with NHS Sussex, local ​authorities and community groups, to build trust and ​awareness within local communities and as a team are ​an excellent example of how to deliver a

flexible and effective vaccination programme.

Our thanks to everyone involved.

Amy Galea, Chief Integration and Primary Care Officer NHS Sussex

I’ve had the great opportunity today to visit the Brighton Racecourse to see the excellent work at the vaccination centre here. This is a great collaboration between our the local NHS, Here, Sussex Community Foundation Trust, but also General Practice and all the 5 Primary Care Networks that have worked so hard to get this up and running.

Adam Doyle, CEO NHS Sussex - on visiting ​the Brighton Racecourse vaccination centre ​2021

“We want to thank everyone who has been ​part of creating Sussex MSK Partnership ​Central over the last 10 years – colleagues ​past and present, our health builders, those ​with lived experience, voluntary sector and ​community groups who have engaged with us ​to create human and unhurried care. Thank ​you - let’s see what the next decade holds.

Natalie Blunt, Managing director at SMSKPC

We are proud to partner with Here

in the delivery of Sussex MSK Partnership.

Ten years ago, we came together to create a service that delivers outstanding MSK care. Together we have achieved that goal and more. Drawing on our combined strengths, our shared values, and complementary skills we have seen our MSK service transform over the years to become truly patient centred,

with our terrific and dedicated staff

supporting patients to manage their

conditions and live well.

Mike Jennings, Deputy Chief Executive at SCFT

Journey through our memorable moments and key innovations from the past ten years ​to find out more about the development and transformation of SMSKP

Partnership forms in 2014

Sussex MSK Partnership Central is formed

Here created a delivery partnership with Sussex Community Foundation Trust as prime contract holder for MSK

2018

Reached 7% reduction in referrals to ​secondary care, whilst ensuring quick ​access times within the community and ​supporting people to self manage

2019

Won HSJ

Partnership award

Community

We work alongside communities, using our data systems to find underserved groups, we proactively seek to understand how we can meet their needs

2015

We were the first organisation to recruit a Patient Director, putting the lived experience voice front and centre of the service. This has now evolved into our Health Builders Programme.

2016

Started addressing letters to patients ​rather than clinicians to ensure ​information is understandable, jargon ​free and supporting the “no decision ​about me, without me” approach

Quality

Safe, high standard care for patients is enshrined in all we do. We deliver at scale, a complex service, over 10 locations alongside over 200 colleagues

2020 - 2021

Proactively redirected MSK resource to ​support the urgent and non-elective ​COVID-19 response

Vision

We see a future where community powered, personalised MSK care is standard, where seeing the whole person means we provide human and unhurried care for everyone and by doing so, facilitate better outcomes for patients, staff and our community

The challenges of post COVID-19 care are clear, such as ​long waits and disrupted services as a result of workforce ​shortages.

As we worked to find solutions, it became increasingly ​clear that, rather than looking to recover services by doing ​more of the same, we needed to explore different models ​of care to address the immediate challenges and make ​care sustainable into the future.

In 2022, our MSK service directors Natalie Blunt ​(Managing Director, SMSKPC) and Laura Finucane (Clinical ​Director, SMSKPC) pulled together our vision for the future ​of MSK ‘The Case for Change: Creating and Sustaining ​Excellence in MSK Care’. Over 2023, we started mobilising ​one of our ideas - a programme of Community ​Appointment Days (CADs).

What Matters to You: the heart of CADs

We designed CADs to demedicalise care, moving it into a community setting and, crucially, having conversations instead of consultations that honoured expertise held by patients and their community.

CADs are centred around the very simple concept of understanding what matters to someone, then working alongside them to make that happen. To do this we bring people seeking care, clinical expertise, voluntary sector services and the wider community together under one roof – so people can access a full range of services in one day and one place.

The impact so far

*Patient-Reported measure of

Shared-Decision Making

Working with Here has been inspirational. Their commitment to delivering better care and meaningful innovation, particularly through the Community Appointment Days, has taught me a huge amount. It’s been an honour to share that transformational learning with the wider public sector.

Adam Lent​​​​, Chief Executive at New Local

I’ve worked all 4 CADs and what a journey it’s been! Being there and speaking to patients in person has been an amazing experience. I saw many patients happy and satisfied with their outcome at the CAD and have heard multiple times from patients stating that this was a great idea and were hoping that this will continue in the future.

Jade Jai, Spine Patient Care Advisor at SMSKPC

Great NHS leaders are coming up with brilliant solutions.

Wes Streeting, Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care - talking about the impact our Community Appointment Days are having at the NHS Providers Annual Conference and Exhibition in Liverpool November 2023

CADs have really captured imaginations nationally and created a sea-change driving towards this new model of care.

Natalie Blunt, Managing Director at SMSKPC

Our patient leaders are not just part of the team, they are part of the leadership.

30 Health Builders have been involved in shaping the Stroke Catalyst project - a collaboration with Sussex Integrated Stroke Delivery Network (ISDN) and NHS Sussex. Together we worked in partnership with SCFT, UHSx, voluntary sector organisations (including the Stroke Association, Say Aphasia and Sussex Headway), to create a focused co-design and learning process funded by SQuIRE NHS England.

Key to it all has been our unique person-centred approach that enabled people with lived experience to take the reins of service design. We invited stroke survivors to become members of our ‘Health Builders’ network and form a partnership between Stroke Support Workers and Stroke Health Builders to:

• Improve Experience
  
• Improve Patient Activation and Outcomes
  
• Provide hope for the future
  
• Release clinical capacity
  

Every person’s stroke is different, and every recovery is unique.

The effects of stroke are as individual as the person who has experienced it. The days, weeks, months and beyond can often feel challenging and lonely. By giving people the opportunity to meet with other stroke survivors and to talk about their shared experiences in a dedicated space means they can feel seen, heard and understood, and offer invaluable support to one another.

Shreddie Glew, Health Builder Team Leader

From the very start, Health Builders have been equal partners in our planning workshops and a key part of the decision-making process.

Following feedback from stroke survivors, at least one Health Builder attends each group session with stroke survivors. This means there is always a non-clinical person present who understands their lived experience and who can also offer hope and purpose to their fellow survivors.

It has been inspiring to witness the Health Builders in action, as they have grown in confidence and purpose themselves. The value of their efforts in supporting fellow stroke survivors to live their best life is immeasurable.

The Catalyst 1 project has made an incredible difference to those stroke survivors who are eligible for the service. Through the stroke support workers, stroke survivors have a single point of contact from their admission through to their journey out of the acute setting and beyond. The positive benefits for patients and their families can not be overstated.

In addition, the sessions on the ward with both the support workers and health builders have provided invaluable opportunities for

patients and families to learn more about stroke, rehabilitation and what the future

may look like. Thanks for all the project has done and is doing - it really has made an amazing difference.

Ingrid Kane, Consultant Stroke Physician, Co Clinical Lead Sussex ISDN at Sussex Community Foundation Trust

The development of the Health Builder role ​within part of the stroke pathway has been ​a unique approach and has illustrated the ​benefits of giving stroke survivors the ​opportunity to ‘give something back’ and ​offer peer support to others who have ​recently had a stroke. I believe this model ​has a real opportunity to be rolled further ​across the stroke pathway for the benefit of ​a wider group of stroke survivors

and their families.

Emma Jupp, Sussex Integrated Stroke Delivery ​Network Manager at NHS Sussex

Effective use of resources is crucial for delivering exceptional healthcare for everyone. Well designed and managed systems ensure the smooth running of a service and accurate records. Smart systems go further - they help to increase access for patients.

We invest in smart, robust systems to support our services, using innovative data and analytics (D&A) to free up professionals’ time, identify underserved communities and enable accurate predictions for better decision making.

Using this learning, we have developed tools and training to support our fellow healthcare professionals to:

• build a clearer picture of what’s happening around your service​
  
• free up time wasted on repetitive or administrative tasks
  
• improve access and targeting of your delivery.
  

Data and analytics

We know, when resourced and developed in the right way, data can help purposefully plan for a better future.

This year we developed and widened our range of D&A tools across our long-term conditions portfolio to support effective service delivery. This includes analysis dashboards and robotic process automation (RPA) solutions for Sussex MSK, Stroke Health and Wellbeing, Menopause@Work, Sussex Memory Assessment Service and most recently the Sussex Gender Service.

With a dedicated team across our D&A services supported by a culture of innovation, we have developed a collection of tools that make a significant impact on resourcing and decision making.

We worked with Stu (from Here)

to develop a dashboard to align with our ​National Diabetes Audit submission. This ​enabled us to monitor performance and ​put actions in place to ensure the ​maximum number of patients were getting ​all 8 care processes completed- such as ​calling those where we don’t have smoking ​status recorded, organising an ​appointment with the Health Care Support ​Worker to complete a foot check etc.

Eleanor Rezazadeh, General Manager- Specialist ​Services at East Sussex Community NHS ​Foundation Trust

We worked with Here on a PCN activity ​dashboard, in partnership. Open and ​regular meetings and communication, ​quick response to actions...made working ​with Here easy and beneficial.

Laura Fernandez-Kayne, Deans and Central ​Brighton Primary Care Network Operational Lead ​Manager

Automated Admin,

Robust and well-maintained administration, such as accurate data entry on patient records, is vital but time consuming for Patient Care Advisors (PCAs).

To combat this, we developed Robotic Process Automation systems within our Sussex MSK services to reduce the amount of data entry and cross referencing our PCAs need to do.

Not only is the automated system faster and more accurate, so far, we have freed up approx. 9,000 * PCA hours (1,246 days) per year, meaning they can do more valuable and fulfilling work with those hours.

Or to put it another way, the equivalent of five more PCAs available to provide quality care.

We are currently exploring new ways of implementing RPA solutions and using machine learning to take care of more administrative tasks; freeing up people to do what only they can do – provide exceptional care.

*Conservative estimate assuming 7.5 data entry hours per day.

The automation of tasks has meant that we have been able to direct resource away from repetitive data entry tasks and more towards resourcing the phones or sending out patient letters on time, ensuring that the service is more accessible, and patients are able to get information about their care in a timely manner.

As we develop more automation, we will be able to put more resources towards our developing care navigator roles to not only support patients on their journey through MSK, but also beyond and put the heart of what really matters to them at the

forefront of their time in the service.

Tim Price, Deputy Service Manager, SMSKPC

Saving 1 million clinical hours

We use smart data to find people who are not accessing their health services. We then met with those people to understand what, why and spend time together co-creating services that are better suited and more accessible to them.

How we find underserved communities

By creating a dashboard that plotted the proportion of referrals we receive into the MSK service, against the population data that we get from the 2021 census, we were able to identify groups and areas underserved by our service.

For example, we found a disparity between the number of referrals we receive from the Asian community in Crawley compared to what we expect. This pin-pointed a specific community and in a specific place may not find our service as accessible as it should be – but it didn't tell us why.

To find out we met members of the Crawley Sikh community and discovered useful information about how they access healthcare. Many tended to approach family or community leaders rather than health professionals. And many in that community didn't use smartphones or the Internet, which meant an online self-referral process wasn’t accessible to them.

Crawley Community Action’s Health Expo Event

What we’re learning

As a result, we trialled a self-referral phone line, but found this would take a significant amount of publicity to get off the ground as the community preferred to connect face-to-face rather than phone or use digital tools. We are now developing outreach services where First Contact Practitioners take the services into the community.

Developing services that are equitable-by-design

Finding who isn't accessing services and following up directly with the community in this way helps us to create services that are equitable-by-design. We learn from each and every interaction with our community different ways to improve our approach to access. This means when designing new services and processes we can avoid excluding certain groups and communities from the get-go.

I have been lucky to join a BIG Conversation event hosted at The Charis Centre Crawley

by Sussex MSK Partnership Central.

It was one of the well thought-out and wonderfully managed events among

the ones I have attended... This was very informative and enlightening to know

about the help available and how to reach them. They also take care of the language barriers and cultural differences. It was an amazing session and would highly

recommend this organization for their wonderful work.

Sohini Ghosh,

Communications & Resource Manager

at Crawley Community Action

Exceptional partnerships

Our approach to partnerships

We believe in the collective strength of the many, and the importance of not duplicating the efforts of others who are already delivering.  We know true collaboration reduces the possibility of people falling through cracks in the system, improving equity of provision for communities that might be hard to reach. 

That’s why we deliver all our services in collaboration with partners, whether they be a community trust, voluntary or charity organisation, or private provider. 

Partnership for us means leaving any ego at the door and coming together in true collaboration as one team. In our experience the best partnerships bring more than a collection of resources, capabilities and skills together. Built on a foundation of shared values and principles, our collaborations are about understanding each other’s unique attributes and playing to our strengths.  

We see our role as the glue that brings a complex and fragmented system together. We make sense of the system and use our expertise in partnership working and well-established data and analytics solutions to bring the system together.  We know that working this way, we become greater than the sum of our collective parts.

I have had the pleasure of working with Here / Practice Unbound for almost 5 years now and have been deeply impressed by their genuine drive to try to make life better for everyone with their services, initiatives and products.

There are a number of things about their work culture that stand out - a strong sense of purpose, the ability to deal with complexity, a human approach to team working and partnership and steadfast reliability. All of this makes them a top-drawer organisation to work with on every level.

Dr Ayan Panja, GP Partner

It’s been really exciting working with Here on the Stroke Health and Wellbeing project. Their co-design approach, coupled with the team’s energy and passion to transform and change services has been great to be a part of.

Emma Jupp, Sussex Integrated Stroke Delivery Network Manager

How we’re integrated in the Sussex system

Investing in our future

Our commitment to Net Zero

In 2023 we took a huge step forward in our sustainability work by formalising our commitment to net zero. We published our first annual Carbon Reduction Plan where the Board committed to “achieving Net Zero emissions by 2040 for the emissions we control directly (direct emissions) and 2045 for the emissions we can influence (indirect emissions), in line with the NHS Long Term Plan commitments”.

So far, we have reduced our carbon emission by 32 tonnes (or 2.2%) since we started measuring in FY2021-22.

Our emissions per employee over the same period reduced from 4.86 tCO2e to 4.74 tCO2e which is a 2.5% reduction. This reduction was achieved by the extension of informal measures that the company had in place before we started focusing on our carbon footprint. Our website details both these completed reduction initiatives and those that we now have planned.

0

-32 ​tonne

Carbon Reduction Plan

1,439.06

Investing in our community

Part of what it means to be a social enterprise and a purpose driven organisation is addressing the inequities we see in our community. Sometimes that means looking at things differently. With our Menopause@Work project, we saw an opportunity to help people take control of their wellness outside a medical setting, in ways that work for them and the local business community. We also saw a way to bring the community together, get people talking and address the stigma people experiencing menopause can face.

Sarah Bartholomew, Commercial Director and Deputy Chief Executive at Here

We believe in exceptional care for everyone and sometimes that means working outside of traditional health and care settings. We know that access to good information, advice and support through menopause can be critical to a person’s overall health.

We also know that for many people, if you work in a small or medium sized organisation this might be hard to access. Many larger corporations have been able to invest wellbeing budgets, and there has been a huge expansion in privately delivered menopause services, this could perpetuate inequalities; being unaffordable or inaccessible to the groups that need help the most.

Our investment

In our local Brighton and Hove community 82% of businesses are small to medium enterprises (SMEs) with limited access to structured menopause support.

We had a vision. Drawing on our experience as a CQC outstanding provider of innovative, person-centred health services, we developed a programme to provide affordable, high-quality menopause support codesigned with the community.

To make the vision a reality, we developed strategic partnerships, applied for funding and invested our own resources, funds (match funded 47K over 3 years) and expertise to help our local business community to level the playing field.

Cocreating Menopause@Work

Together with the Brighton and Hove City Council Workplace Health team, we worked with SMEs and people experiencing menopause, to develop Menopause@Work, the only free service offering high-quality education, training, practical tools and healthy lifestyle advice to help people thrive in menopause transition, particularly in the workplace.

Investing in

our purpose

As a social enterprise, we want to use our resources to have the ​greatest possible impact. This means rigorous financial analysis ​to ensure our work is the best value, and a constant effort to ​deliver things more efficiently. Where we succeed, we reinvest ​surplus in services - funding improvements or innovations to ​enhance our care.

We also monitor how we spend our money, buying local and ​social wherever we can to support our community.

As a member of the local business community and as a purpose ​driven organisation, we seek to work responsibly with our ​suppliers. As such we are mindful of the impact late payments ​have on suppliers, especially small businesses and freelancers ​and have committed to prompt payment.

Commitment to prompt payment

Supporting shared values

To increase our sphere of influence on how we work, we are conducting a review of all our suppliers to establish which ones:

• Are small
  
• Are local (68.3% of suppliers in FY2023-24 were Sussex based and 59.9% based in Brighton and Hove)
  
• Are social enterprises
  
• Have modern slavery statements or are at least aware of the issues and acting to prevent them
  
• Pay the Real Living Wage to their employees
  
• Can demonstrate that they act sustainably
  

When we choose suppliers, these factors are just as important as price in deciding who we work with, but we understand this means supporting them to uphold these values.

For example, we chose Green Mop as our cleaning company not only for their green credential and because they are local, but they are also a Real Living Wage employer. Last year, they discussed with us how they needed to increase their price to be able to afford to pay their employees the Real Living Wage – which we agreed to.

As a social enterprise, this is how we can support local businesses, especially small ones and especially through tough economic times when cash flow is crucial. We hope this will encourage our suppliers to adopt these social values.

As a local small business owner,

we have worked with Here for 14 years, we felt we could approach them about a Real Living Wage increase knowing that their values aligned with ours - prioritising social impact, ethical practices, and sustainability. We appreciate that Here demonstrates how much they

value working with local businesses,

wanting to make a difference and to

support people.

Racheal Hughes, Owner at Green Mop - ‘Employer of the Year’ at Sussex Business Awards in 2021

Owning a small local business,

I value collaborating with social enterprises like Here. It matters to me

they are taking responsibility for positively impacting the community I live and work in. Creative Kind helps people express what they care about in a human way,

so it makes a difference - and with Here that feels simple.

Paul Macauley, Founder at Creative Kind

Financial statements

The latest financial statements filed for the year-ended

31 March 2023 reflect that Here has been a large company for the last two years and has therefore increased the disclosure required in our Strategic and Directors’ Reports. This has enabled us to share publicly much more detail about our purpose and how we operate as a social enterprise including how we work with our employees, our patients, our suppliers and our wider community.

Also, for the first time, it also includes a Carbon Reduction Plan and carbon footprint calculation which explains our impact on our environment and how we plan to reduce the amount of carbon we produce.

An invitation to connect, from Rich our Chair

You can also connect with the Here leadership team on LinkedIn and join in the conversation.

© 2024. Copyright Care Unbound Limited trading as Here. Care Unbound Limited (Company Number 6528491) registered in England and Wales. Registered offices at Fourth Floor, 177 Preston Road, Brighton, BN1 6AG